Professor Karen Gevirtz Named Senior Editor of International Journal  

English Professor and Co-director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program Karen Gevirtz has been named senior editor of the 18th-century section of the prestigious academic journal, Literature Compass. LiCo, based in England, is an international, invitation-only journal that offers peer-reviewed articles on the most important research and current thinking in literature. Gevirtz did not apply for the position. She was nominated and approved by the journal’s editor-in-chief, managing editor and 140-member executive board. She will share the duties with a partner editor in the United Kingdom and takes on the job in addition to her duties at the University.

"The job requires an encyclopedic knowledge of the field and the ability to spot emerging trends, so it is a tremendous honor that these distinguished scholars would entrust me with this. While it is a huge responsibility and a little intimidating, I am extremely excited to take it on," said Gevirtz.

"The appointment comes out of the blue. It is like getting called up to the majors," Gevirtz joked. "They are calling me up from Pensacola."

Gevirtz came to the attention of the journal’s top editors with her highly-regarded article, "Recent Developments in 17th and 18th Century English Catholic Studies," published in Literature Compass in Jan. 2015. Like many articles in the journal, it is cutting-edge scholarship that focuses on an area of study that is going through an exciting phase of development. Gevirtz believes the positive response to her article, coupled with her long friendship with the outgoing 18th century editor, Kathryn King, helped win her the coveted role of senior editor.

With her U.K. editing partner, Nick Seager, Gevirtz has already begun planning the journal's next edition, which will be released in the late fall. They are discussing an issue on what Gevirtz calls "genre-busting" within literature to illuminate how genres came to be or how they were used and adapted. As examples, she cites popular 18th-century theatre such as pantomime, puppet shows and children's theatre as well as the use of literature in the developing field of science in the 18th century.

While Gevirtz sees the appointment as an important moment in her career, she also expects it to raise the visibility of the University within the international community. 

"It particularly raises the scholarly profile of the University," she said. "As I deal with scholars and the editorial board of Literature Compass around the world, I will be getting the Seton Hall name out to people who may not know it already. I am excited for me, but also to carry the University’s name out and about."

Gevirtz began at Seton Hall as an adjunct in 2002, and advanced to a tenure-track position in the English Department in 2006. She has presented, chaired panels, and organized sessions at conferences across the United States and abroad, including the American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, the Aphra Behn Society, the Aphra Behn Society of Europe, the Northeast Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, and the Northeast Modern Language Association. In Jan. 2015, she was named the Researcher of the Year 2013-2014 in the College of Arts and Sciences.