Description: (Literary critic)
Barbara Ellen Johnson, a notable American literary critic and translator, was recognized for her impactful contributions to English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University. She skillfully incorporated structuralist and poststructuralist viewpoints, including deconstruction, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and feminist theory, into her academic endeavors. Johnson was instrumental in popularizing Jacques Derrida's theories among English-speaking readers, thereby enhancing the acceptance of these concepts in the United States. Her work firmly establishes her as a prominent figure within the distinguished "Yale School" of academic literary criticism.