Ross Murfin

An early interest in Thomas Hardy, his Romantic precursors and his Victorian contemporaries led me later to consider Hardy’s influence on a later, Edwardian writer, D.H. Lawrence. Subsequent studies of Joseph Conrad gave me the opportunity to edit a critical edition of Heart of Darkness, which in turn led to the creation of an entire series of theory-smart critical editions published by Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press. Currently, he is combining his interests in critical theory and 19th- and 20th-century British literature by writing a study of the way in which Romantic, Victorian and early-modern writers use, bend and break the evolving conventions governing quotation marks in order to create meanings that would otherwise be difficult to express.

Awards and Distinctions

• Outstanding Administrator Award, Southern Methodist University, 1999
• M Award for Outstanding University Service, SMU, 2003
• Numerous outstanding teaching awards earned at various institutions

Selected Publications

• Swinburne, Hardy, Lawrence, and the Burden of Belief (1978)
• The Poetry of D.H. Lawrence:  Texts and Contexts (1983)
• Sons and Lovers: A Novel of Division and Desire (1987)
• Lord Jim:  After the Truth (1992)
• The Scarlet Letter: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism (2ed. 2006)
• Heart of Darkness: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism (3ed., 2011)
• ed. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism (1989-2011)