Dr. Jacqueline Padgett

Biography

In my teaching I invite students to consider language and how this symbolic code allows writers and readers to communicate and to learn about diverse cultures. Literature unites us in a consideration of the complexity of global cultural expression and of the layered richness of texts. My approach to the teaching of literature intends to give students proficiency in the writing of literary analyses and the vocabulary necessary to the understanding of genres, literary techniques, and literary periods. As a comparatist I include multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual examples for students to study. My teaching of literature emphasizes a feminist analysis of literature and an attention to the spiritual dimensions found in many literary works. My classes stress student participation in the construction of meaning.

Research Interest

The Annunciation in Literature and Art Faith and Literature Catholic Writers Catholic Iconography in Literature Toni Morrison The Bronte Sisters Women's Bodies (Inscriptions and Engraving