Professor Ketner is interested in literature that is socially engaged, where writers use literary discourse to imagine more just, more peaceful, and more inclusive societies. Her research centers on historical fiction, examining early modern writers' desire to connect to an unrecoverable past. This is the basis of her current book project. She views fiction writers as creating out of fiction's forms and conventions new narrative possibilities to intervene in historical thought, allowing them to imagine the past in new terms, to challenge social and gender hierarchies, and to create more inclusive social visions. Her research interests include:
- Historical fiction - Literary expressions of pacifism - Spirituality and expressions of faith in literature - The cultural work of literary genres
Teaching Interests
Professor Ketner is passionate about teaching literature from diverse times and places. She believes literary studies offer students windows onto the ways human beings throughout time and across geographies have expressed the richness and complexity of the human experience. She feels that learning that moves beyond the classroom deeply enriches the learning experience, so she regularly organizes trips to theatre festivals, outings to museums, and public readings. Some of Prof. Ketner's teaching interests include:
- Intersections between literature and philosophy - Lyric poetry, ancient to Romantic - Eastern and Western epic literature, ancient to early modern - Historical fiction - Early modern literature (drama, poetry, prose) - Expository writing
