Associate Professor of English - pdyck@cmu.ca
Paul specializes in 16th and 17th century
English poetry and drama, and is
particularly interested in community
reading, material culture, and the biblical
tradition. He is currently doing research on
the Gospel harmonies made by hand at Little
Gidding (c.1630-1640) and the early editions
of George Herbert's book of poetry, titled The Temple (first published in 1633), and on
the electronic publication of early texts.
He has published articles on various aspects
of Herbert's poetry, and on devotional
practice and book production at Little Gidding.
Besides teaching courses on 16th and 17th century literature, Paul teaches a variety of other topics including The Digital Word (on electronic textuality), The History of the Book, Tolkien and Medieval Literature, and Revenge: Stage, Screen, and Liturgy.
Paul attended University of Alberta, where he earned his B.Ed., M.A., and PhD. Before coming to CMU, he worked at Maskwachees Cultural College in Hobbema, Alberta.
Paul was born in Edmonton. He and his wife, poet and novelist Sally Ito, have two children. They attend St. Margaret’s Anglican Church, where Paul serves as a lay reader and preacher.
Recent Publications
- ‘“A New Kind of Printing”: Cutting and Pasting a Book for a King at Little Gidding.’ The Library: The Transactions of the Bibliographical Society. 9:1 (September 2008), pp 306-330.
“Toward an Electronic Edition of an Early Modern Assembled Book.” Computing Humanities Working Papers. (June 2008), A44. With Stuart Williams. - ‘“Thou didst betray me to a lingring book”: Discovering Affliction in The Temple.’ George Herbert Journal. Vol 28 1&2, (Fall 2004/Spring 2005 [submitted 2007, published 2007]), pp 28-46.
- “So Rare A Use”: Hands and Minds on the Gospels at Little Gidding.” George Herbert Journal. Vol 27 1&2, (Fall 2003/Spring 2004 [submitted 2005, published 2006]), pp 67-81.
- “Locating the Word: The Textual Church and
George Herbert's Temple,” in Centered on the
Word: Scripture and Literature in Elizabethan
and Jacobean England. Eds. Daniel Doerksen and
Christopher Hodgkins. Newark: University of
Delaware Press, Associated University Presses,
2004, pp 224-244.
Why study English at CMU?
Students should consider studying English at CMU because English teaches one to read and think carefully; a Christian discipline of reading can contribute to the development of a sacramental and ethical imagination in lives of discipleship. This imagination and the accompanying skills of thinking and communication can be lived out fruitfully in a wide range of work environments.
Favourite quote
“Just to report facts, to report injustice sometimes, is not enough. That doesn’t move people. The writer’s got to add the gift of his talent; he has got to take the truth and set it on fire so that people will remember it.” William Faulkner
