David Carroll Simon

David Carroll Simon is an Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Maryland's College of Arts and Humanities. He also serves as Affiliate Faculty in The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. His research focuses on early modern literature, with emphases on literary theory, the history of science, LGBTQ studies, and feminist theory. Simon's work examines intersections between literary form, scientific inquiry, and social hierarchies, particularly through analyses of attention, comedy, and gender dynamics.

He is the author of Light without Heat: The Observational Mood from Bacon to Milton (2018), which explores the role of carelessness and open-ended inquiry in early modern thought. Current projects include studies on comedy’s relationship to gender subordination and attention management. Simon teaches courses on Shakespeare, Milton, early modern literature, science and fiction, feminist theory, and LGBTQ Studies, integrating interdisciplinary approaches to literary analysis.

His recent scholarship critiques gendered power dynamics in literary works like Marvell’s poetry and Shakespeare’s plays, analyzing how comic forms reinforce social hierarchies. Simon’s articles bridge historical texts with contemporary theoretical frameworks, offering fresh perspectives on ethics, laughter, and the politics of attention. His work consistently challenges conventional narratives about early modern intellectual and cultural history.