Department of French and Italian

• Medieval, Renaissance and comparative literature
• History of ideas
• Petrarchism and lyric poetry
• Translation

My undergraduate work included emphases on French, English, history and music. After studying in Québec and Montpellier and earning a masters in French, I finished my graduate work in Comparative Literature, which allowed me to combine many of my interests with a focus on Medieval and Renaissance culture (especially Italian, French, English, and Latin). Although Petrarch's work and influence have remained central to my scholarship, I also developed interests in translation, Renaissance political thought, and writings on art and artists.

For over twenty years, I worked as Associate Director of the Honors Division and helped establish the Honors College, in which I was Associate Dean. For two terms, I held the position of Executive Secretary of the American Association of Italian Studies. I served as President of the National Collegiate Honors Council and Assistant Chairman for Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Books

• Dante Alighieri. The Paradiso. The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Translation. Illustrations by Gustave Doré. Introductory Essay of 20,000 words and critical commentary of approximately 75,000 words. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics Series, 2006. 364 pages. [Co-editor with Peter Bondanella].
• Dante Alighieri. The Purgatorio. The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Translation. Illustrations by Gustave Doré. Introductory Essay of 19,000 words and commentary of 65,000 words. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics Series, 2005. 325 pages. [Co-editor with Peter Bondanella].
• Benvenuto Cellini. My Life. A new English translation based on the most recent Italian critical editions with an introductory essay, extensive notes and critical commentary. Oxford: Oxford University Press World's Classics Series, 2002. 472 pages. [Co-Editor and Co-Translator with Peter Bondanella].
• Niccolò Machiavelli. Discourses on Livy. A new English translation based on the most recent Italian critical editions with an introductory essay, extensive notes and critical commentary. Oxford: Oxford University Press World's Classics Series, 1997. 413 pages. (Co-Editor and Co-Translator with Peter Bondanella].
• Carlo Ridolfi. The Life of Titian. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 1996. 146 pages. [Co-Translator with Peter Bondanella and Co-editor with Bruce Cole, Jody Shiffman and Peter Bondanella].
• The Cassell Dictionary of Italian Literature: Second Revised Edition. London: Cassell, 1996. 716 pages. [Co-Editor with Peter Bondanella and Jody Shiffman].
• Giorgio Vasari. The Lives of the Artists. A new English translation with an introductory essay, extensive notes and critical commentary. Oxford: Oxford University Press World's Classics Series, 1991. 586 pages. [Co-Editor and Co-Translator with Peter Bondanella].
• Rousseau's Political Writings: A Norton Critical Edition. Translator. New York: W. W. Norton, 1988. 321 pages. [Co-Editor with Alan Ritter].

Articles

• "Petrarch's Rereading of Otium in De vita solitaria." Comparative Literature 60.1 (2008): 14-28.
• "The Discourses on Livy: Preserving A Free Way of Life." In Patricia Vilches and Gerald Seaman, eds. Seeking Real Truths: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Machiavelli. Brill, 2007. 69-102.

• Trustees Teaching Award (French & Italian), 2004
• Teaching Excellence Recognition Award (TERA), French & Italian, 1998
• Student Choice Award for Outstanding Faculty, 1988