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Jessica Straley is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Utah, where she has served since 2005 (Visiting Assistant Professor 2005-2007, Assistant Professor 2007-2016, Associate Professor 2016-present). She holds a PhD in English from Stanford University, an MA in Literature, Culture, and Modernity from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, and a BA in English from Cornell University. Education: PhD, English - Stanford University MA, Literature, Culture, and Modernity - Queen Mary and Westfield College BA, English - Cornell University Her research focuses on intersections between Victorian literature, children's literature, animal studies, disability studies, and ecocriticism. She explores how literary imagination interacts with scientific and moral discourses, particularly in 19th-century contexts. Recent publications analyze feral child narratives, zoo representations, and evolutionary theory in children's texts. Her work bridges historical literary analysis with contemporary critical frameworks like disability rights and environmental ethics. Scientific Awards: Faculty Fellowship Award (University Research Council, 2017) Ramona W. Cannon Award for Teaching Excellence (2016) Tanner Humanities Center Fellowship (2016) University Research Committee Faculty Fellowship (2011) Newberry Library Short-Term Library Research Fellowship (2008) She teaches courses in 19th-Century British Literature, Intellectual Movements, and Honors Thesis/Project supervision. Her external grant (Animal Testing URC, 2017-2018) demonstrates institutional support for her interdisciplinary work.

• Victorian Literature
• Children's Literature
• Animal Studies
• +4 more

Matthew Potolsky is Professor of English at the University of Utah, specializing in nineteenth-century literature and literary theory. His career spans from 1998 Lecturer at Harvard University to current University Professorship. He earned a BA in Comparative Literature and Philosophy (1990), followed by MA and PhD in Comparative Literature (1992, 1997) from UC Irvine. Chair of English Department (2013-2016) University Professor (2014-2016) Research focuses on Decadence , Mimesis , Finance-Aesthetics intersections , and Government Secrecy . His work traces connections between financialization and decadent aesthetics, revealing how economic cycles influence artistic production. Key themes include: Decadent anti-realist literary movements Finance capital's cultural impact Decadent counterpublic formations Victorian aesthetic education debates Sublime aesthetics in national security Cosmopolitanism in literary communities Recent publications analyze: Decadent style as financialization rhetoric Reintroduction of verisimilitude theory Decadent responses to financial crises Mimetic labor in artistic production Decadent cosmopolitan counterpublics Historical parallels between financialization and literary decadence

• Decadence
• Mimesis
• 19th-Century European Literature
• +3 more

Jesse Schotter is an Associate Professor of English at Ohio State University and a faculty member in the Film Studies Program. His academic work bridges literary scholarship and creative writing, with a focus on twentieth-century literature and media studies. He holds a PhD from Yale University (2011) and a BA from Yale (2003). PhD, Yale University, 2011 BA, Yale University, 2003 Schotter specializes in modernist literature and culture, film theory, and media histories of the twentieth century. His research explores the intersections between traditional literary forms and emerging media technologies, particularly examining how debates about ancient media like Egyptian hieroglyphics influenced twentieth-century understandings of new media such as film and phonography. He investigates how literary modernism engages with questions of media transitions, narrative form, and cultural memory across different historical contexts. His scholarly output reveals consistent engagement with media theory, adaptation studies, and modernist experimentation. Schotter's work demonstrates how literary texts negotiate technological change, with particular attention to narrative structure across different media forms. His publications span traditional academic journals like Genre and James Joyce Quarterly to more accessible venues like Full Stop and Electric Lit , showing his commitment to reaching both academic and public audiences. Finalist, Modernist Studies Association First Book Prize Schotter teaches a diverse range of courses including modernism and media, silent film, ghosts and trauma, contemporary British fiction, introductory film studies, children's fantasy literature and video games. He co-organized the Modernist Studies Association Conference in Columbus in 2018, demonstrating active engagement with the broader academic community. His teaching philosophy appears to integrate his research interests, connecting historical literary forms with contemporary media experiences for students. Schotter maintains an active presence both in academic scholarship and creative writing, with fiction published in literary journals. His work demonstrates the productive tension between scholarly analysis and creative practice, with his research on media history informing his creative writing and vice versa.

• Twentieth-century British literature
• Twentieth-century American literature
• Film studies
• +4 more

Morna O'Neill is a Professor and Department Chair at Wake Forest University, specializing in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century European Art, with a focus on the intersection of art, design, and politics in Britain. Her research redefines traditional hierarchies between fine and decorative arts through a political lens. Research Interests: Art History, British Art, Arts and Crafts Movement, Political Art, Colonial Art, Domestic Interiors, Museum Studies. Key Publications include monographs on Walter Crane and Hugh Lane, and articles exploring topics such as socialist symbolism in decorative arts, imperial narratives in Victorian print culture, and the role of domestic spaces in art history. Her work has been recognized with the Historians of British Art Book Prize. Projects: Co-founder of the digital humanities initiative Home Subjects , which investigates the domestic display of art in Britain (1715–1914), supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. She co-chaired the 2015 College Art Association conference session on private art display. Scientific Awards: Historians of British Art Book Prize for Best Book before 1900 (2011).

• Art History
• Eighteenth-century Art
• Nineteenth-century Art
• +7 more

Jonathan H. Grossman is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he has been since 2013. He earned his Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania (1996) and a B.A. in English and Religious Studies from Brown University (1989). Education: Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania (1996) M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania (1993) B.A., English & Religious Studies, Brown University (1989) Research Interests focus on the intersection of 19th-century British literature, standardization history, and narrative theory. His work examines how transportation networks, legal systems, and technological infrastructures reshaped Victorian perceptions of time, space, and community. Recent projects include analyzing metrology’s role in literary form and global transport’s narrative implications. Publications highlight his expertise in Dickens studies and Victorian systems. Notable works include Charles Dickens’s Networks: Public Transport and the Novel (Oxford, 2012) and The Art of Alibi (Johns Hopkins, 2002). His 2025 article on screw thread standardization in Technology and Culture extends his interdisciplinary analysis. Scientific Awards include the UCLA Senate Distinguished Teaching Award (2013–14) and recognition in The Best American Essays (2005) for his essay 'Alibis'. He has secured multiple UCLA Senate grants for digital humanities initiatives like Cruikshank’s Eye and Yellowback Cover Art . Professional Service spans editorial roles as Co-Editor of Nineteenth-Century Literature (2011–present) and leadership in the Dickens Project. He mentors graduate students, serves on departmental committees, and contributes to academic publishing workshops and conferences.

• Nineteenth-Century British Literature
• Narrative Theory
• History of Science and Technology
• +4 more

Mark A. Allison is a Professor in the Department of English at Ohio Wesleyan University. He holds the Charles M. Weis Professorship and has earned degrees from Kenyon College (B.A.), University of Chicago (M.A.), and University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D.). Education: B.A. from Kenyon College, M.A. from University of Chicago, Ph.D. from UC Berkeley Specializing in nineteenth-century British literature and culture, his research focuses on: Utopian literature and theory Socialism and working-class political culture Marxism British novel traditions His publications examine intersections of socialist thought and literary production across the long nineteenth century, particularly through: Analysis of utopian narratives in Victorian novels Connections between aesthetics and anti-political ideologies Key figures like Thomas Carlyle and William Morris Raymond Williams' cultural theory Contact Information: Office: Sturges Hall #216 Phone: 740-368-3594 Email: maalliso@owu.edu

• Nineteenth-Century British Literature
• Utopian Literature and Theory
• Socialism and Working-Class Political Culture
• +2 more

Benjamin Morgan is the Department Chair and Associate Professor at the University of Chicago, Department of English. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 2010 and has been teaching at UChicago since 2010. Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley, 2010 His research focuses on literature, science, and aesthetics in the Victorian period and early twentieth century, with specific interests in nineteenth-century sciences of mind and emotion; aestheticism and decadence; speculative and science fiction; and environmental humanities topics like extinction, energy cultures, and the literary history of climate change. Methodologically, his work engages aesthetic theory, affect theory, and science studies. His publications explore scalar disjunctures, the interplay of geological time with human narratives, and materialist approaches to art and literature. Key themes include the Victorian origins of cognitive science, the politics of aesthetic autonomy, and formal strategies for representing ecological devastation. Benjamin Morgan advises students on projects spanning nineteenth and early-twentieth century British literature, literature and the environment, embodiment and affect, science fiction, and aesthetic theory. He is affiliated with the University of Chicago's English Research Labs and contributes to intellectual life through collaborative projects like the V21 Collective.

• Victorian Literature
• Environmental Humanities
• Aesthetic Theory
• +3 more

John G.H. Hudson is the L. Bates Lea Global Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School and serves as Professor of Legal History and Director of the Institute of Legal and Constitutional Research at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. University of Oxford, MA University of Toronto, MA University of Oxford, DPhil His research focuses on medieval English and French law, lordship, and literature, particularly from the 9th to 13th centuries, and 19th-century medieval historiography. Recent publications include work on comparative legal history, colonial law, and the historical development of common law systems. His scholarship often intersects with political and social structures of the medieval period. Elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh Elected to the British Academy Elected to the Academia Europaea

• Medieval Legal History
• English Common Law
• Legal Theory
• +3 more

Mark Netzloff is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, affiliated with the College of Letters & Science. He holds a PhD from the University of Delaware. His research focuses on Renaissance/Early Modern Literature, Shakespeare, Milton, and 19th-century British literature, with particular emphasis on themes of colonialism, diplomacy, and state formation. His work bridges literary analysis with historical and political contexts, examining topics like early modern travel writing, diplomatic practices, and the intersections of literature with economic and religious systems. Netzloff’s scholarship includes major monographs such as Agents Beyond the State: The Writings of English Travelers, Soldiers, and Diplomats in Early Modern Europe (2020) and edited volumes like Early Modern Drama in Performance (2014). His articles explore topics ranging from the legal frameworks of colonialism to the representation of labor in early modern texts. He maintains an active engagement with archival materials and interdisciplinary approaches to literary history. His research trends highlight a sustained interest in how literature reflects and shapes political, social, and cultural dynamics. Recent work delves into the role of diplomacy in shaping early modern identities and the material conditions of state formation. While no specific awards are listed, his contributions to early modern studies are widely recognized in academic circles. Netzloff’s academic profile includes extensive editorial work, such as the critical edition of John Norden’s The Surveyor’s Dialogue (2010), which contextualizes early modern scientific and agrarian practices. He also teaches courses in literature and cultural theory, contributing to both undergraduate and graduate education at UWM.

• Renaissance/Early Modern Literature
• Shakespeare Studies
• Milton and the English Revolution
• +4 more

Niloofar Sarlati is an Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature) and an M.A. from the University of Leeds (Cultural Studies). Her research focuses on empire and postcolonial studies, history of capitalism, critical translation theory, and visual culture, with a specialization in 19th- and 20th-century Persian, English, Arabic, and French literary works. Her current book project examines political economy through colonial and capitalist encounters. Her work appears in Symplokē , Philological Encounters , Comparative Literature , and a forthcoming essay in the Routledge Companion to Postcolonial and Decolonial Literature . Teaching interests include global literature, travel narratives, Iranian cinema, and critical theory. Office hours are held weekly via Zoom.

• Empire and Postcolonial Studies
• History of Capitalism
• Critical Translation Theory
• +7 more

Frances Ferguson is the Mabel Greene Myers Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of English at the University of Chicago. She has taught there since 2012 and holds a Ph.D. from Yale University (1973). Her research focuses on 18th-century British literature, Romanticism, law and literature, and the novel, with additional interests in critical theory and the history of education. She explores how literature intersects with legal frameworks, educational systems, and evolving social values. Education: Ph.D., Yale University, 1973 Her research investigates the transformation of literary forms and critical practices across centuries, including the role of dissent in educational thought, the relationship between poetry and the novel, and the historical context of reading practices. She has advised students on topics ranging from Wordsworth’s philosophical influences to the critique of marriage in Victorian novels. Her publications include Pornography, The Theory (2005), Solitude and the Sublime (1992), and Wordsworth: Language as Counter-Spirit (1977), alongside numerous articles on Romanticism, legal narratives, and literary form. Her work bridges literary analysis with interdisciplinary inquiries into law, education, and cultural history, offering critical perspectives on how literature shapes and reflects societal structures.

• Eighteenth-Century British Literature
• Romantic Literature
• Law and Literature
• +7 more

Stefanie Markovits is a Professor of English and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Yale University. She holds a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from Yale (2001), an M.Phil. in English Romantic Studies from Oxford (1996), and a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Yale (1994, summa cum laude). Her research focuses on 19th-century British literature, including Romantic and Victorian poetry and novels, German classical literature (e.g., Goethe and Schiller), aesthetic theory, war literature, and genre theory. She explores intersections between formal innovation and socio-political contexts, such as the impact of the Crimean War on Victorian poetry. Her publications include The Number-Sense of Nineteenth-Century British Fiction (2025), The Victorian Verse-Novel (2017), and The Crimean War in the British Imagination (2009). Recent articles analyze themes like numerical symbolism in literature and the evolution of the verse-novel genre. She teaches undergraduate courses on literary analysis, Romantic and Victorian novels, and Jane Austen, as well as graduate seminars on Dickens and Eliot.

• 19th-Century English Literature
• German Classical Literature
• Aesthetic Theory
• +4 more

Hannah Hudson, PhD, is Associate Professor of English at Suffolk University in Boston, where she researches and teaches eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British literature with a focus on Romantic-era fiction, Gothic studies, women writers, and the history of print and periodical culture. Education PhD, Stanford University MA, Stanford University MPhil, University of Cambridge AB, Princeton University Research Interests Professor Hudson’s scholarship centers on the intersections of literature, commerce, and gender during the Romantic period. Her work interrogates how popular fiction—especially the vast output of the Minerva Press—shaped, and was shaped by, the burgeoning print marketplace. She examines gothic and sentimental genres, intertextual networks, and the role of magazines in constructing imperial knowledge. Recent Publications & Trends Across her recent articles and her 2023 monograph Romantic Fiction and Literary Excess in the Minerva Press Era , Hudson traces how excess—of production, of emotion, of genre—became a defining feature of Romantic fiction. Her studies reveal how authors, reviewers, and readers negotiated the explosion of print and the contested hierarchies of literary value. Awards & Honors Winner, Marilyn Gaull Book Award, Wordsworth-Coleridge Society (for Romantic Fiction and Literary Excess in the Minerva Press Era ) Current & Future Projects Hudson is presently writing Romantic Magazines and Imperial Knowledge , a study of miscellaneous magazines and their role in forming imperial knowledge around 1800. She continues to publish articles on periodical portrayals of revolution and on Eliza Haywood’s legacy while supervising courses ranging from British Literature surveys to honors seminars on Jane Austen and fantasy fiction. Contact & Office 73 Tremont St., Room 8042, Boston, MA 02108 Phone: 617-573-8277 Email: hhudson@suffolk.edu

• Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century British Literature
• Romantic-era Fiction
• History of the Novel
• +6 more

Gordon Bigelow is Professor of English at Rhodes College, specializing in nineteenth-century British and Irish literature with a focus on cultural studies. He joined the Department of English in 1998 after completing his Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Education Ph.D., Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz (1998) M.A., English, University of New Hampshire (1991) A.B., Comparative Literature, Brown University (1985) His research explores intersections between literature and economic thought, particularly in Victorian Britain and Ireland. He is currently working on a book analyzing Anthony Trollope’s Irish fiction and its role in the development of the modern novel. Recent publications include chapters on Trollope’s Irish novels, Victorian print culture, and economic themes in Dickens’s Bleak House . He has also contributed comparative analyses of Victorian science, neoliberalism, and transatlantic literary connections. Bigelow co-edited Approaches to Teaching Dickens’s Bleak House , offering pedagogical strategies for navigating the novel’s complex themes and structure.

• Nineteenth-Century British Literature
• Irish Literature
• Cultural Studies
• +3 more

Miriam Elizabeth Burstein is Professor and Chair of the Department of English at the State University of New York, College at Brockport. She has been a member of the English Department since 1999, progressing from Assistant Professor (1999-2005) to Associate Professor (2005-present) and now serves as Professor and Chair. She earned her PhD from the University of Chicago in 1997. Her research focuses on Victorian literature and culture, with particular expertise in women's writing, historical fiction, and the intersections of literature and religion in the 19th century. Her scholarship examines how religious controversies shaped literary production and how historical narratives were constructed during the Victorian period. She has made significant contributions to understanding Neo-Victorianism and the history of the historical novel genre. Burstein's publications reveal a consistent interest in religious controversy and women's intellectual history. Her work demonstrates sophisticated analysis of how religious tensions informed literary production and historical consciousness in 19th-century Britain. She approaches texts with attention to both their historical context and their narrative strategies. She serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies (2018-2024) and sits on its Advisory Board (2014-present). She is also a Contributing Editor for Neo-Victorian Studies, a position she has held since its launch in 2007-2008. Her current research focuses on religious fiction in nineteenth-century Britain, continuing her longstanding investigation of the relationship between literature and religious controversy during the Victorian era.

• Victorian studies
• Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British literature
• Intellectual history
• +5 more