A native of St. Joseph Island in Canada, Dr. Marjorie Swann joined Ottawa University in August 2021 as a professor of English. An expert on 17th-century British literature, Swann received her BA in English from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and her MPhil and DPhil from Oxford University.
Prior to joining the OU faculty, Swann taught at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. She has also taught at Princeton, Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas and the University of Kansas, where she was also the director of the Museum Studies Program.
Swann is the author of the book Curiosities and Texts: The Culture of Collecting in Early Modern England and the editor of Oxford University Press’s new edition of Izaak Walton’s celebrated fishing manual The Compleat Angler. First printed in 1653, The Compleat Angler has become the most famous book about outdoor recreation ever published, rivalling the King James Bible in the sheer number of times it has been reprinted. Swann’s new edition emphasizes Walton’s continued relevance as a pioneering environmental writer.
When she’s not grading papers, Dr. Swann walks her dog and tries to grow native plants and heirloom vegetables.