Ross Murfin
E.A. Lilly Distinguished Professor of English
Education
Ph.D.An early interest in Thomas Hardy, his Romantic precursors and his Victorian contemporaries led me later to consider Hardy’s influence on a later, Edwardian writer, D.H. Lawrence. Subsequent studies of Joseph Conrad gave me the opportunity to edit a critical edition of Heart of Darkness, which in turn led to the creation of an entire series of theory-smart critical editions published by Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press. Currently, he is combining his interests in critical theory and 19th- and 20th-century British literature by writing a study of the way in which Romantic, Victorian and early-modern writers use, bend and break the evolving conventions governing quotation marks in order to create meanings that would otherwise be difficult to express.
Awards and Distinctions
- Outstanding Administrator Award, 51²è¹Ý, 1999
- M Award for Outstanding University Service, 51²è¹Ý, 2003
- Numerous outstanding teaching awards earned at various institutions
Selected Publications
- Swinburne, Hardy, Lawrence, and the Burden of Belief (1978)
- The Poetry of D.H. Lawrence: Texts and Contexts (1983)
- Sons and Lovers: A Novel of Division and Desire (1987)
- Lord Jim: After the Truth (1992)
- The Scarlet Letter: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism (2ed. 2006)
- Heart of Darkness: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism (3ed., 2011)
- ed. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism (1989-2011)