Helen Barr is an academic specialising in English literature on the late medieval period. She has spent her entire career at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, and, in 2016, the university awarded her the title of Professor of English Literature.

Career

Barr completed her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degrees at

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formall ...

. In 1995, she was elected a fellow at LMH and appointed a university lecturer in English."Prof Helen Barr"
''Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford''. Retrieved 22 January 2017. Her appointment was made permanent until retirement age in 2000. Barr has also taught at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

and, as of 2017, is vice-principal of LMH. In 2016, the University of Oxford awarded her the title of Professor of English Literature."Recognition of Distinction: Successful Applicants 2016"
, ''The University of Oxford Gazette'', no. 5143, vol. 147, 29 September 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2017.

Research

Barr research focuses on English literature in the late medieval period, and she has published books on

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

's influence on visual and literary culture. She has also researched the literary geography of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

. Her published works include: * ''The Piers Plowman Tradition: A Critical Edition of Pierce the Ploughman’s Crede, Richard the Redeless, Mum and the Sothsegger, and The Crowned King'' (London: Everyman, 1993). * ''Signes and Sothe: Language in the Piers Plowman Tradition'' (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 1994). * ''Socioliterary Practice in Late Medieval England'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001). * (edited with Ann M. Hutchison) ''Text and Controversy from Wyclif to Bale: Essays In Honour of Anne Hudson'' (Turnhout: Brepols, 2005). * ''The Digby Poems: A New Edition of the Lyrics'' (Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2009). * "The 'Pearl-Poet'", in ''The Bible in English Literature'', ed. Rebecca Lemon et al. (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009). * "Contemporary Events", in ''A Concise Companion to Middle English Literature'', ed. Marilyn Corrie (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009). * "Religious Practice in Chaucer's ''Prioresse's Tale'': Rabbit and/or Duck?", ''Studies in the Age of Chaucer'', vol. 32 (2010), 39–66. * "Wrinkled Deep in Time: Emily and Arcite in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''", ''Shakespeare Survey'', vol. 65 (2012), 12–25. * "Major episodes and moments in Piers Plowman B", in ''The Cambridge Companion to Piers Plowman,'' eds., Andrew Cole and Andrew Galloway (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), pp. 15–32. * ''Transporting Chaucer'' (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2014). * "Leicester", in ''Europe: A Literary History'', ed. David Wallace (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), pp. 285–297.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, Helen Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Fellows of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Living people Year of birth missing (living people)