Matthew Potolsky is Professor of English at the University of Utah, specializing in nineteenth-century literature and literary theory. His career spans from 1998 Lecturer at Harvard University to current University Professorship. He earned a BA in Comparative Literature and Philosophy (1990), followed by MA and PhD in Comparative Literature (1992, 1997) from UC Irvine. Chair of English Department (2013-2016) University Professor (2014-2016) Research focuses on Decadence , Mimesis , Finance-Aesthetics intersections , and Government Secrecy . His work traces connections between financialization and decadent aesthetics, revealing how economic cycles influence artistic production. Key themes include: Decadent anti-realist literary movements Finance capital's cultural impact Decadent counterpublic formations Victorian aesthetic education debates Sublime aesthetics in national security Cosmopolitanism in literary communities Recent publications analyze: Decadent style as financialization rhetoric Reintroduction of verisimilitude theory Decadent responses to financial crises Mimetic labor in artistic production Decadent cosmopolitan counterpublics Historical parallels between financialization and literary decadence
John Holmes is Professor of Victorian Literature and Culture at the University of Birmingham, affiliated with the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR). His work bridges literary studies and scientific inquiry, focusing on interdisciplinary connections from 1800 to the present through extensive collaborations with institutions like the Royal Society and major natural history museums across Europe. His academic credentials include a D.Phil. in English Literature from Oxford (2001), an M.A. in Renaissance Studies from Queen Mary and Westfield College, London (1997), and a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Oxford (1994). D.Phil. English Literature, University of Oxford, 2001 M.A. Renaissance Studies, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, 1997 B.A. English Language and Literature, University of Oxford, 1994 Professor Holmes specializes in literature-science intersections, particularly Victorian and modern poetry, Pre-Raphaelite studies, and natural history museums. His current research examines arts architecture within museum spaces and mythic literature's dialogue with evolutionary science. He has authored foundational works on Darwinism in poetry and Pre-Raphaelite scientific engagements while directing major collaborative projects with scientific institutions. Recent publications reveal consistent exploration of poetic form within scientific contexts, with growing emphasis on digital humanities applications and environmental education. His 2023-2024 outputs demonstrate expanded interdisciplinary scope, integrating virtual reality tools for forest education and deepening analysis of myth-science intersections in canonical poetic works. His distinguished honors include: AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award (2011) British Society for Literature and Science Book Prize (2018) Chair of the British Society for Literature and Science (2012) Honorary Associate of Oxford University Museum of Natural History (2016) President of the Commission on Science and Literature (2023) Professor Holmes leads significant research initiatives including the AHRC-funded Interdisciplinary Forest Education project (2024) and the long-term 'Building the Book of Nature' study (2015-2023). As an active PhD supervisor, he mentors students in literature-science intersections while maintaining robust public engagement through museum collaborations, media appearances, and educational outreach programs that translate academic research for broader audiences. He directs BIFoR-affiliated initiatives connecting literary scholarship with forest research, partnering with natural history museums in Oxford, London, Berlin, and Vienna to develop interdisciplinary frameworks examining how literary traditions shape environmental understanding and scientific communication.
Professor Emma Mason is a leading academic in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick . Her career spans roles as an educator, editor, and researcher with a focus on poetry, Christianity and literature, Catholic theology, and ecological themes in the long nineteenth-century . Editor of the Bloomsbury monograph series New Directions in Religion and Literature Co-editor of the Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory Director of the Comparative Religions and Literatures group at Warwick Her research explores spiritual materialism and ecological transformation , particularly through figures like Christina Rossetti. She is currently working on a study of Catholic mysticism in late 19th- to early 20th-century Europe. Mason's publications include Christina Rossetti: Poetry, Ecology, Faith (OUP, 2018) and co-edited volumes addressing religion in literary contexts. Recent Publications (2025-2027): Analysis of Newman's novels as ecological narratives Contributions to Cambridge and Oxford handbooks on religion and literature Editorial work on William Barnes' dialect poetry Studies on Victorian theological ecology and contemplation Scientific Awards: British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Mason supervises postgraduate research in poetry, religion, and affect theory . She is on study leave until Easter 2026 but remains active in editorial and collaborative projects.
Morna O'Neill is a Professor and Department Chair at Wake Forest University, specializing in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century European Art, with a focus on the intersection of art, design, and politics in Britain. Her research redefines traditional hierarchies between fine and decorative arts through a political lens. Research Interests: Art History, British Art, Arts and Crafts Movement, Political Art, Colonial Art, Domestic Interiors, Museum Studies. Key Publications include monographs on Walter Crane and Hugh Lane, and articles exploring topics such as socialist symbolism in decorative arts, imperial narratives in Victorian print culture, and the role of domestic spaces in art history. Her work has been recognized with the Historians of British Art Book Prize. Projects: Co-founder of the digital humanities initiative Home Subjects , which investigates the domestic display of art in Britain (1715–1914), supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. She co-chaired the 2015 College Art Association conference session on private art display. Scientific Awards: Historians of British Art Book Prize for Best Book before 1900 (2011).
Dr. Rebecca Rainof is a Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Researcher. Her research focuses on Victorian and Modernist literature, interdisciplinary studies of literature and visual arts, and gender studies. She has held positions at Princeton University and the Catholic University of America. Her work explores topics such as midlife narratives in Victorian novels, Van Gogh’s engagement with Victorian literature, and Japanese American incarceration through familial memory. Her book The Victorian Novel of Adulthood (2015) examines alternative novelistic traditions. Her recent research includes contributions to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 2022 exhibition Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and his Sources . She has published on George Eliot, Woolf, and the intersections of art and literature. Her writings on her mother’s experience during WWII Japanese American incarceration appear in Hyphen: Asian America Unabridged and Literary Imagination . Rainof’s grants and fellowships include the Princeton Mellon Fellowship (2018) and the Curran Fellowship (2015). Her teaching and writing emphasize creative nonfiction, feminist literary theory, and pedagogical innovation. Her current projects include a book manuscript on Van Gogh’s literary adaptations and a family memoir rooted in Heart Mountain’s history.
Natalie Hanley-Smith is a Teaching Fellow in early modern history at the University of Warwick, specializing in Georgian Britain and its social-cultural dynamics. Her research expertise encompasses: Marriage history and unconventional relationships in Georgian Britain Historical perspectives on adultery, emotion, and gossip Political culture during the Enlightenment and Romantic eras Women's experiences in British colonial and expatriate communities Representations of intimacy and morality in historical art Dr. Hanley-Smith's recent publications analyze the historical representation of adultery in art across centuries, from Renaissance biblical scenes to Pre-Raphaelite works and satirical cartoons. Her work reveals how artistic depictions of infidelity have consistently served as cultural touchstones for examining societal attitudes toward passion, guilt, desire, and moral judgment, while also reflecting broader transformations in concepts of individualism and privacy. Currently consolidating her doctoral research into a monograph titled "Controversial Intimacies: Marriage, Gossip, and Scandal in British Society, c.1780-1840," she has co-edited a special issue of Parliamentary History on "Passion, Politics, and Parliament" and has a forthcoming chapter examining representations of George IV's final mistress.
Jongwoo Jeremy Kim is an Associate Professor of Art History & Theory at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Art, specializing in queer critiques of modern and contemporary art. His research deconstructs canonical narratives through lenses of queer theory, colonialism, and gender studies. Currently on research leave until fall 2025, he explores intersections of art, sexuality, and identity in global contexts. Kim’s work bridges historical analysis with contemporary discourse, examining artists like Francis Bacon, David Hockney, and Andrew Ahn. His research has been supported by major institutions including the Clark Art Institute and the Paul Mellon Centre. Notable publications include Male Bodies Unmade: Picturing Queer Selfhood (2025) and Painted Men in Britain (2017). His academic contributions span exhibitions catalogs, peer-reviewed essays, and critical reviews. Awards include the prestigious Clark Art Institute Fellowship. Kim’s teaching and research emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to queer art history, challenging Eurocentric and heteronormative frameworks. Key themes in his work include queer selfhood, colonial sexual exploitation, and the incoherence of traditional male bodily representations. He critiques Western art historiography through postcolonial and queer perspectives, advocating for inclusive narratives in art scholarship.
Benjamin A. Saltzman is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of English at the University of Chicago. Specializing in early medieval literature and its intersections with modern thought, he has taught at UChicago since 2017. Education: Ph.D. in English, University of California, Berkeley (2014) His research explores medieval poetry, hermeneutics, gesture, and the ethical and philosophical implications of secrecy and concealment. He integrates archival analysis with theoretical frameworks to examine medieval texts and their resonance in contemporary discourse. Recent publications include interdisciplinary analyses of medieval gestures in art and literature, cryptographic practices in manuscripts, and the influence of medievalism on 20th-century thinkers like Hannah Arendt and Walter Benjamin. His upcoming book Turning Away: The Poetics of an Ancient Gesture investigates the cultural and philosophical significance of turning away in medieval and modern contexts. Scientific Awards: National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship ACLS/Mellon Foundation Fellowship He advises students in medieval literature, poetics, and the interdisciplinary study of medieval culture's impact on later periods. His courses include Old English Language and Literature , Beowulf , and History of the English Language , with crosslistings in linguistics and medieval studies.
Julie F. Codell is a Professor of Art History at Arizona State University, with affiliations in Asian Studies, Film and Media Studies, English, and Gender Studies. She previously served as Director of the School of Art (1991-2001) and Interim Chair of Film and Media Studies (2010-11). Her research focuses on 19th-century British visual culture, colonialism, and transnational art histories. Codell’s work bridges art historical analysis with critical engagements in gender studies, postcolonial theory, and material culture. Her research interests include the Grosvenor Gallery’s role in the Aesthetic Movement, British colonial exhibitions like the Delhi Coronation Durbars, and the intersections of art, power, and identity. She has authored The Victorian Artist (2003/2012) and edited volumes on transculturation, imperial historiography, and art market dynamics. Codell’s scholarship emphasizes transnational frameworks, examining how art objects and cultural practices mediate colonial and postcolonial identities. Her recent work explores global art networks, replication cultures in Victorian art, and the transatlantic circulation of art objects. Codell’s publications frequently address the politics of display, cultural hybridity, and the material conditions of artistic production. She is a leading figure in redefining 19th-century art history through interdisciplinary and transnational perspectives.
Éva Péteri is an Associate Professor at the School of English and American Studies , Department of English Studies , Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. Her academic work bridges literature, art history, and cultural studies, with a focus on Victorian visual culture and its intersections with Hungarian artistic traditions. Academic Rank: Associate Professor Institution: Eötvös Loránd University Contact: peteri.eva@btk.elte.hu Her research explores Pre-Raphaelite art, Shakespearean visual adaptations, and the cultural memory of British literature in Hungary. She has extensively analyzed Victorian religious imagery, interlibrary cooperation systems, and the socio-political dimensions of 19th-century British painting. Key article trends include: Victorian art's symbolic and moral dimensions Intermedial adaptations of literary works Cultural exchange between British and Hungarian art Documentation of urban and historical narratives in painting Periodical monitoring systems for academic resources Her publications also address library science challenges, including interlibrary loans and digital resource management (2008-2018), though no formal scientific awards are listed. She has not provided student advisement records in available texts.
Morna E. O'Neill is a Professor in the Department of Art at Wake Forest University, specializing in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century European Art. Her academic profile indicates she is actively engaged in teaching courses such as ART 103 (A History of Western Art), ART 273 (Eighteenth-Century European Art), ART 281 (Nineteenth-Century European Art), and several specialized courses on photography, gender in art, and art museum histories. Professor O'Neill's research focuses on the intersection of art, design, and politics in Britain during the long nineteenth century. She has established herself as a leading scholar on Walter Crane and the Arts and Crafts Movement, as well as Hugh Lane and the development of the modern art market. Her work explores how domestic interiors functioned as significant spaces for art display, challenging the traditional narrative that British art developed primarily through public institutions. Her research spans British art history, museum studies, decorative arts, and the political dimensions of artistic production. O'Neill's scholarly output reveals consistent thematic development across her career, with early work focusing on Walter Crane's political dimensions within the Arts and Crafts Movement, evolving toward broader investigations of the art market, museum formation, and the global circulation of art. Her more recent work examines illustrated print culture, the intersection of monarchy and empire in visual representation, and the relationship between industrialization and artistic production. A throughline in her scholarship is the examination of how art objects function within social and political contexts. Historians of British Art Book Prize for Best Book before 1900 (for Walter Crane: The Arts and Crafts, Painting, and Politics ) Professor O'Neill co-founded and co-edits 'Home Subjects,' a digital humanities working group dedicated to studying the display of art in private interiors in Britain from approximately 1715-1914. This initiative, supported by the Wake Forest University Humanities Institute with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, has organized conference sessions including at the College Art Association. 'Home Subjects' represents a significant scholarly collaboration that challenges conventional art historical narratives by emphasizing the importance of domestic spaces for art display and experience. The project maintains an active blog and has fostered international scholarly dialogue about the relationship between domesticity, display, and modernity.
Sharon Marcus is the Orlando Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, specializing in 19th-century British and French culture. Her work examines cultural value assignment in architecture, social relationships, and performance. Education: B.A. in Comparative Literature, Brown University Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Johns Hopkins University Her research interests include Victorian literature , gender and sexuality studies , performance culture , and celebrity theory . She co-founded the public scholarship magazine Public Books and has written extensively on feminist theory and textual interpretation. Her publications explore narrative structures , cultural hierarchies , and identity performance , with consistent focus on historical contexts and media evolution. Awards include: Guggenheim Fellowship ACLS Burkhardt Fellowship Mark Van Doren Teaching Prize (2024) She co-edits a Columbia University Press series and mentors graduate students. Her current project addresses academic presentation techniques.
Professor Florence S. Boos is a faculty member in the Department of English at the University of Iowa. She is a leading scholar in Victorian literature and culture, with a particular focus on 19th-century working-class literature and the works of William Morris. Her academic affiliations include the William Morris Society, Midwest Victorian Studies Association, North American Conference on British Studies, Modern Language Association, Research Society for Victorian Periodicals, John Clare Society, Pre-Raphaelite Society (Birmingham), Dickens Universe, Labouring-Class Poets Online, and the 18th & 19th Century Interdisciplinary Working Group. Her research spans Victorian literature, working-class poetry, socialist thought, Pre-Raphaelite visual arts, and the intersection of literature with environmental and social movements. She has developed the online William Morris Archive and produced an illustrated edition of News from Nowhere . Her teaching includes courses such as British Literature at the Margins: 1840–1930 , Modernism and Its Discontents , Transatlantic Ties: British and American Literature 1830–1920 , and numerous undergraduate classes on Victorian poetry, fiction, and culture. Professor Boos has published extensively on William Morris and 19th-century working-class literature, though specific titles and years are not listed in the provided text. Her work reflects deep interdisciplinary engagement with literature, art, and social history of the Victorian era. She advises students and likely participates in research grants related to Victorian studies and digital humanities, particularly through her archival and editorial projects. Her leadership in creating digital resources and organizing interdisciplinary working groups underscores her commitment to expanding access to and understanding of 19th-century British literature and culture. Professor Boos leads the William Morris Archive, a major digital resource for Morris scholars, and contributes to collaborative projects such as the illustrated online edition of News from Nowhere . Her work fosters community among Victorianists and promotes public engagement with Victorian art and literature.
Dr. Hilary Weeks is a Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, specializing in nineteenth-century British literature, visual culture, and travel writing. With a background in medieval studies and experience in education outreach, she has taught diverse age groups and remains committed to university access initiatives. BA (Hons) English and Related Literature (German), University of York (1983) MA English, University of California Los Angeles (1990) PhD English Literature, University of Gloucestershire (2005) Her research spans Romantic and Victorian literature, European affinities, aesthetics, Gothic architecture, Pre-Raphaelite studies, and psycho-geography. She has supervised postgraduate research on Edward Thomas, Mary Webb, and architectural geography, while currently working on early nineteenth-century travel novels for Cambridge University Press. Member, British Association of Victorian Studies Member, Tennyson Society Member, William Morris Society As an Academic Link Tutor for Yeovil College University Centre, she bridges higher education and further education institutions, focusing on Level 4 student experiences and public engagement with literature.
Dr Angela Dunstan is a Reader in English Literature and Visual Culture at Queen Mary University of London's Department of English, School of the Arts. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and has taught at institutions including Oxford University College and the University of Sydney. As International Lead for the School of the Arts, she focuses on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of literature and visual culture, particularly in the long 19th century. Her work examines technologies of replication, art authenticity, sculpture, urban culture, and global scholarly practices. Her research explores Victorian sculptural replication, the global circulation of English literature via literary societies, and the history of pedagogy. Notable projects include her forthcoming monograph Reading Victorian Sculpture (Edinburgh University Press) and co-edited collections like Tribute and Trade: China and Global Modernity . She has supervised doctoral theses on children’s literature and British postwar land art. Teaching includes undergraduate and postgraduate courses on Victorian literature, London’s cultural spaces, and art histories. Dunstan’s public engagement includes curatorial advisory roles, digital humanities projects (e.g., Edinburgh Review in the Jeffrey Years), and contributions to Victorian special correspondents databases. She actively participates in academic events and lectures on topics like Decadence and sculpture, emphasizing historical archives and interdisciplinary methodologies.
