معرفی
Professor Jonathan W Thacker serves as the King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies and Faculty Board Chair (2022-25) at the University of Oxford, where he is also a Fellow of Exeter College. His distinguished academic career centers on Spanish Golden Age literature and culture, with particular expertise in drama and prose.
Thacker's research spans multiple dimensions of Spanish Golden Age studies: the dramatic works of Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, and Tirso de Molina; metatheatrical elements in Golden Age drama; translation and performance practices of Spanish theatre; ideological content in comedia; and the reception of Spanish Golden Age drama in contemporary contexts. He has made significant contributions to understanding the complexities of Spanish classical theatre through his scholarly publications and editorial work.
He has been actively involved in several major research projects, including serving as an investigator on the AHRC-funded 'Out of the Wings' project, which promotes the translation and performance of Spanish theatre in English. He has also been a member of the CATCOM project at the University of Valencia and the ProLope group at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and has acted as a consultant on productions of Golden Age theatre including at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Among his notable editorial roles, Thacker has served as Series Editor for Aris and Phillips Hispanic Classics (since 2004) published by Liverpool University Press, and as Director of the Fuentes para la historia del teatro en España series (since 2023) published by Tamesis. These positions highlight his leadership and influence in the field of Spanish Golden Age studies.
As an educator, Thacker lectures on Golden Age literature and culture, especially drama. He teaches specialized courses for the MSt program on early modern Spain, including 'Drama in an Ideological Age', 'Public Role and Private Self in Golden Age Drama', and 'Developments in Prose Narrative'. He has supervised numerous doctoral students working on diverse aspects of Spanish Golden Age literature and theatre, with current supervision including research on the performance history of Calderón's La vida es sueño, the poetry of Benito Arias Montano, and the German reception of Calderón and Gracián.
