Expertise

Research Interests

  • medieval literature; cultural studies; Chaucer; critical theory

He teaches mostly courses on medieval literature (especially Chaucer), English Comedy, and core surveys in Early British Literature. His classes mix discussion with socio-economic and historical background and anecdotal information; he is particularly interested in how texts depict the culture in which they were produced. Language is also an important aspect to his pedagogy, because no matter how much you play with it, you can't break it.

My research has focused mostly on the intersection of medieval culture with its literature, having particular emphasis on fourteenth-century English literature. I have published articles that sought to examine how medieval authors represented their culture and how the texts that they read shaped their intellectual universe.

Some of my articles have also examined issues relating to sovereign power and its abuses.

Past Affiliations

Associate Chair, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts, Auburn University

Associate Professor, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts, Auburn University

Assistant Professor, English
1995 - 1997

Communities
English
Degrees
PhD, Pennsylvania State University, English, 1995
MA, Pennsylvania State University, English, 1989
BA, Millersville State University, English, 1986
Keywords
language or literature medieval language or literature english language or literature chaucer
Languages
English, French, Latin
Associations
Dante Society of America
John Gower Society
Medieval Academy of America
Modern Language Association of America
New Chaucer Society