May 10, 2004 -- “I had no idea I could make a living reading books I love,” said Anthony Wexler, a YC senior who was awarded a full scholarship to the English graduate program at The Johns Hopkins University. More Commencement News A Montreal native, Mr. Wexler majored in English with a minor in psychology. In his honors thesis he examines the literature he loves through an unusual lens. He uses psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan’s unique approach to evaluate the works of South African writer, JM Coetzee. Lacan developed his own theory of psychoanalysis, based on ideas articulated in linguistics and anthropology. For many devotees, Lacan’s philosophy supplants the once dominant Freudian theory. The English graduate program at Johns Hopkins is highly selective and only six to eight students on average are chosen in any given year. It is one of the top ten literature programs in the country. “The program is very competitive,” said Susie Herrmann, graduate coordinator in the English department at Hopkins. “Students are granted full tuition remission and an annual stipend which is a very attractive award.” Mr. Wexler credits his interest in contemporary American literature to his YU experience. “I love YU,” Mr. Wexler said. “After spending two years learning in Israel, I came here looking to combine textual learning with secular studies and the time I spent here changed the way I thought and saw the world.” Mr. Wexler entered the honors program halfway through his undergraduate studies. “My teachers in the English department were phenomenal. Dr. Will Lee, director of the Jay and Jeanie Honors Program, was an inspiring mentor and guide as was my advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Stewart.” Dr. Stewart heads the YC book project and recently edited a book on Lancanian philosophy. “It has been a truly moving experience to watch a brilliant undergraduate student blossom into a brilliant graduate student right before my eyes,” said Dr. Stewart. “Anthony did what not all that many people do in a lifetime: he gained a strong grasp of Lacanian psychoanalysis, strong enough to allow Anthony to interpret the work of Coetzee in an original manner, and he did so in record time.” Mr. Wexler aspires to continue to make his life an educational experience. “I would like to continue my education and study literature full-time. My goal is to be a professor and write and teach,” he said. “I would like to teach the love of knowledge, the world of ideas, and the interplay of imagination and reality."