Ann M. Martinez

My research follows the two tracks that echo my split teaching focus. One track of my research is dedicated to the ongoing examination of medieval authors’ depictions of nature and employment of marginalized figures in literature, as well as how echoes of these characterizations resound in later literary periods. My focus on the environment, women and the monstrous in medieval literature has led me to employ a wide variety of critical approaches in my scholarship. My research straddles the border between the literary text and historical context, examining both literature’s and society’s attitudes toward nature. In doing so, I situate my work within historicism, feminism and ecocritical theory. The other track of my research is dedicated to Shakespeare in performance and in popular culture appropriations. I explore audience engagement with live performances, digital “live” relays of performances and film adaptations, as well as examine the constant incorporation of Shakespeare into various facets of popular culture.  

Selected Publications

Articles in Journals (Peer reviewed)

“Elvencentrism: The Green Medievalism of Tolkien’s Elven Realms.” Studies in Medievalism vol. 26  (June 2017): 31-41.

“Bertilak’s Green Vision: Land Stewardship in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Arthuriana: The Journal of Arthurian Studies 26.4 (Winter 2016):114-129.

Articles in Edited Volumes (Peer reviewed)

“Shakespeare at a Theatre Near You: Student Engagement in Northeast Ohio.” Shakespeare and the ‘Live’ Theatre Broadcast Experience. Ed. Pascale Aebischer, Susanne Greenhalgh, and Laurie Osborne. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing / The Arden Shakespeare, forthcoming July 2018).

Articles in Edited Volumes (Invited)

“Of sondry folk: What I Learned After My First Year as the Lone Medievalist on Campus.” The Ballad of the Lone Medievalist. Ed. by Kisha G. Tracy and John Sexton (New York, NY: Punctum Books, forthcoming May 2018).