Michael Trask

Michael Trask is a Professor of English at the University of Kentucky on sabbatical from July 2024 to June 2025. His work bridges social theory and literary criticism, focusing on 20th-century American literature with secondary expertise in 19th-century British literature. He holds a Ph.D. (1998) and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. (1990) from Wesleyan University.

Research interests include:

• Twentieth/21st-century American literature and culture
• Gender studies and women's literature
• Literature and philosophy intersections
• Animal studies and ecocriticism

Recent publications explore post-1970 social trends, posthumanism, and ecocriticism in literature. His 2020 book Ideal Minds analyzes ethical and ecological shifts through literary lenses. Earlier works like Cruising Modernism (2003) examine class and sexuality in American literature.