Dr. Jeffrey Williams

Biography

I am intrigued by the question of what it means to be contemporary. I have written about the history of the novel and narrative theory, focusing especially on contemporary fiction and its cultural aspects. I have explored how recent generations affect literature, exemplified in my work on "Generation Jones in Contemporary Fiction" (American Literary History, 2016). I co-write an annual chapter titled "Fiction: 1980s to Present" with PhD student Robert Kilpatrick for American Literary Scholarship. My efforts also include mapping the history of contemporary criticism in articles like "The Rise of Theory" (New Literary History, 2009) and "The Rise of the Critical Interview" (New Literary History, 2019). Additionally, I co-edit the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism (3rd edition, 2018) and engage extensively with critics, writers, and philosophers through over 70 published interviews. I aim to contribute to public criticism, as demonstrated in my collection of essays titled "Intellectuals: Essays on Criticism, Culture, and Politics" (Fordham, 2014). My research has focused on contemporary higher education, particularly issues surrounding student debt and the field of Critical University Studies.

Research Interests