Peter Paul Ferry
Professor i engelsk litteratur
Kontakt
Telefon: 51833689
E-post: peter.ferry@uis.no
Rom: HG N-221
Organisasjonsenhet
Fakultet for utdanningsvitenskap og humaniora
Institutt for kultur- og språkvitenskap
Kort om meg
I am Full Professor of English Literature at the University of Stavanger, Norway (UiS). My research is driven by the belief that literary and cultural narratives play a crucial role in representing, interrogating, and contesting masculinities.
My scientific contributions have advanced the vital interdisciplinary and intersectional role of literary narratives in the Critical Study of Men and Masculinities (CSMM). My scholarly output includes monographs on representations of masculinities in American Literature and Contemporary Literature, namely Beards and Masculinity in American Literature (Routledge 2020) and Masculinity in Contemporary New York Fiction (Routledge 2015). I am currently writing a monograph on empathy and masculinity in the fiction of George Saunders. I have also published various articles and book chapters on topics related to masculinity and literature in high-ranked publications and journals, such as Routledge, Palgave Macmillan, Cambridge University Press, and others.
More recently my research has developed into two key areas: The first is representations of empathy and masculinity in literature, art, and culture. From this, I lead the Understanding MEN (Masculinity, Empathy, and Narrative) research group (2025-present). From this, I am currently working on the aforementioned monograph Masculinity and Empathy in the fiction of George Saunders. I also have a chapter on close reading and empathy in the classroom for the forthcoming A Humanities Pedagogy Approach to Modern Masculinity (Routledge 2026) and other chapters and articles currently in progress related to "cultures of empathy" and empathy and the contemporary.
The second research area is representations of radicalisation, far-right extremism, and masculinity in literature, art, and culture. The main focus is on how literature and culture can both challenge and perpetuate extremist ideologies. From this, I have a forthcoming chapter on empathy, extremism, and masculinity in Masculinities in Contemporary Anglophone Literatures (Palgrave 2026). Going forward, I am particularly interested in investigating the impact of literary representations of masculinity in wider societal perceptions in radicalisation and far-right extremism in US, UK, and global anglophone literatures.
Regarding dissemination and contributions to society, my research in CSMM includes academic, pedagogical, and public dissemination activities, notably digital educational resources and multimedia content. This includes the podcasts “Contemporary Literature in Context” (listened to in over 30 countries) and “Writing Beards” (featuring interdisciplinary researchers from the United States, UK, and Australia) which translate academic insights into accessible formats for educators, students, and the wider public. My public engagement includes regular invited lectures, workshops, and media appearances addressing intersections of gender, race, religion, and sexuality in masculinity and literature. I regularly communicate findings in academic conferences, lectures, and invited talks in Norway, Europe and the United States.
I have secured competitive research funding throughout my academic career for research activities. Notable examples include a two-year Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at the Humanities Institute at University College Dublin (2015-2017) for a project on the flaneur and masculinity in 19th century American writing. I have also been awarded funding for visits to the Schlesinger Library in Harvard College, the Eccles Centre at the British Library, and most recently at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts.
For the autumn semester of the academic year 2025-2026, I will be a Visiting International Scholar at the Humanities Institute in UCD to work on my monograph on empathy and masculinity in the fiction of George Saunders.
Regarding academic service, I am a reviewer for leading journals and publishers, such as Men and Masculinities and Palgrave. Additionally, I am an evaluator of funding applications for the European Commission and regularly participate on PhD tribunals and as an external examiner for theses across Europe.
Teaching
I teach American Literature, Contemporary Literature, and Literary Theory courses at BA and MA level. I also teach academic writing at BA and MA level. I have supervised over 45 bachelors and masters theses on a range of topics (primarily gender and masculinity) connected to American, British, Irish, and Global Anglophone Literatures.
I am open to PhD supervision for interdisciplinary and intersectional projects on masculinity, empathy, and related topics in contemporary and/or American literature and culture.
Publications
Monographs
• Beards and Masculinity in American Literature. Routledge, 2020.
• Masculinity in Contemporary New York Fiction. Routledge, 2015.
Journal articles and book chapters
- “'My Beard Is My Own’: Herman Melville’s Beard Poetics In His Narratives Of Maritime Masculinity.” Revista de Estudios Norteamericanos (Journal of North American Studies), Vol. 27, 2023, pp 67-84.
• “The Periodical and the Flâneur in Early New York Writing.” New York: A Literary History. Ed. Ross Wilson. Cambridge University Press, 2020, 165-179.
• “Writing Men on the Margins: Joseph Mitchell, Masculinity and the Flâneur in New York City." Literary Journalism Studies. Vol. 9 No. 2 (Fall 2017): 52-73.
• “The Beard, Masculinity, and Otherness in the Contemporary American Novel.” Journal of American Studies Vol. 51 No. 1 (Feb 2017): 163-182.
• “Writing Men: Recognising the Sociological Value of Counter-Hegemonic Masculinities in American Fiction.” Masculinities and Social Change. Vol.2 No.2 (2013): 146-166.
• “An Interpretation of Masculinity in Manhattan: Reading Jed Rubenfeld’s The Interpretation of Murder.” Atlantis (Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies). Vol. 34 No.2 (Dec 2012): 49-65.
• “Reading Manhattan, Reading American Masculinity: Reintroducing the flâneur with E.B. White’s Here is New York and Joshua Ferris’ The Unnamed.” Culture, Society and Masculinities. Vol. 3 No.1 (2011): 49-61.