Born London, England, 13 September 1957

B.A. in English (First Class), Christ Church, Oxford, 1979

D. Phil, Oxford, 1985

Lecturer in Humanities, North Staffordshire Polytechnic, 1985-87

Assistant/Associate Professor of English, Portland State University, Oregon, 1987-94

Lecturer/Reader in American Studies, University of Nottingham, 1994-99

University Lecturer in American Literature, Cambridge University, and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, 1999-2002

Reader in American Literature at Oxford University and Fellow of Linacre College, 2002- .