Dr. Diane Purkiss

Biography

Diane Purkiss is a Professor of English Literature and a Tutorial Fellow at Keble College, University of Oxford. Her areas of interest encompass the English Civil War, the works of John Milton and Andrew Marvell, manuscript culture, and the supernatural, particularly witchcraft. She explores themes surrounding food and food history, children's literature, folklore, and the writing process, specifically addressing writer's block. Currently, she is finalizing a project titled 'English Food: People’s History,' which documents culinary recipes and argues for their significance as literary writings that serve as a crucial but neglected source of social history. Future endeavors include an extensive study of writer's block perceived through the lens of authors like Homer and David Foster Wallace, as well as a microhistorical investigation into Scottish witchcraft through the story of Andro Man, who was executed in 1597. Additionally, her academic pursuits include literary theory, particularly feminism and psychoanalysis, and the exploration of women's writing from 1550 to 1830, along with a comparative look at literary giants such as Shakespeare, Hemingway, and Sylvia Plath in the context of children's literature, fairy tales, and fantasy.

Research Interests