My research focuses on medieval Bible translation, hermeneutics, and commentary culture in the context of the Wycliffite Bible (the first complete translation of the Latin Vulgate into English, completed in the fourteenth century). My work investigates why, how, and by whom the Bible was first translated from Latin into English, and how this translation influenced literary works of the Middle English period. My textual-critical work has produced two scholarly editions of previously unknown texts – amongst these is the first complete edition of the Wycliffite Old Testament Lectionary (OUP, 2021), a collection of liturgical texts translated from Latin into Middle English. I continue to research the role of the liturgy in medieval English culture and literature, particularly in works by poets such as Chaucer and Langland. In tandem with this research, I have recently written a teaching book, Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy (forthcoming with Reaktion Books in April 2025). Informed by my research, this book introduces students and general readers to important liturgical texts and their influence on literature, art, and music, revealing some surprising discoveries along the way.
At Lady Margaret Hall, I teach all medieval papers of the undergraduate course, including Prelims Paper 2: Early Medieval Literature, c. 650–1350, FHS Paper 2: Literature in English, c. 1350–1550, and a range of other papers related to Old and Middle English language and literature. I also teach the language component of Prelims Paper 1, and I regularly supervise dissertations on various aspects of medieval literature. In my teaching for all of these papers I incorporate object-led approaches, giving students the opportunity to work with medieval manuscripts ‘in the flesh’ at the Bodleian Library.
