Denise Gigante

Denise Gigante is the Sadie Dernham Patek Professor in the Humanities and Professor of English at Stanford University. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Princeton University (2000), an M.A. from Princeton University (1997), and a B.A. from Yale University (1987). As Director of Undergraduate Studies and Vice Chair in the English Department, her roles span teaching, administration, and research leadership.

• Education
  • B.A., Yale University (1987)
  • M.A., Princeton University (1997)
  • Ph.D., Princeton University (2000)

Her research focuses on British Romantic literature, poetic form, aesthetics, literary antiquarianism, gastronomy, and the essay tradition. Current projects include a study of William Blake’s illuminated poetry in relation to late Medieval and Renaissance Christian iconography and a forthcoming volume on the Cambridge History of the British Essay. She has also authored influential works on book collecting, taste, and organic form.

Key publications include Book Madness: A Story of Book Collectors in America (2023), The Keats Brothers (2011), and The Mental Traveller: William Blake (forthcoming, 2024). Her edited collections, such as The Great Age of the English Essay and Gusto: Essential Writings in Nineteenth-Century Gastronomy, reflect her interdisciplinary approach.

Scientific awards include recognition as a New York Times Notable Book and Editor’s Choice for The Keats Brothers (2011). She teaches courses like Why Literature Matters and Animal Poems, emphasizing the intersection of literary form and cultural history.