Professor Alcuin Blamires

Alcuin’s interests are Chaucer, fourteenth-century English literature and medieval debate about women in vernacular.

Staff details

Professor Alcuin Blamires

Position

Emeritus Professor of English Literature

Department

English and Creative Writing

Email

english (@gold.ac.uk)

Academic qualifications

  • BA (Hons) English Language & Literature, University of Oxford, 1968
  • M.Phil in Medieval English Studies, University of Oxford, 1970

Teaching

Senior lecturer at University of Wales, Lampeter (1970-1999). Appointed Reader at Goldsmiths 1999; appointed professor in 2004.

Publications and research outputs

Book

Blamires, Alcuin. 2006. Chaucer, Ethics, and Gender. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199248674

Blamires, Alcuin. 2004. The twin demons of aristocratic society in Sir Gowther. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719063191

Blamires, Alcuin and Holian, G.. 2002. The Romance of the Rose Illuminated: Manuscripts at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. ISBN 0866982655

Edited Book

Blamires, Alcuin; Marx, C W and Pratt, Karen, eds. 1992. Woman Defamed and Woman Defended: An Anthology of Medieval Texts. Oxford: OUP. ISBN 978-0198710394

Book Section

Blamires, Alcuin. 2010. Medieval Individuality. In: Elaine Treharne and Greg Walker, eds. Oxford Handbook of Medieval Literature. Oxford: OUP, pp. 478-495. ISBN 978-0199229123

Blamires, Alcuin. 2010. 'Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde'. In: Corinne Saunders, ed. Companion to Medieval Poetry. Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 435-451. ISBN 978-1405159630

Blamires, Alcuin. 2005. 'Sexuality'. In: Steve Ellis, ed. Chaucer: An Oxford Guide. Oxford: OUP, pp. 208-223. ISBN 978-0199259120

Article

Blamires, Alcuin. 2010. 'May in January's Tree: Genealogical Space in The Merchant's Tale'. Chaucer Review, 45(1), pp. 106-117. ISSN 0009-2002

Blamires, Alcuin. 2007. Philosophical Sleaze? The 'strok of thought' in the Miller's Tale and Chaucerian Fabliau. Modern Language Review, 102(3), pp. 621-640. ISSN 00267937

Research Interests

My major interests are: Chaucer; fourteenth-century English literature; the history and context of medieval debate about women in vernacular and Latin writings; and European medieval romance. Following recent publication on ethical traditions in Chaucer, I am preparing a book on 'shame' in medieval English writings. I have a subsidiary interest in medieval iconography. Engagements for conference papers in the last few years have included Siena, Cardiff, London, Limoges, Swansea, and New York.