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Program: English Ph.D. & Center for the Book
Began program in 2001
Area of Study: Nineteenth Century British and American Literature and Culture
Office: 72 EPB
E-Mail: jessica-despain@uiowa.edu
I began my studies at the University of Iowa after receiving a Bachelor's degree from Mount St. Clare College in Clinton, Iowa. I took my first bookbinding class here at the Center for the Book and quickly became enthralled with how the physical aspects of books influence the literature they contain. My work in the English department is centered around this approach to literature that analyzes the print culture surrounding a text's production. My particlar interest is in how authors, publishers, bookworkers, and readers responded to the transatlantic literary culture driven by nineteenth century technological advances like the steam printing press and faster Atlantic travel. My work co-organizing the annual CRAFT, CRITIQUE, CULTURE Conference in 2004 and 2005 gave me another opportunity to pursue these interests with conference topics covering book arts and reading communities.
Likewise, I have incorporated my literary research into my teaching. This semester, I taught an American Lives elective organized around the theme of literary celebrity. I selected readings that demonstrate how authors attained celebrity due to changes in the literary marketplace and America's cultural landscape. I also teach the University's general education literature course, interpretation of literature. In the past, I have been an instructor in the Rhetoric Department and at Hamilton College in Cedar Rapids. In addition, I serve as a Program Associate for the General Education in Literature Department, where I serve as a mentor to other instructors.