Dr. Caroline Batten

Biography

Caroline (Caz) Batten is an Assistant Professor specializing in Medieval English Literature at the University of Pennsylvania. Their research interests encompass Old English and Old Norse literature, with a particular focus on gender, sexuality, sickness, health, history, medicine, and the somatic emotions as reflected in medieval texts. Batten is currently developing their monograph, 'Vulnerable Bodies: Boundary Poetics in Old English Verse Charms,' which examines the content and cultural context of thirteen ritual incantations extracted from English medical and religious manuscripts dating back to the tenth and eleventh centuries. They have authored the forthcoming publication 'Health and the Body in Early Medieval England' (Cambridge Elements, CUP, 2024), which introduces early medieval English medical practices and conceptions of the body. Their scholarly articles have appeared in esteemed journals including the Journal of English and Germanic Philology and Scandinavian Studies. Batten is also engaged in editorial work for 'New Medieval Literatures' and is co-editing a special issue of 'English Studies' titled 'Deconstructing Masculinities in Old English Literature.' Prior to joining the faculty at Penn, they were a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Iceland and a Stipendiary Lecturer at the University of Oxford. They hold a BA from Swarthmore College and both an M.Phil and a D.Phil from the University of Oxford.

Research Interests

Experience

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