Dinah Roe

Dinah Roe is a Reader in 19th Century Literature and Research Lead for English, Creative Writing and Modern Languages at Oxford Brookes University, School of Education, Humanities and Languages. She is a leading scholar in Victorian literature, with a focus on Pre-Raphaelitism, poetry, and the intersections between literary and visual arts.

• BA from Vassar College
• PhD in English Literature from University College London (2004)

Her research centers on 19th-century British literature, particularly the works of Christina Rossetti, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris, and Algernon Charles Swinburne. She explores the interdisciplinary connections between poetry, art, and material culture, with a strong emphasis on Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics. Her work often examines book illustration, decorative arts, and the materiality of text and image.

Recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the interplay of visual and literary elements in Victorian culture, particularly how Pre-Raphaelite artists and poets used material forms (frames, glass, gardens) as metaphors for spiritual and aesthetic ideals. Her articles span journals such as Victorian Literature and Culture, Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies, and Victoriographies, reflecting a deep engagement with both literary and art historical methodologies.

Her scientific recognition includes the Overseas Research Scholarship and the Oxford Brookes Research Excellence Award. She has delivered keynotes and public lectures at institutions including the Ashmolean Museum, Royal Holloway, and the National Gallery.

• Overseas Research Scholarship
• Oxford Brookes Research Excellence Award

Dinah Roe actively supervises PhD, MA, and BA students in 18th and 19th-century literature, especially Romantic and Victorian poetry and fiction. She has examined multiple PhD theses on Pre-Raphaelitism. Her current research includes editing The Complete Poems of Christina Rossetti and authoring a monograph on literary and visual arts in the Pre-Raphaelite movement. She has collaborated on research networks and conferences, including the AHRC-funded 'Reading the Pre-Raphaelites' and co-organized events with the Pre-Raphaelite Society and Birkbeck.

She is affiliated with the Poetry Centre and research groups focused on materialities at Oxford Brookes. Her public engagement includes appearances on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Front Row’, BBC Radio 3’s ‘The Verb’, and BBC4’s ‘Lucy Worsley’s Christmas Carol Odyssey’, where she discussed Christina Rossetti’s poetry and its cultural legacy.