Dane Spencer

After finishing my B.A. and M.A in English at Brigham Young University, I studied at the University of Tulsa, where I earned my Ph.D. in English as well. Focusing at that time on the British Romantic Period, Victorian Period, and Contemporary Theory, my research and teaching interests have broadened over my career. I have taught at variety of universities at both an undergraduate and graduate level. The course I have taught vary, but primarily I teach within the fields of composition, British literature (1780-today), and novel studies.

In summary of terms of my recent scholarly interests, the literature and art I am examining provide a clear critique of the unstable relationship between men and women in literature and art from 1857-1903. Specifically, these works demonstrate how the nineteenth-century medieval revival and its use of St. George trouble the notion of a cohesive masculinity, choosing instead to highlight the constant negotiations of power and control woven into the subtext of England’s patron saint. Although employing a wide variety of artistic and narrative techniques, these works demonstrate together the interplay between the dominant male hegemony and female autonomy. As a result of the weakening effect that legislative change supporting women’s rights had on the ideological struggles for male dominance, these works demonstrated the multi-faceted approach taken by nineteenth-century men in an attempt to either repress women or negotiate the world of dampened masculine power and authority.