Acknowledgments

My greatest debt remains to Katherine O’Brien O’Keeffe, my toughest and most patient interlocutor. She has read drafts, offered advice, and believed in this project when I found it difficult. I am deeply grateful to Emily Thornbury for her support, her practical feedback, and her good humor. She has patiently offered sound suggestions regarding both scholarly matters and festive cocktails. My first steps into the medieval world were taken at Oxford University, where I am indebted to Ralph Hanna for generously giving his time and expertise. His sharp criticism and professional advice allowed me to keep doing this kind of work, and his instruction in both paleography and literature allowed me to first tentatively call myself a medievalist.

I am grateful for the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship and to the University of California, Berkeley and William & Mary for financial support. I am grateful to Colin Harris at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and to librarians at the British Library and the Cambridge University Library for use of their collections. Many thanks are due to Emily Hockley and George Paul Laver at Cambridge University Press for seeing this project through from the proposal stage to completion.

I have been helped along the way by more colleagues and friends than I could possibly acknowledge here. I am especially grateful to Steven Justice, who offered invaluable advice and good questions, and generously read drafts of several chapters at a couple of critical moments along the way. Spencer Strub read chapters, commiserated, and offered helpful commentary at a crucial stage. Lyn Hejinian has been a tireless advocate, a leader of Latin lessons and reading groups, and a good friend. Maura Nolan shared articles, advice, and camaraderie over teaching meetings. Adam Potkay at William & Mary read the whole manuscript and offered extensive and generous advice. Charles Altieri talked me through aesthetics and affect theory at an early stage in the project. Among many others who have provided conversation and collegiality, I would like to thank Hannah Bailey, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Dustin Dixon, John S. Garrison, Bernardo Hinojosa, Kati Jagger, David Jones, Aileen Liu, Justin Park, R. D. Perry, Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh, Benjamin Saltzman, José Villagrana, Erica Weaver, Nathan Welty, and many others. At William & Mary, I also owe thanks to Alicia Andrzejewski, Elizabeth Barnes, Suzanne Hagedorn, Arthur Knight, Erin Minear, Jennifer Putzi, Suzanne Raitt, Francesca Sawaya, Addie Tsai, Erin Webster, Kim Wheatley, and Brett Wilson. Special thanks are also due to Will Clark and Emily Fine. I’m especially grateful to Sean Curran for support and long talks when I needed them, and to Corinna Burrell and Michelle Ripplinger for virtual camaraderie during long pandemic months. I am grateful to my parents, Diane and Jay, and to my brother, Michael Lorden.

I would never have worked in these circles without the mentorship and support of truly great teachers: I am indebted to Rhoda Brown, who gave me the courage and confidence to get through the years ahead; I only wish I could have thanked her for it. To Paul Delaney, for teaching me the art of the long pause. I am grateful to Jody Allen Randolph for her years of true friendship, unwavering support, good coffee, and one legendary birthday weekend. To Clare Weightman and Tom Forbes for being my fairy godparents in Oxford, and to Euan for introducing me to Bluey.

I owe more than I can say to Amy Clark, for love and support and for showing me new ways to be brave.