Aaron B. Kunin

Aaron B. Kunin is Professor of English at Pomona College, where he has taught since 2005. His expertise centers on English Renaissance literature and contemporary poetics, with significant contributions to character theory and misanthropy studies.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in English, Duke University (2003)
• M.A. in English, Johns Hopkins University (1998)
• A.B. in English, Brown University (1995)

Kunin's research explores the intersection of historical literary concepts and modern creative practice. His work investigates character as artifact, the psychology of misanthropy, and the representation of human faces in early modern texts. Key interests include Jonson's fear of the human face, Molière's "dormative principle," and the wish to be an object, reflecting his unique approach to Renaissance notions of identity and materiality.

• Poetics and Literary Theory
• Milton and 17th-Century Studies
• Character Theory Across Periods
• Misanthropy in Literary Tradition
• Objecthood and Material Culture

His publications reveal a distinctive synthesis of scholarly criticism and poetic creation. Recent works demonstrate evolving engagement with Renaissance character concepts through contemporary poetic forms, while academic articles analyze facial composure in Behn's novels and Shakespearean preservation fantasies. This dual-practice approach bridges historical literary analysis with innovative poetic expression.

No scientific awards were documented in the source materials.

Information regarding graduate student advising and research grants was not specified in available records. His teaching portfolio includes courses on the British novel (Defoe to Austen), Milton and visual culture, pre-modern psychology, and Shakespearean comedies and histories.