Thomas Hahn

Thomas Hahn is a Professor of English at the University of Rochester, specializing in medieval literature and cultural studies. His research focuses on textual and visual representations of marginalized groups (women, outlaws, racialized communities) across medieval and early modern Europe. He has authored/co-authored seminal works on Chaucer, Malory, and Robin Hood, and serves as General Editor of the Chaucer Bibliographies. Hahn’s work bridges literary analysis with interdisciplinary perspectives, including gender studies and postcolonial theory.

He has advised numerous PhD students, many of whom hold academic positions at institutions like Franklin and Marshall College and the University of Washington. Hahn has received prestigious teaching awards, including the Goergen Award (University of Rochester’s highest teaching honor) and the Edward Peck Curtis Award. His editorial roles include the Advisory Board of the Middle English Texts Series and the New Chaucer Society. He has organized major conferences on topics like medieval travel narratives, Robin Hood studies, and Chaucerian scholarship.

Key publications include Sir Thomas Malory’s “Morte Darthur” (2016), Don’t Cry for Me, Augustinus: Dido and the Dangers of Empathy (2014), and Robin Hood in Popular Culture (2000). His work frequently examines transhistorical and transcultural themes, such as the Roman Alexander tradition’s influence on medieval identity and the evolving portrayal of Dido in medieval texts.