Chris Gavaler and Nathaniel Goldberg Publish Paper in the Canadian Journal of Philosophy The professors co-authored an article that investigates the different ways comics are ordered.

By Brian Laubscher
September 27, 2024

Washington and Lee professors Chris Gavaler and Nathaniel Goldberg recently co-authored an article titled “Ordering Comics” in the Canadian Journal of Philosophy.

The duo, who have frequently published articles and books together, teamed up again for this latest project. The article is an outgrowth of a presentation Gavaler and Goldberg were invited to give in 2023 at a philosophy of comics conference in Columbus, Ohio. It looks at how elements in comics are arranged, how they are viewed, what events they represent and when information about those events is presented.

“Unlike movies, where scenes are arranged in the order they’ve viewed – and unlike books, where words are arranged linearly – comics play around with all that and more,” said Gavaler. Goldberg added, “We wanted to figure out, from the perspective of the philosophies of art and language, what exactly was going on.”

Gavaler, associate professor of English, and Goldberg, professor of philosophy, have authored three books together, including, most recently, “Revising Reality: How Sequels, Remakes, Retcons and Rejects Explain the World,” which hit bookshelves in May 2024. The duo previously teamed up to publish “Revising Fiction, Fact, and Faith: A Philosophical Account” in 2020 and “Superhero Thought Experiments: Comic Book Philosophy” in 2019.

Gavaler, who has served as a member of the W&L faculty since 2010, has authored or co-authored nine books and several one-act plays, including five winners of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in English education from Rutgers University and an MFA from the University of Virginia.

Goldberg has been with the W&L faculty since 2008. He has authored or co-authored four books and has been published extensively throughout his career. He received a Bachelor of Arts in history from Brandeis University, a Master of Arts in philosophy from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.