Professor Eugene Giddens

Eugene is Skinner-Young Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature and Deputy Director of the ESRC CAM-DTP. He teaches and researches Shakespeare, Renaissance drama, children’s literature, and the history of the book.

[email protected]

Areas of research supervision

Eugene has supervised 15 doctorates to completion and would be keen to hear from potential students interested in Renaissance studies or children’s literature.

PhDs supervised to completion

Farah Kamel Omar Abdel Hadi, ‘Modern History of Arabic Type Design in the Twentieth Century: The Reforming Projects of the Arabic Script’, first supervisor (2025).

Michelle Manning, ‘International academic arenas: A contrasting and comparative study of the British and American reconstructed indoor theatre’, first supervisor (2024).

Katelin Wall, ‘Becoming Animal/Human: Trauma and Posthumanism in Serial Killer Fiction’, second supervisor (2022).

Tanya Lee Stone, Radical Nonfiction for Young Readers: The Craft of Telling Overlooked Histories, Anglia Ruskin University PhD, first supervisor (2022).

Sarah Gibson Yates, Networked Wonderland of US: A Young-Adult Novel and Contextual Commentary, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2021).

Dima Wannous, Created for Children and Created by Children: A comparative Analysis of Gender Representation in a Selection of Radical Children’s Literature, Anglia Ruskin University PhD, second supervisor (2021).

Amanda Brunton, Epitaphs and Grieving in Early Modern Manuscripts, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2021).

Shaden Alhouzaim, Feminist Identity of Young African-American Girls in Virginia Hamilton’s Novels, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2020).

Rebekah Owens, The Reception History of Frederick Samuel Boas’ Works of Thomas Kyd, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2020).

Christopher Owen, Cognitive Approaches to Systemic Oppression in Children’s Speculative Fiction, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2019).

Melissa Hudler, The Rhetoric of Stasis, Gesture, and Dance in Renaissance Literature, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2014).

Joanne Vine, Staging Childhood: Properties in the plays of Jonson, Marston, and Chapman, 1599-1614, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2013).

Ian Burrows, Early Modern Play Text Punctuation, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2012). AHRC funded.

Jean Lambert, The Figure of the Pedant on the Early Modern Stage, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2011).

Lynsey McCulloch, Animated Statuary in Early Modern Drama, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2010).

David Ryan, PhD by Publication in Fine Art: Rethinking Abstraction, Anglia Ruskin University PhD (2009).

Justine Williams, James Shirley’s Irish Drama, Warwick University PhD, second supervisor and first supervisor as maternity cover (2009).

Alexandra Hobbs, Masculinity in John Irving and Philip Roth, Anglia Ruskin University PhD, second supervisor (2009).

Qualifications

• PhD English, University of Birmingham
• BA English, summa cum laude, Clemson University, South Carolina

University prizes

• Anglia Ruskin Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research (2015)
• Anglia Ruskin Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Doctoral Supervision (2013)
• Anglia Ruskin University Teaching Fellow (2012)

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

British Academy Early Career Researcher Network East of England Cluster – Delivery Partner, British Academy, 2025-2027, ARU Project Lead.

CAM ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, University of Bedfordshire, Economic and Social Research Council, 2024-2029, Co-I, Deputy Director.

CAM ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, University of Bedfordshire, Economic and Social Research Council, 2024-2031, Co-I, Deputy Director.

Louise Seaman Bechtel Visiting Professorship Travel Grant, University of Florida, 2023-2024, $1250.

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, research on James Shirley’s texts in Japan, 2022-23, £2000.

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, research on The Complete Works of James Shirley, 2022-23, £2400.

Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA) Research Associateship award, ‘The Cambridge History of Children’s Literature in English’, 2021-23, £25,000 – Principal Investigator.

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) UK-US Partnership Development Grant, ‘Enhancing the diversity of digital children's literature collections in the UK and US’, 2020-2022, £100,791: Anglia Ruskin share, £21,097 – Co-investigator. Digital decolonisation project with Homerton College, Cambridge and the University of Florida.

Princeton University Library Research Grant, ‘Complete Works of James Shirley’, 2019-2020, $3080 [Covid-delayed, unable to take up until 2023].

AHRC Research Network, ‘Digital Collections in Children’s Literature: Distance Reading, Scholarship, Community’, 2019-20, £59,114: Anglia Ruskin share, £13,007 – Co-investigator. Research impact network with Homerton College, Cambridge and the University of Florida.

MHRA Research Associateship award, ‘The Complete Works of James Shirley’, 2018-19, £23,000: all funding to Warwick University as RA host, Co-author and named Co-investigator in award.

George A. Smathers Libraries, ‘Children’s’ Christmas Books’, University of Florida, Travel to Collections Grant, 2018-19, $2200.

American Philosophical Society, ‘Children’s Book Illustration, 1850-1910’, Franklin Research Grant, 2017-18, $5000.

European Union Horizon 2020, Marie Curie Research Fellowship for Justyna Deszcz-Tryhubczak of Wroclaw University for ‘ChildAct: Shaping a Preferable Future: Children Reading, Thinking and Talking about Alternative Communities and Times’, 2017-18, €97,727.40 – Principal Investigator.

Harvard University, Katherine F. Pantzer Bibliographical Fellowship, 2016-17, ‘Children’s Book Illustration, 1850-1910’, $10,800 awarded for three months, one taken, $3600.

Children’s Literature Association of America, Faculty Research Grant, ‘Visualising Childhood, 1850-1910’, 2016, $1480.

British Academy Small Research Grant, ‘Revels Edition of James Shirley’s Hyde Park’, 2014, £1420.05.

Higher Education Association Discipline Workshop, ‘Postgraduate Teachers of English: Support, Recognition, and Integration’, 2012-13, £748.

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, research on Alice in Japan, 31 March-14 April 2012 – Co-investigator, £1000.

AHRC Block Grant Partnerships: Capacity Building Route, 1 October 2011-30 September 2016, £182,988 in studentships + continuers grants of £39,948 = £222,936 – Principal Investigator.

• AHRC Competition PPM Continuers Grant, Sept. 10-Jul. 11, £2356
• AHRC Competition Doctoral Continuers Grant, Sept. 10-Jul. 11, £18,171
• AHRC Competition RPM 2010 Grant, Sept. 10-Jul. 12, £19,421

Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin, Pforzheimer Fellowship 2010-2011, $3000.

British Academy Smaller Research Grant, The Shakespearean Play Text, 1 July 2009-1 October 2009, £1427.14.

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, research on The Complete Works of James Shirley, 11 July 2009-25 July 2009, £1500.

English Subject Centre, support for Anglia Literary Society, 2007-8, £250.

U. S. National Endowment for the Humanities, Summer Stipend 2008, $6000.

AHRC Research Grant, The Complete Works of James Shirley, 1 April 2008-31 March 2014, £885,657: Anglia Ruskin share, £344,000 – Co-Investigator.

AHRC, Interdisciplinary Research Training Network, 2006-2008, £350 for Anglia Ruskin.

UCLA and the Huntington Library, Clark-Huntington Joint Bibliography Fellowship, 2007-2008, for editorial work on James Shirley, $4,000.

British Academy Larger Research Grant, The Complete Works of James Shirley – Preparatory Research, March 2005-Sept. 2005, £14,042.

Selected recent publications

The Cambridge History of Children’s Literature in English, general editor with Zoe Jaques, 3 volumes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, in press).

Thomas Kyd, King Leir, ed. Eugene Giddens, in The Complete Works of Thomas Kyd (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2024).

Giddens, E. (Ed.), 2022. Hyde Park (Revels) (Manchester: Manchester University Press).

Giddens, E., 2019. Christmas Books for Children (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

Giddens, E., Grant, T., Ravelhofer, B. (Eds.), 2017-2025. The Oxford Complete Works of James Shirley (Oxford: Oxford University Press) (15 eds.).

Giddens, E., 2017. Children’s Literature and Distant Reading. In Nikolajeva, M., Beauvais, C. (Eds.), 2017. The Edinburgh Companion to Children’s Literature (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press).

Giddens, E., 2016. Shakespeare’s Texts and Editions. In Ormsby, R., Levenson, J. (Eds.), The Shakespearean World (London: Routledge).

Giddens, E., 2016. Recent Studies in Ben Jonson, Shakespeare, 12(4), pp. 473-485.

Giddens, E., Keanan, S. (Gen. Eds.), 2016. Collections XVII (The Malone Society) (Manchester: Manchester University Press).

Giddens, E. (Ed.), 2015. William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens. In Greenblatt, S. et al (Eds.), The Norton Shakespeare (New York and London: Norton).

Giddens, E., Jaques, Z., 2013. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass: A Publishing History (New York and Aldershot: Ashgate, 2013). Co-authored 100,000-word book.

Giddens, E. (Gen. Ed.), 2013. Hanabusa, C. (Ed.), Two Lamentable Tragedies (The Malone Society) (Manchester: Manchester University Press).

Giddens, E., Britland, K. (Assoc. Eds.), 2012. Bevington, D., Butler, M., Donaldson, I., (Gen. Eds.), 2012. The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). Seven print volumes and electronic edition.

Giddens, E., 2011. How to Read a Shakespearean Play Text (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

Giddens, E. (Gen. Ed.), 2011. Collections XVI (The Malone Society) (Manchester University Press: Malone Society Publications).

Giddens, E., 2011. Digital Editions and Digital Delays: Electronic Editions of Renaissance Literature. Book 2.0, 1(1) pp. 21-30.

Giddens, E., 2011. Masculinity and Barbarism in Titus Andronicus. Early Modern Literary Studies 14(1).

Giddens, E., 2009. Editions and Editors. In Sanders, J. (Ed.) Jonson in Context, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

Giddens, E. (Ed.), 2008. William Shakespeare, Pericles, New Penguin Shakespeare (London: Penguin).

Giddens, E., 2008. Pericles, the Afterlife. In Alexander, C. M. S. (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare’s Last Plays (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

Giddens, E., 2007. Honourable Men: Militancy and Masculinity in Julius Caesar. Renaissance Forum, 5(2), pp. 1-34. Reprinted in Shakespearean Criticism, 105 (2007).

Giddens, E., 2005. Introduction. In Smallwood, R. (Ed.), 2005. William Shakespeare, King John, New Penguin Shakespeare (London: Penguin).

Gideens, E., 2003. The Final Stages of Printing Ben Jonson’s Works, 1640-41. Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 97, pp. 57-68.

Giddens, E., 2001. Notes and glossary. In Knowles, J. (Ed.), 2001. The Roaring Girl and other City Comedies, Oxford World’s Classics (Oxford: Oxford University Press).