Michael Karounos
- Professor, English
- School of Arts and Social Sciences
- B.A., Miami University
- M.A., Roosevelt University
- Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Contact Info
Michael acquired his Ph.D. in literature from Vanderbilt University. His dissertation, Beyond Identity: A Cultural Theory of Time and Space, analyzes the socio-political markers that distinguish time and space in the works of Samuel Johnson, Fanny Burney, Jane Austen and Maria Edgeworth.
In addition to 18th, 19th and 20th century English literature, he teaches classes on literary criticism, film genres and C.S. Lewis. Most recently his research has centered on an application of Jung’s concept of the symbolic life, especially as it informs the teleology of characters in the work of 20th century American modernists.
Michael’s papers on Jane Austen, Samuel Johnson, Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams, and 18th century aesthetics have been published in the peer-reviewed journals Studies in English Literature; The Age of Johnson; Christianity and Literature; The Robert Frost Review; Literature and Belief; and 1650-1850: Ideas and Aesthetics and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era.
Additionally, he has presented numerous conference papers, including “Straunger Thinges: The Absolute Up and Down of the Medieval Model in Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams”; “Ariadne in the Labyrinth: A Nietzschean Reading of ‘Beast in the Jungle’”; “The ‘Shadow Slave’ Narrative in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”; “The Gay Science: Living the Dionysian Life in Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned”; “Faith, Hope, and Love in Dostoevsky’s Notes From Underground”; “Conflicting Ideologies of Time and Space in Maria Edgeworth’s The Absentee”; and “The Apocalyptic Self: Poems by E. A. Robinson.”
As an experiment in interdisciplinary studies, Michael co-taught a course in anime and manga illustrating the syncretic influences in Japanese culture as they originate from various streams of Eastern thought.
He practices the integration of faith and learning in every class. His joint mission, along with Trevecca, is to educate the whole person, spirit as well as mind. He is the captain of the faculty and staff intramural softball and basketball teams. In his spare time, Michael bikes with his wife Betsy, spends time with his two lovely grandchildren, and, occasionally, records his electric skateboard rides with a friendly drone. Please feel free to write for program information or information about specific classes.