Marty Knepper, professor of English and chair of English and modern languages, presented a paper at the national Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association conference in March.

Marty Knepper, professor of English and chair of English and modern languages at Morningside College, presented a paper at the national Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association conference in March.

The paper, titled “Auden, Oedipus, and Ross Macdonald: The Complexities, Ambiguities, and Inevitability of Guilt,” discusses how writer Ross Macdonald incorporated the Greek tragedy “Oedipus Rex” and Sigmund Freud’s theory of the Oedipus Complex into his novels about 20th century family tragedy in Southern California.

The Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association promotes the study of popular culture throughout the world through the establishment and promotion of conferences, publications and discussion.

Morningside College students who attended the conference include Logan Anderson of Firestone, Colo.; Andy Heffner of Le Mars, Iowa; Austin Naylor of Wyoming, Mich.; Kayla Perkins of Oto, Iowa; and Elizabeth Planck of Omaha, Neb.

Knepper teaches Shakespeare, classics, women and literature, writing and popular culture at Morningside College. She received her doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.