My research interests as a whole lie broadly within eighteenth-century and Romantic British literature, with particular attention to poetry, women writers, and intersections between religion and politics in the period. In addition to this area, I have also developed an interest in contemporary fantasy literature which was the subject of my teaching fellowship for the 2024 winter semester (ENGL273: Literature and the Fantastic). The course explored the hero's journey as it is portrayed in a variety of fantasy texts, in addition to the kinds of protagonists are often represented in the genre.
18th century and Romantic-era literature, women writers, politics, religion, contemporary fantasy literature
Conference Presentations
- "The Journey of Contemplation in Anna Barbauld's 'A Summer Evening's Meditation,'" American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Toronto, April 4-6, 2024.
- "The Invisible Yet Authoritative Mother in Anna Barbauld's Lessons for Children," Romantic Motherhood Panel, Northeast Modern Language Association, Boston, March 7-10, 2024.
- "Anna Barbauld's Critique of Class Structures in Thoughts on the Inequality of Conditions," Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Montreal, Oct 19-21, 2023.
- "Testing the Limits of Discourse: Anna Barbauld's Advocation of Political Tolerance," Romantic Boundaries: British Association for Romantic Studies Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Conference, University of Edinburgh, June 15-16, 2023.
- "Moderate Protest in the Pamphlets of Anna Laetitia Barbauld: The Reasoned Case for Reform," Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English, York University, May 27-30, 2023.
- "Anna Barbauld's Rhetorical Experimentation: Moderate Radicalism as a Potential Way Forward," Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, University of Ottawa, October 27-29, 2022.
- "A Pragmatic Case for Equal Rights: Anna Barbauld's Re-casting of Complaint in Her Plea for Religious Dissenters," American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Baltimore, March 31-April 2, 2022.
My dissertation, “Radical in Moderation: The Persuasive Strategy of Anna Laetitia Barbauld’s Political and Religious Writings,” examines how Barbauld advocated a moderate approach for promoting political change as a member of the Dissenting minority. Through my examination of her work, I hope to show how our understanding of radicalism can be broadened when considering tactics of dialogue and reasoned discussion.
