J. Martin Evans

Who is J. Martin Evans?

Born in Cardiff, Great Britain, in 1935, Professor Evans emigrated to the United States in 1963 after earning his B.A., M.A., and D.Phil. degrees at Oxford University. His first post in this country was as an Assistant Professor of English in the Stanford English Department, and he has been on the faculty here ever since. From 1977-81, he served as Associate Dean of Humanities and Sciences, from 1981-86 as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the English Department, and from 1988-91 as Chairman of the English Department.

Professor Evans's scholarly specialty is the literature of the Renaissance in general and the poetry of John Milton in particular. His publications in this area include: Paradise Lost and the Genesis Tradition (Oxford, 1968); Paradise Lost IX-X (Cambridge, 1973); The Road from Horton: Looking Backward in "Lycidas" (Victoria, 1983); Milton's Imperial Epic (Cornell, 1996); and The Miltonic Moment (Kentucky, 1998). He regularly reviews new books on Milton for The Review of English Studies and several other Journals.

Professor Evans also has an active interest in travel literature, an interest which he tapped in order to write America: The View from Europe (Stanford, 1976). In addition to his courses on Milton and Renaissance literature, Professor Evans teaches regularly in the Introduction to the Humanities and Overseas Studies programs. In 1990, he was selected for the Richard W. Lyman award for faculty volunteer service to the Stanford Alumni Association and Stanford University. In 1985, he received the Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching, and in 1988, the Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was recently selected by the Milton Society of America as Honored Scholar for 2004.