Kristin Bovaird-Abbo
Faculty
Professor & Director of Undergraduate Studies
Education
Ph.D., University of Kansas, Dissertation:ÌýGeoffrey Chaucer’s use of the Arthurian legend
Professional Experience & Affiliations
Full Professor, English, ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï
Research Expertise & Interests
Prof. Bovaird-Abbo’s areas of special interest include medieval language and literature, particularly Middle English and Arthurian studies, and she regularly teaches classes onÌýMedieval Literature, History of the English Language, Linguistics, the Arthurian Legend (medieval to modern),ÌýSpeculative Fiction, The History of the Book, Young Adult Literature,ÌýMedievalism,Ìýand J. R. R. Tolkien.Ìý
Her current research project explores the effects of gender and class on depictions of the Arthurian character of Gawain in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Middle English romances, particularly in terms of Gawain’s interactions with women and younger knights, as a reflection of changing values among the English gentry.Ìý
Publications
- “The Great River and the Great War: Entering the Trenches of World War I in theÌýFellowship of the Ring.”ÌýCritical Insights: J.R.R. Tolkien. Ed. Joseph Michael Sommers. Grey House Publishing. (Forthcoming)Ìý
- “‘WeÌýbeoðÌýunderÌýuote’: Ecofeminism in Layamon’sÌýBrutÌýand the Women of Scotland.”ÌýMedievalÌýEcocriticisms. Ed. Heide Estes. Amsterdam University Press. (Forthcoming)Ìý
- “Harts, Hounds, Humans: Hunting inÌýA LytellÌýGesteÌýof Robyn Hode.”ÌýThe Bulletin of the International Association for Robin Hood StudiesÌý5.1 (2024): 26-47.ÌýÌý
- “Safe Behind Doors? Sleep Deprivation inÌýSir Gawain and the Green Knight.”ÌýArthurianaÌý32.3 (2022): 3-19.Ìý
- “Switching Shields in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”.”ÌýBecoming the Pearl-Poet: Perceptions, Connections, Receptions. Ed. Jane Beal. Rowman & Littlefield, Lexington Books, 2022.Ìý169-181.Ìý
- Food and Feast in Premodern Outlaw Texts. Eds. Melissa Ridley Elmes, Kristin Bovaird-Abbo. Routledge, 2021.Ìý
- “Why an Issue on “The Medieval in Children’s Literatureâ€�?” Special Issue: “The Medieval in Children’s Literature,”ÌýChildren’s Literature Association Quarterly,Ìývol. 45, no. 4Ìý(2020): 301-307.Ìý
- “Redeeming Wastelands, Building Communities in the Old EnglishÌýGuthlac A.”ÌýISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, vol.Ìý24, no.Ìý2,Ìý2017: 196–223.Ìý
- “In the Shadow of Balder: Breaking the Cycle of Ragnarok inÌýAmerican Gods.” Critical Insights: Neil Gaiman. Ed. Joseph Michael Sommers. Grey House Publishing, 2016: 31-46.Ìý
- “Is Geoffrey Chaucer’s Tale of SirÌýThopas a Rape Narrative? ReadingÌýThopasÌýin light ofÌýthe 1382 Statute of Rapes.â€Å¨¶Ä¯Quidditas 35 (2014): 7-28.Ìý
- “Neglected yet Noble: Nyneve and Female Heroism in Thomas Malory’s Le MorteÌýDarthu°ù.â€Å¨¶Ä¯A Quest of Her Own: Essays on the Female Hero in Modern Fantasy. Ed.ÌýLoriÌýM. Campbell. McFarland, 2014. 35-54.Ìý
- “Tough Talk or Tough Love: Lynet and the Construction of Feminine Identity in Thomas Malory’s Tale of Sir Gareth.â€Å¨¶Ä¯Arthuriana, vol.Ìý24, no.Ìý2 (2014): 126-157.Ìý
- “‘ReirditÌýonÌýaneÌýricheÌýrocheÌýbesideÌýaneÌýriveir’: Martial Landscape and James IV of Scotland in The Knightly Tale ofÌýGolagrosÌýandÌýGawane.â€Å¨¶Ä¯Neophilogus, vol.Ìý98, no.Ìý4 (2014): 675-688.Ìý
- “SireÌýNonnesÌýPreest’—Reading Lancelot in Geoffrey Chaucer’sÌýThe Nun’s Priest’s Tale.”ÌýCEA Critic, vol.Ìý76, no.Ìý1 (2014): 84-97.Ìý
- “Alison’s Antithesis in The Marriage of Sir Gawain.â€� Medieval Feminist Forum, vol.Ìý49, no.Ìý2 (2013): 29–69.Ìý
- “‘he is com of full nobleÌýbloode’: The Brotherly Love of Gareth and Gawain in Thomas Malory’s MorteÌýDarthur.â€Å¨¶Ä¯Enarratio, vol.Ìý17 (2010): 91-105.Ìý
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