Biography
I was born in Canada of English parentage. I studied at Trinity College, University of Toronto, for a B.A., specialising in English literature.I then attended Oxford on a Commonwealth Scholarship. I initially did the two-year M.Phil. in Middle English literature. My initial ambition had been to pursue a career in medieval studies. However, Spenser took hold of my imagination, and his strong debt to Middle English romance (amongst other forms and genres) seemed to me to be inadequately served. I did my D.Phil. at Oxford under Dr (later Prof.) Helen Cooper on that topic. That work resulted in my thesis being published in the Oxford Monographs Series (2000).
Since then, I have held a postdoctoral Fellowship at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. Before coming to Cork, I returned to Oxford to assume a Term Fellowship, replacing Prof. Cooper during her research leave. I feel very fortunate in the many excellent and inspiring teachers I have have had through my three degrees.
Research Interests
Traditions that connect the middle ages and Renaissance; historical and cultural contexts for literature, such as the figure of Queen Elizabeth I; medieval and Renaissance romance, with a special emphasis on Spenser; medieval and Renaissance drama, with a focus on Marlowe and Shakespeare; Chaucer; the legacy of Geoffrey of Monmouth in medieval and Renaissance drama; the Spenserian influence on English Civil War literature; the literary implications of studying manuscripts and early printed books.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
Brief statement
My research and publication strategy relates strongly to my appointment in UCC as Lecturer in Medieval and Renaissance English. Not only do I publish in both areas, but my main scholarly activity as a researcher focuses on specific connections between the two periods. I interrogate the Renaissance formulation of the Middle Ages - how the legacy and reception of medieval literature and culture is a vital ingredient in our understanding of the early modern period. My current research project, for which I won an IRCHSS Research Fellowship for 2006-2007, is a book (described below) that seeks to make a major contribution in this area.
My first book, based on my D.Phil. thesis, appeared in Oxford University Press' Oxford English Monographs Series (2000). That work, The Faerie Queene and Middle English Romance: The Matter of Just Memory, instigated a new direction for Spenser studies through exploring a neglected aspect of Spenser's work: his provocative adaptation of narrative patterns and thematic topoi from medieval English romance. The monograph analysed the ingenuity with which Spenser negotiated medieval texts, creating in The Faerie Queene a complex model of national cultural memory. Reviewing the work in Renaissance Quarterly, Professor James Wyatt Cook wrote ‘[h]enceforward, any serious study of Spenser's Faerie Queene must include King's remarkable book' (vol. 55, no. 1 (2002), 336).
Most of my published work subsequent to this monograph reflects my interest in exploring a sense of the Middle Ages as a vital component of early modern culture, to be set alongside themes such as politics, gender, and religious conflict. In the period 2003 to 2008, I published six refereed articles and book-chapters on topics that further my exploration of Spenser's strategic use of medieval romance and cultural traditions. These papers cover different areas of Spenser's employment and refashioning of the medieval legacy, and overall they contribute a vital and innovative understanding of a neglected aspect of his texts as well as his participation in a larger cultural process.
I was awarded an IRCHSS Research Fellowship for 2006-2007 for my current book-project, Mirrors of British Kingship: The Galfridian Tradition in Early Modern Drama. Remarkably, this monograph will be the first book-length study to consider as a related group all of the Renaissance plays and dramatic entertainments that derive their subject-matter from the tradition of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae (‘History of the Kings of Britain', c.1135). Focusing on early Celtic Britain, the so-called Galfridian tradition offered a compelling narrative of origins for later readers. The early modern plays deriving their subject-matter from the Galfridian tradition use that body of narrative strategically as a mirror-world for contemporary concerns, especially the notion of sovereignty. I have published one book-chapter (on The Misfortunes of Arthur) that will form part of this monograph, and I have completed version of another book-chapter (on Cymbeline) that will also become part of the book. In addition, I am currently writing an article on Samuel Sheppard's The Faerie King, and I intend to seek refereed journal publication for this piece.
Publications
Books
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(2000) | The Faerie Queene and Middle English Romance: The Matter of Just Memory. King, Andrew; (2000) The Faerie Queene and Middle English Romance: The Matter of Just Memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Details] |
Book Chapters
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(2010) | ''How so'er 'tis strange ... yet is it true': The British History, Fiction, and Performance in Cymbeline' King, Andrew; (2010) ''How so'er 'tis strange ... yet is it true': The British History, Fiction, and Performance in Cymbeline' In: Shakespeare and Wales. Aldershot: Ashgate. [Details] | |
(2010) | ''Spenser, Chaucer, and Medieval Romance'' King, Andrew; (2010) ''Spenser, Chaucer, and Medieval Romance'' In: The Oxford Handbook of Spenser Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Details] | |
(2008) | ''Sir Bevis of Hampton: Renaissance Influence and Reception'' King, Andrew; (2008) ''Sir Bevis of Hampton: Renaissance Influence and Reception'' In: Sir Bevis of Hampton in Literary Tradition. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. [Details] | |
(2007) | ''Guy of Warwick and The Faerie Queene, Book II: Chivalry Through the Ages'' King, Andrew; (2007) ''Guy of Warwick and The Faerie Queene, Book II: Chivalry Through the Ages'' In: Guy of Warwick: Icon and Ancestor. Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer. [Details] | |
(2006) | ''Well Grounded, Finely Framed, and Strongly Trussed Up Together: The Medieval Structure of The Faerie Queene'' King, Andrew; (2006) ''Well Grounded, Finely Framed, and Strongly Trussed Up Together: The Medieval Structure of The Faerie Queene'' In: Edmund Spenser: New and Renewed Directions. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. [Details] | |
(2005) | ''Dead Butchers and Fiend-Like Queens: The Misfortunes of Arthur and Macbeth'' King, Andrew; (2005) ''Dead Butchers and Fiend-Like Queens: The Misfortunes of Arthur and Macbeth'' In: The Scots and Medieval Arthurian Legend. Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer. [Details] | |
(2004) | 'Sidney and Spenser' Andrew King; (2004) 'Sidney and Spenser' In: A Companion to Romance: From Classical to Contemporary. Oxford: Blackwell. [Details] |
Peer Reviewed Journals
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(2003) | ''Lines of Authority: The Genealogical Theme in The Faerie Queene'' King, Andrew; (2003) ''Lines of Authority: The Genealogical Theme in The Faerie Queene''. Spenser Studies, 18 (*):59-77 [Details] | |
(2001) | ''Well Grounded, Finely Framed, and Strongly Trussed Up Together: The Medieval Structure of The Faerie Queene'' King, Andrew; (2001) ''Well Grounded, Finely Framed, and Strongly Trussed Up Together: The Medieval Structure of The Faerie Queene''. The Review of English Studies, 52 (*):22-58 [Details] |
Book Reviews
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(1996) | Paul R. Rovang, Refashioning `Knights and Ladies Gentle Deeds': The Intertextuality of Spenser's Faerie Queene and Malory¿s Morte Darthur (Madison and London, 1996). Andrew King; (1996) Paul R. Rovang, Refashioning `Knights and Ladies Gentle Deeds': The Intertextuality of Spenser's Faerie Queene and Malory¿s Morte Darthur (Madison and London, 1996). Medium Aevum, vol. 65: Book Reviews [Details] | |
(1997) | Velma Bourgeois Richmond, The Legend of Guy of Warwick (New York and London, 1996). Andrew King; (1997) Velma Bourgeois Richmond, The Legend of Guy of Warwick (New York and London, 1996). Medium Aevum, vol. 66: Book Reviews [Details] | |
(1997) | Castelford's Chronicle, or The Boke of Brut, ed. Caroline D. Eckhardt, EETS 305, 306 (Oxford, 1996). Andrew King; (1997) Castelford's Chronicle, or The Boke of Brut, ed. Caroline D. Eckhardt, EETS 305, 306 (Oxford, 1996). Medium Aevum, vol. 66: Book Reviews [Details] | |
(1999) | Peter B. Beidler, ed., Masculinities in Chaucer: Approaches to Maleness in the Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer Studies XXV (Cambridge, 1998. Andrew King; (1999) Peter B. Beidler, ed., Masculinities in Chaucer: Approaches to Maleness in the Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer Studies XXV (Cambridge, 1998. Medievalia et Humanistica, vol. 26: Book Reviews [Details] | |
(2001) | Michelle O'Callaghan, The `Shepheardes Nation': Jacobean Spenserians and Early Stuart Political Culture, 1612-1625 (Oxford, 2000. Andrew King; (2001) Michelle O'Callaghan, The `Shepheardes Nation': Jacobean Spenserians and Early Stuart Political Culture, 1612-1625 (Oxford, 2000. Notes & Queries, vol. 48: Book Reviews [Details] | |
(2004) | Richard McCabe, Spenser's Monstrous Regiment: Elizabethan Ireland and the Poetics of Difference (Oxford, 2002). Andrew King; (2004) Richard McCabe, Spenser's Monstrous Regiment: Elizabethan Ireland and the Poetics of Difference (Oxford, 2002). Irish Studies Review, vol. 12: Book Reviews [Details] | |
(2005) | Jeremy Tambling, Allegory and the Work of Melancholy: The Late Medieval and Shakespeare (Amsterdam, 2004). Andrew King; (2005) Jeremy Tambling, Allegory and the Work of Melancholy: The Late Medieval and Shakespeare (Amsterdam, 2004). Anglia: Zeitschrift fűr Englische Philologie, vol. 123: Book Reviews [Details] | |
(2009) | Joyce Boro (ed.), The Castell of Love: A Critical Edition of Lord Berners's Romance. Tempe, Arizona: Medieval & Renaissance Studies, 2007. King, Andrew; (2009) Joyce Boro (ed.), The Castell of Love: A Critical Edition of Lord Berners's Romance. Tempe, Arizona: Medieval & Renaissance Studies, 2007. Book Reviews [Details] |
Encyclopedia Entries
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(2004) | 'Broke, Arthur'. King, Andrew; (2004) 'Broke, Arthur'. Oxford:Oxford University Press. Encyclopedia Entries. [Details] | |
(2004) | 'Sheppard, Samuel'. King, Andrew; (2004) 'Sheppard, Samuel'. Oxford:Oxford University Press. Encyclopedia Entries. [Details] | |
(2004) | 'Whitney, Geoffrey'. King, Andrew; (2004) 'Whitney, Geoffrey'. Oxford:Oxford University Press. Encyclopedia Entries. [Details] | |
(2005) | 'The Faerie Queene'. King, Andrew; (2005) 'The Faerie Queene'. http://www.litencyc.com/:. Encyclopedia Entries. [Details] |
Professional Activities
Honours and Awards
Year | Title | Awarding Body | |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | IRCHSS Research Fellowship | Irish Reseach Council for Humanities and Social Sciences | |
2004 | The President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, UCC | Office of the President, University College Cork | |
1994 | Graduate Scholarship, Oriel College, University of Oxford | Oriel College, University of Oxford | |
1994 | Doctoral Fellowship Award, SSHRC, Government of Canada | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada | |
1991 | Commonwealth Scholarship, tenable at University of Oxford | The Association of Commonwealth Universities | |
2007 | UCC CACSSS Research Award | College of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Social Sciences, University College Cork |
Professional Associations
Association | Function | From / To | |
---|---|---|---|
Irish Research Seminar | Cork Representative on Steering Committee | 01-JAN-09 / 01-JAN-14 | |
Society for Renaissance Studies | Reviews Editor for Renaissance Studies Journal | 02-JAN-11 / 01-JAN-14 | |
Early English Text Society | Member | 01-JAN-89 / 30-DEC-99 |
Conference Contributions
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(2010) | Society for Renaissance Studies National Conference, Andrew King; (2010) `¿A Shelled Peascod¿: The Galfridian Tradition in King Lear¿. [Oral Presentation], Society for Renaissance Studies National Conference, York, UK , 16-JUL-10 - 18-JUL-10. [Details] | |
(2010) | Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period, Andrew King; (2010) 'The Monument of Uncertainty: Literary and Sovereign Authority in Samuel Sheppard¿s The Faerie King¿. [Invited Oral Presentation], Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland , 07-AUG-10 - 07-AUG-10. [Details] | |
(2005) | Youghal Through the Ages: Sir Walter Raleigh, King, Andrew; (2005) Poetic and Political Ambivalence in _Colin Clouts Come Home Againe_. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Youghal Through the Ages: Sir Walter Raleigh, Youghal, Co Cork , 24-SEP-05 - 25-SEP-05. [Details] | |
(2004) | Tartan Arthur: The Scots and the Medieval Tartan Legend, King, Andrew; (2004) 'Dead Butchers and Fiend-like Queens: Political and Literary History in The Misfortunes of Arthur and Macbeth'. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Tartan Arthur: The Scots and the Medieval Tartan Legend, School of EnglishUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamU.K , 21-JUN-04 - 21-JUN-04. [Details] | |
(2002) | Fulke Greville at Kalamazoo, Thirty-Seventh Medieval Congress, King, Andrew; (2002) 'Fulke Greville and the Uses of Romance'. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Fulke Greville at Kalamazoo, Thirty-Seventh Medieval Congress, University of Western MichiganKalamazooMichiganU.S.A , 02-JUN-02 - 02-JUN-02. [Details] | |
(2002) | Arthurian Transitions: Romance in Medieval and Renaissance Contexts, King, Andrew; (2002) 'Lines of Authority: Arthurian Genealogy in Spenser's Faerie Queene'. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Arthurian Transitions: Romance in Medieval and Renaissance Contexts, Trinity College DublinIreland , 24-MAY-02 - 24-MAY-02. [Details] | |
(2002) | Quid sit amor?: Definitions of Love in Medieval Literature, King, Andrew; (2002) 'Restoring Love's Meaning in Guy of Warwick'. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Quid sit amor?: Definitions of Love in Medieval Literature, Trinity College DublinIreland , 06-SEP-02 - 08-SEP-02. [Details] | |
(2001) | International Spenser Society Conference, King, Andrew; (2001) 'Paridell, Hellenore, and Britomart: Ironic Trojan History in The Faerie Queene, III.ix'. [Oral Presentation], International Spenser Society Conference, University of CambridgeCambridgeU.K , 15-JUL-01 - 17-JUL-01. [Details] | |
(2000) | Sidney at Kalamazoo, Thirty-Fifth Medieval Congress, King, Andrew; (2000) 'By Succession Made Perpetuall: Arthurian Genealogy and the Dynastic Theme in The Faerie Queene'. [Oral Presentation], Sidney at Kalamazoo, Thirty-Fifth Medieval Congress, University of Western MichiganKalamazooMichiganU.S.A , 05-JUN-00 - 07-JUN-00. [Details] |
Committees
Committee | Function | From / To | |
---|---|---|---|
English Department Graduate Studies Committee | Since September 2009, Chair of this Commitee. Responsibility for numerous aspects of the postgraduate experience within the School of English. Chair meetings with MA student representatives. Oversee PhD applications for IRCHSS scholarships and other funding opportunities. Present myself to all School of English postgrads as a resource for information, orientation, and support. | 2002 / | |
English Department First Year Committee | - Joint responsibility for organzing system of First Year Student Representatives, chairing meetings, and discussing a range of issues with Student Reps and colleagues impinging on the First Year learning experience. - Shared responisibility for collation of First Year exam and writing up of First Year exam report. | 2004 / 1899 | |
English Department Curriculum Review Committee | - Shared responsibility for a detailed assessment and full revision of our Second and Third Year curriculum. - Planning of feasibility and implementation strategies from movement from lecture-based teaching model to one that is seminar-based. | 2003 / 2006 | |
English Department Third Year Committee | - Joint responsibility for organzing system of Third Year Student Representatives, chairing meetings, and discussing a range of issues with Student Reps and colleagues impinging on the Third Year learning experience. - Shared responisibility for collation of Third Year exam and writing up of Third Year exam report. | 2003 / 2004 | |
CACSSS Postgraduate Committee | - Shared responsibility for issues affecting Postgradute programmes across the full structure of CACSSS | 2006 / 1899 | |
Disability Support Services Officer for Department of English | - Work closely and tactfully with DSS itself, colleagues, and DSS-registered students to ensure that the students are served according to the mission of DSS. | 2007 / 1899 | |
Library Representative for Medieval English, Department of English | Buy strategically for both teaching and research needs within the Department, as well as oversee the book purchasing requests of individual colleagues in the area. | 2007 / 1899 | |
Visiting Speakers Committee, Department of English | - Administer the budget for Visiting Speakers. - Play a leading role in inviting distinguished speakers to the Department to enrich our postgraduate and research culture, as well as forging links with other universities. | 2007 / 1899 |
Employment
Employer | Position | From / To | |
---|---|---|---|
University of Oxford | Term Fellow in English | 01-SEP-00 / 15-DEC-01 | |
Dalhouise University, Nova Scotia | Killam Postdoctoral Fellow | 01-JUL-99 / 10-AUG-00 |
Education
Year | Institution | Qualification | Subject | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | University of Toronto | Bachelor of Arts | ||
1999 | University of Oxford | Doctor of Philosophy | ||
1993 | University of Oxford | Master of Philosophy |
Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Speaking | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Latin | Functional | None | None | |
Old English | Functional | None | None | |
French | Functional | Functional | Functional | |
Italian | Functional | Basic | Basic | |
German | Basic | Basic | Basic |
Consultancy
Client | Description | |
---|---|---|
Review of English Studies, Oxford University Press | ||
Arizona Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies | ||
Oxford University Press |
Other Activities
Description | |
---|---|
I led a group of volunteers from my course EN2066, 'Drama: Medieval to Renaissance' in a staged performance of a modern adaptation of the medieval York Cycle of Mystery Plays. I wrote the adaptation and directed and took part in the production. The students performed the play for the Outreach students of Kenmare and Caherciveen when they visited UCC for the day. | |
I have organized a Reading Group that meets regularly during Term and into the summer to engage in semi-dramatic shared readings of medieval and Renaissance texts. | |
2008: Along with Professor James Knowles and colleagues from Music, Art History, and History, I helped to initiate MedRREN – a visiting speakers seminar attracting high-profile scholars from universities not only within the Irish-British archipelagic but from continental Europe and North America. | |
2003: Worked closely with UCC's Librarian to secure ¿Early English Books Online¿, a digitized facsimile database of books printed in England and Ireland between c.1470 and 1700. I was instrumental in raising €85 000 across a number of College Departments. |
Teaching Activities
Teaching Interests
My teaching interests are symbiotic with my research and publishing projects. I have a particular interest in considering the early modern reception of English medieval textual and cultural traditions, including book-history and the materiality of manuscripts and early printed books. I have strong teaching interests in drama, relating to but extending beyond current research on the Galfridian theme in early modern drama, and in medieval and Renaissance romance, especially Spenser.