Tim Clarke

Dr. Tim Clarke is an Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Student Support in the Foundation Year Program at the University of King's College. He holds a PhD in English from the University of Ottawa (2018), focusing on Spinoza’s philosophical influence on 19th- and 20th-century American literature. His research bridges literature and philosophy, particularly modernist vitalism, decadence, and affect theory.

Education:

• BA in English and Historical Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland (2011)
• MA in English, Queen’s University (2012)
• PhD in English, University of Ottawa (2018)

Research Focus: Dr. Clarke explores intersections of literary modernism with continental philosophy, emphasizing decadence, vitalist thought, and death’s role in literature. His current project, Morbid Vitalism, examines how modernism synthesizes life-affirming and death-oriented ideas through the decadent tradition. He has published on Djuna Barnes’s Nightwood and co-translated works by Brazilian geographer Milton Santos.

Teaching & Engagement: He teaches courses like After the End: The Idea of Decadence and Reflections on Death, blending critical theory with contemporary aesthetics. His translations and co-edited volumes on Milton Santos highlight global Southern perspectives in geography and sociology.