Kenneth Borris

Professor Kenneth Borris is a faculty member in the Department of English at McGill University's Faculty of Arts, specializing in Early Modern Literature and Literary Theory. His research focuses on Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, Shakespeare, and Milton, with particular attention to allegory, the sublime, and early modern philosophy. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh and a B.A. from the University of Victoria.

His scholarly work includes monographs such as Allegory and Epic in English Renaissance Literature (2000) and VISIONARY SPENSER AND THE POETICS OF EARLY MODERN PLATONISM (2017), as well as edited volumes on topics like early modern homosexuality and Spenserian studies. Borris has received prestigious grants from the SSHRC and awards including the Isabel MacCaffrey Prize for best Spenser article (1990).

His research bridges early modern literary forms with modernist innovations, exploring intersections between philosophy, theology, and visual arts. He has supervised numerous graduate students in early modern studies and taught previously at the University of Victoria and University of Alberta.