Dr. Melanie Simoes Santos

Biography

Melanie Simoes Santos is an Assistant Professor specializing in medieval and early modern literature. Her current book project, 'Becoming Otherwise: Virginity’s Historical Futures in Early Modern English Literature', investigates the implications of the Dissolution of the Monasteries on nunneries during 1536-1540. This research highlights how the concept of virginity animated new intimate imaginaries, influencing kinship communities beyond traditional structures like marriage and family. Blending archival research with queer theory, feminist new materialism, and critical race theory, her work provides novel insights into the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and class in early modern culture. Melanie's published research includes an entry in the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Early Modern Women's Writing (2023) titled 'Drama of Margaret Cavendish', which examines the gender dynamics within the dramatic forms of Cavendish's works, asserting that the formal fragmentation in her plays is intrinsically linked to gendered futures. She is an active member of the Shakespeare Association of America and the Renaissance Society of America, and frequently presents at conferences, including the Modern Language Association convention. Dr. Simoes Santos also welcomes proposals from graduate students interested in early modern literature and supervising projects focused on the literature's negotiation of gender, sexuality, and race.

Research Interests