Lisa Algazi Marcus is Professor of French at Hood College, where she has taught since 1994. She serves as Co-Director of the Hood Honors Program alongside Dr. Shannon Kundey and teaches French and Francophone literature, language, cultures, and gender studies courses. Her academic home is within the Department of Global Languages & Cultures, where she maintains an active teaching and research profile. Professor Marcus specializes in 19th century French literature with particular expertise in representations of motherhood and breastfeeding in literary narratives. Her research bridges literary analysis with gender studies, examining how male authors constructed maternal subjectivity and how these representations contrasted with historical realities of motherhood. She has made significant contributions to understanding the disconnect between literary fantasies and actual maternal experiences in 19th century France. Her scholarly output shows consistent thematic development from her 2001 book Maternal Subjectivity in the Works of Stendhal to her 2022 publication Mother's Milk and Male Fantasy in Nineteenth Century French Narrative . Recent work demonstrates increasing engagement with historical archives, museum collections, and cross-century comparisons of breastfeeding discourse. Current research focuses on translating Émile Zola's 1899 novel 'Fécondité', which requires recovering passages omitted from the original English translation due to Victorian obscenity laws. Mortar Board Award for Excellence in Teaching (1998) Mary Ann Kerins Award (2020) for work on behalf of transgender students, faculty and staff Laughlin Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement (2022) Professor Marcus serves as faculty adviser for the Hood chapter of Pi Delta Phi (the French national honors society) and as a First Year adviser. Her service extends to leadership roles including chair of the President's Council on Transgender Inclusivity. Beyond campus, she volunteers with The Frederick Center and maintains active engagement with French cultural institutions, as evidenced by her research visit to the Museum of Wet Nursing and Public Assistance in Alligny-en-Morvan, France.
