Annette M. Volfing

Annette M. Volfing is a Professor of Medieval German Studies and Fellow of Oriel College at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on later medieval religious, mystical, and allegorical writing, with particular expertise in medieval German literature, textual analysis, and gender studies. She holds a D.Phil. and has authored monographs on figures like Heinrich von Mügeln and John the Evangelist, as well as edited volumes on friendship in medieval culture and medieval notions of inner space.

Her teaching includes Old High German, medieval German language, and literature. She is a Fellow of the British Academy, recognizing her contributions to humanities scholarship. Notable publications include The Daughter Zion Allegory in Medieval German Religious Writing (2017) and Medieval Literacy and Textuality in Middle High German (2007). Her articles span topics from allegorical interpretation to medieval mysticism's gendered dimensions.

Her work often bridges theological, literary, and cultural analysis, with a focus on medieval German texts' intertextual and allegorical layers. Recent research explores dialogic structures in medieval sermons and the role of desire in mystical writing. She has contributed to collaborative projects like Punishment and Penitential Practices in Medieval German Writing (2018) and co-edited special journal issues on Dorothea von Montau and medieval friendship concepts.