Ryan Perry

Ryan Perry is a Professor and Reader in Medieval Literature at the University of Kent’s School of English, where he also served as co-Director of the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (2016–2020). He leads the Leverhulme Trust-funded project *Whittington’s Gift: Reconstructing the Lost Common Library of London’s Guildhall* (2020–2024), co-investigated with Dr. Stephen Kelly. His research focuses on medieval manuscript culture, religious textual practices, and devotional literature, emphasizing the material contexts of late medieval books and their roles in pastoral and spiritual communities.

Education: Perry completed his PhD at Queen’s University Belfast on *The Cultural Locations of Handlyng Synne*, examining Robert Mannyng of Brunne’s medieval handbook on sin. His work interrogates how medieval texts were produced, circulated, and interpreted by diverse audiences, including his influential concept of ‘devotional cosmopolitanism’ in fifteenth-century England.

Key Projects: The *Whittington’s Gift* project investigates fifteenth-century manuscript collections in London, arguing that these religious texts reflect a grassroots spiritual movement. Outputs include a monograph co-authored with Kelly and an anthology of Middle English religious literature.

Teaching and Supervision: Perry teaches medieval and early modern literature, supervising PhD topics such as Middle English manuscript production, pastoral literatures, and Margery Kempe’s devotional practices. His research has been published widely, including in *Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies* and *Speculum*, and he co-edited *Devotional Culture in Late Medieval England and Europe* (2014).

Labs/Teams: Perry collaborates with the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies and international scholars to explore manuscript networks and medieval textual communities. His future work continues to center on the intersection of materiality and spirituality in medieval book culture.