This essay draws on formalist cultural studies and material feminism to argue for a new approach in modernist studies, which I call formalist materialism, an approach that reads ecological forms alongside aesthetic forms. Such an approach may have distinct advantages. Formalist materialism illuminates a new direction for formalists by connecting…[Read more]

This essay draws on formalist cultural studies and material feminism to argue for a new approach in modernist studies, which I call formalist materialism, an approach that reads ecological forms alongside aesthetic forms. Such an approach may have distinct advantages. Formalist materialism illuminates a new direction for formalists by connecting…[Read more]

In Nobel laureate Kawabata Yasunari’s novel Snow Country, the protagonist Shimamura refers to an “old book” which gave him in-depth knowledge about the region known in Japan as the “Snow Country”. The name of the book is not disclosed by Kawabata, but it is now known that the “old book” is Hokuetsu Seppu (first published in 1837), written by Su…[Read more]

This is the syllabus for the Spring 2021 section of Texts & Technology in History, which will be taught synchronously via Zoom at UCF as part of the PhD in T&T. This iteration of the course particularly considers whose texts are archived, who shapes our technologies, and which histories are preserved and retold.

The syllabus for the Spring 2021 asynchronous online course “Theory & Practice of Interactive Storytelling,” which includes both critical and creative projects, and uses Twine, Inform 7, and Ren’Py.

Introduction to a special issue on Renaissance post-humanism and its afterlives.

Introduction to a special issue on Renaissance post-humanism and its afterlives.

Projects that bridge the humanities and sciences often attract attention from journalists, but evoke dismay from humanists who feel that their subjects of expertise have been misinterpreted. For the humanities to reclaim a place of pride in public conversation, humanists themselves need to embrace interdisciplinarity and take the lead in this…[Read more]

This autoethnographic exploration, describes and reflects upon my attempt to crowdsource a modern myth on the origins of racism in America. It draws on my work in narrative studies with a special focus on stories and their role in human development. Part one is analysis of the ‘functions’ of story as both plot variables and sociological act…[Read more]

The current mechanisms by which scholars and their work are evaluated across higher education are unsustainable and, we argue, increasingly corrosive. Relying on a limited set of proxy measures, current systems of evaluation fail to recognize and reward the many dependencies upon which a healthy scholarly ecosystem relies. Drawing on the work of…[Read more]

This paper argues for the need for a Literary Platform Studies in order to develop a full understanding of electronic literary work. Understanding the authoring platforms used to create interactive digital stories enable a more nuanced and sophisticated appreciation of the procedural creativity of these works. The paper examines Twine…[Read more]

A report on the creation of a prototype digital edition of a REED collection. Includes “Guidelines for REED at-codes Application and TEI P5 Markup” (Appendix C).

This GIF chronicles the movements of a a formerly enslaved man in New England until the publication of his first memoir in 1825. William Grimes was forced to resettle and wander through Connecticut and Rhode Island because of poverty and insecurity. He is most associated with Litchfield, CT and New Haven CT where he spent the most time and which…[Read more]

This article is a slightly revised version of a plenary panel address presented at the ‘Passages’ Symposium at the Sorbonne, Paris on the 12th of June 2019, in honor of the centenary of the birth of the American poet Robert Duncan. The article traces some of the mutual interest and influence between the poets Robert Duncan and Hilda Doolittle…[Read more]

Emily Dickinson’s unique style of poetic composition is marked by ambiguity and open-endedness, leading to the genesis of a privileged space wherein reader and writer are able to meet as co-creators of meaning. As a poet, Dickinson addresses many themes in ways that are subject to countless layers of interpretation. This essay focuses p…[Read more]

In 1970, a television-show dance contest in a small California town ended abruptly when the studio was briefly plunged into darkness because of an apparent power failure. The media coverage of the event eventually helped uncover criminal activity at the studio; over the course of this reporting, the narrative was accompanied by select genres of…[Read more]

Direct and indirect women’s access to the expression of their ideas and wishes on ink and paper has significantly contributed to the construction of the Latin American colonial archive. Nevertheless, this contribution to the area of Latin American women’s studies still remains little known and understudied. The colonial tradition of women’s autho…[Read more]