Gabriel Egan

Gabriel Egan is Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Centre for Textual Studies at De Montfort University, UK. He is one of the four General Editors of the New Oxford Shakespeare (2016–2026) and co-editor of the journal Theatre Notebook. His research integrates computational methods with traditional literary scholarship, focusing on Shakespearean textual variation, authorship attribution, and early modern drama.

• University: De Montfort University
• School: Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities
• Department: School of Humanities
• Position: Professor of Shakespeare Studies

His research interests include computational stylistics, digital scholarly editing, ecocritical theory, and Marxist literary criticism. He employs methods such as the Word Adjacency Network (WAN) algorithm and information theory to analyze Shakespeare’s texts and their early editions.

The most recent publications reflect a strong trend in computational and digital approaches to Shakespearean scholarship, combining statistical modeling, stylometry, and XML-based digital editing. His work spans journal articles, scholarly editions, and monographs, often addressing authorship, textual corruption, and performance history.

• Key Projects:
  • "Shakespeare's Textual Variations: New Insights from Information Theory" (Royal Society, 2024–2026)
  • "Transforming Middlemarch" (AHRC, 2022–2023)
  • "Shakespeare’s Early Editions" (AHRC, 2016–2018)
• Professional Affiliations:
  • Shakespeare Association of America
  • British Shakespeare Association (Trustee)
  • Renaissance Society of America
  • Malone Society
  • Society for Theatre Research

Egan supervises PhD students in areas such as computational authorship studies and psychoanalytical literary criticism. He has secured significant external funding from the AHRC and Royal Society. He also leads the Centre for Textual Studies and contributes to public engagement through lectures, digital resources, and media appearances. His research team includes collaborators from computer science and digital humanities, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his work.