Colleen Jaurretche

Colleen Jaurretche is a Continuing Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She specializes in twentieth- and twenty-first-century British and Irish literature, modernism, theory of language, philosophy of mind, visual culture, and critical theory. Her research bridges medieval and Renaissance influences with modern literature, emphasizing transnational and postcolonial perspectives.

• Ph.D., UCLA, 1994
• B.A., UCLA, 1986

Jaurretche's work focuses on James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, integrating theological and philosophical frameworks to explore aesthetics and language. Her publications include two books: ‘The Sensual Philosophy’ (1997) and Language as Prayer in Finnegans Wake (2020), both of which analyze Joyce's engagement with historical intellectual traditions.

At UCLA, she teaches courses such as the James Joyce Seminar, How to Read Finnegans Wake, and Literary Cities: Dublin. Her research has also led to the establishment of the Libros Schmibros Lending Library in Boyle Heights, a community initiative promoting literacy and cultural access.