Martin Gliserman

Martin Gliserman is an Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University since 1971. He has held leadership roles, including Director of the Writing Program at Livingston College (1977–84) and Director of the Livingston College Honors Program (1987–94). His research integrates psychoanalysis, corpus linguistics, and cultural transmission, focusing on the novel’s structure and language. He edited American Imago (1987–2002) and pioneered courses in Digital Literary Studies and Graphic Novels. His major works include Psychoanalysis, Language, and the Body of the Text (1996) and Graphic Criticism (2022).

Education: B.A. from Colby College (1967), Ph.D. in English Literature from Indiana University (1973), and training as a psychoanalyst (1982–1995).

Research Interests: Gliserman’s work bridges psychoanalytic theory, linguistic structures, and cultural studies. He examines how semantic patterns in novels reflect cultural transmission, using computational methods to analyze 100 Anglophone novels. His studies of trauma, the body, and voice in literature—including Invisible Man—highlight intersections of narrative form and psychological depth.

Awards:

• Outstanding Contribution to Undergraduate Education (2006)
• Livingston College Distinguished Service Award (1996)

Teaching: Courses include Digital Literary Studies, Psychoanalytic Literary Theory, and Introduction to the Graphic Novel. He founded RU Teaching, a university-wide conference on undergraduate education, and has been active in faculty governance for decades.

Labs/Teams: Engaged with Digital Humanities initiatives, integrating computational tools into literary analysis.