MSU’s Dodds earns national honor for book on premodern women’s writing
Contact: Kaitlyn Yeatman
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State English Department Head Lara Dodds is earning national recognition for advancing women’s contributions to early modern literature.
This month, the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender presented Dodds with the Collaborative Project Award for her recent book “Early Modern Women’s Writing and the Future of Literary History.”
Published by Oxford University Press in June, Dodds’ book presents new scholarship spotlighting early modern women writers and women’s voices who often were sidelined in history.
“The creative and artistic achievements of early women writers have not been fully appreciated, and our book explains the reasons why. I was especially pleased that the awards committee noted the relevance of our book to any scholars, teachers and students interested in premodern literature and culture,” said Dodds, who co-authored the book with Michelle M. Dowd of the University of Alabama. “Our aim in the book was to provide a comprehensive overview of previous studies of early modern British women writers in order to provide a framework for new scholarly directions in the future.”
The Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender annually gives awards for scholarly work in the early modern period, from 1450 to 1750.
“Lara Dodds and Michelle Dowd answer old questions and discuss new directions, from premodern critical race studies and feminist formalism to pedagogy,” the society said in its award announcement. “In each instance, an excellent general overview is paired with a deep dive into women’s writing, using up-to-date scholarship.”
Dodds earned her bachelor’s degree in English from DePauw University and both her master’s degree and Ph.D. in English, with a focus on 17th century literature, from Brown University. Her teaching interests include John Milton, early modern British literature, early modern women’s writing and research methods.
She also is the author of “The Literary Invention of Margaret Cavendish” (Duquesne University Press, 2013) and “Milton’s Other Worlds,” part of a series in “Uncircumscribed Minds: Reading Milton Deeply” (Susquehanna University Press, 2007). Her scholarship has appeared in leading journals including Milton Studies, Early Modern Studies Journal, Restoration, English Literary Renaissance and The John Donne Journal.
For more details about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of English, visit www.cas.msstate.edu or https://www.english.msstate.edu/.
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