Under Siege: Perpetual Warfare and Late Medieval Literature

This book examines how late medieval English literature responded to and shaped contemporary understandings of perpetual warfare. Through close readings of texts by Geoffrey Chaucer, Thomas Hoccleve, and their contemporaries, I argue that the experience of perpetual warfare during the Hundred Years War fundamentally altered literary representations of conflict, community, and belonging.

Current Projects

Epistemologies of the Archive

In Progress

A special issue of The Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (56.3, September 2026) examining premodern conceptions of the archive.

  • Eight essays from scholars of late-antique, late-medieval, and early modern literature, history, and art history
  • Foregrounding questions of epistemology in scholarly inquiry
  • Interdisciplinary approach to premodern archival practices

The Chaucer Lab

Upcoming

Book project investigating how Chaucer Studies became a major field in American academia through studying major infrastructural scholarly projects, from the history of cryptography to innovations in federal funding and the sociology of literary societies.

  • Disciplinary history of American Chaucer Studies
  • Studying the creation of scholarly editions, biographical criticism, and scholalry societies
  • Offers a history of the discipline centered on material and archival history rather than the history of ideas

Merchants and Medieval London

Upcoming

Book chapter examing the role of merchants in medieval London literary culture.

  • Archival research in literary ties of London merchants
  • Part ofThe Cambridge History of London Literature
  • Focus on transnational networks of merchants

Space City Medievalism

Recently Completed

Public Humanities project catalyzing new medieval poetry in Houston through collaboration with local arts organizations and UH graduate students.

  • Supported by the Medieval Academy of America and Houston Arts Alliance
  • Included workshop at the Menil Collection
  • Imagines new forms of critical-creative collaboration

Research Interests

Medieval Literature & History

Intersection of literary and historical writing in late medieval England, with emphasis on chronicles, poetry, and prose treatises.

Warfare & Representation

How literature represents war and military culture, particularly during the era of the Hundred Years War.

Public Humanities

Building robust humanities infrastructures beyond campus.

Archive Studies

Considering how the conditions and curation of historical objects shape scholarly inquiry.

Classical Reception

How medieval authors engaged with classical texts and traditions, particularly in the context of historical writing and political thought.

Medieval Scotland

Scottish literary and historical writing, with particular interest in cross-border cultural exchanges and national identity formation.