Joan Fitzpatrick

Joan Fitzpatrick is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Loughborough University, specializing in early modern literature, Shakespeare, and the intersection of literary and culinary cultures. She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham (1997) and has taught in the US and UK. Her research explores early modern dietary practices, food symbolism in drama, and the cultural history of food, with a particular focus on Shakespeare and Spenser. Fitzpatrick is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and serves on the AHRC Peer Review College (2017–present). She has authored/co-authored multiple books, including Three Sixteenth-Century Dietaries (2017) and A History of Food in Literature (2017), and has contributed to peer-reviewed journals such as Renaissance Quarterly and Studies in English Literature.

Her editorial roles include serving on the boards of Early Modern Culture and Global Food History, and she has advised projects like ExpoShakespeare in Milan (2013–2016). Fitzpatrick frequently presents at international conferences, including the European Shakespeare Research Association (ESRA) and the University of Basel. She has engaged with public media, such as BBC Radio Three's The Essay (2016) and Spain's El País (2016), to discuss Shakespearean food culture and early modern eating habits.

Her work bridges literary analysis with interdisciplinary studies, examining how food reflects social, political, and cultural identities in early modern Europe. Fitzpatrick’s research also extends to health humanities, exploring the intersection of literature and health narratives. She is currently working on her ninth book, exploring Shakespeare and hospitality in theatre and film.