My research focuses on the politics and aesthetics of literature, art, and popular culture in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Methodologically, my work is shaped by Marxist philosophy and social history. These interests currently inform three strands of research: I am writing a book which presents a theoretical and historical inquiry into the politics of the early Gothic Revival; I am working on a pair of articles investigating the influence of Dissent on William Hazlitt’s journalism, with special emphasis on the concepts of ‘idolatry’, ‘fanaticism’ and ‘partisanship’; and I am developing materials for a historiographical study on recent approaches to literature and social class in the eighteenth century. I also have an abiding interest in John Bunyan and late seventeenth-century Puritan lay preachers.
At St. Peter’s College, I teach Literature in English from 1660 to 1830. For the Faculty, I lecture on material from the late seventeenth century to the nineteenth century and also teach on the MSt in English 1700-1830.
In addition to my research and teaching roles, I am currently the Faculty’s College Staff Liaison Officer. If any College-only postholders have issues they would like to raise for consideration by the Faculty (anonymously if you prefer), please email me. I am also happy to chat in-person Wednesday-Friday.
