Vivasvan Soni

Vivasvan Soni is an Associate Professor of English at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. from Duke University and is a member of the graduate faculty. His research focuses on eighteenth-century British literature, critical and literary theory, moral/political theory, narratology, and utopian writing. He authored Mourning Happiness: Narrative and the Politics of Modernity (2010), which won the MLA's First Book Prize.

Education:

• Ph.D. Duke University (2000)

Research Interests:

• Rise of the novel
• Theories of tragedy and utopian writing
• Modernity and classical ideas of happiness
• Judgment crises in eighteenth-century literature

Recent Projects: He is currently exploring a 'crisis of judgment' in eighteenth-century literature and a study on utopian imagination in modernity. He has edited special journal issues on these topics.

Recognition:

• Modern Language Association Prize (2010)
• Woodrow Wilson Postdoctoral Fellowship (2000-2002)
• American Philosophical Society Fellowship (2010-2011)

Advising & Grants: Soni has held Mellon/NEH fellowships and has advised projects on judgment and modernity. His work bridges literary analysis with philosophical and political thought.