Dr. Cannon Schmitt

Biography

Cannon Schmitt is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Toronto, where he focuses on Victorian literature and culture. His academic work emphasizes the cultural studies of science, particularly evolutionary theory, alongside narrative theory in novels. Schmitt's influential book, "Alien Nation: Nineteenth-Century Gothic Fictions and English Nationality," argues that Gothic novels function as semi-ethnographic texts reflecting the representation of culturally diverse sites perceived as un-English. He explores how Victorian attitudes toward South America are captured in his publication "Darwin Memory Human: Evolution, Savages, South America," which engages with the contributions of notable natural historians such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Schmitt is currently leading an SSHRC-funded book project titled "Literal Sea," analyzing how ocean-related phenomena influence Victorian fiction. He is a recognized authority in his field, having served on editorial boards for respected journals and as Vice President of the North American Victorian Studies Association, where he became President in 2023. His contributions to literature on the intersections of evolution, race, and civility continue to shape contemporary scholarship in Victorian studies.

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Experience