About
Scholar, Poet and Editor
James Najarian is a scholar of nineteenth-century British poetry and prose, poet, and editor. He is Associate Professor of English at Boston College, where he edits Religion and the Arts. His newest book, Minor Literature in Late Romanticism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), examines overlooked voices in the Romantic tradition. He is also the author of Victorian Keats: Manliness, Sexuality, and Desire and the poetry collection The Goat Songs, winner of the Vassar Miller Prize.
Expertise
Writing | Talks | Teaching
James has been a professor at Boston College since 1997. He welcomes inquiries related to teaching, lectures, publications, and academic collaboration.
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Writing
James Najarian’s writing spans literary criticism, poetry, and short fiction, exploring themes of faith, art, and the complexities of nineteenth-century life. His most recent book, Minor Literature in Late Romanticism, reexamines the Romantic canon through its overlooked voices. James’s scholarship and creative practice center on how art mediates belief.
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Talks
James has presented widely at international conferences and universities, including Harvard, Georgetown, and the North American Victorian Studies Association meetings in Venice and Toronto. His lectures trace connections between Romantic and Victorian literature, religion, and the evolving idea of the “minor” in literary history.
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Teaching
James's teaching is lively, generous, and deeply informed, encouraging students to approach literature as a both a historical record and a living conversation about imagination and belief.
James's latest book explores how poets of the 1820s and 1830s embraced “minor” status as a creative and cultural stance rather than a mark of failure. Focusing on figures like Charles Lamb, Felicia Hemans, Thomas Hood, and Mary Mitford, the book reveals how modest forms and self-limited ambitions offered a deliberate response to the grand ideals of Romanticism.
Curriculum Vitae
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Academic Positions, Activities, and Honors
James Najarian is an Associate Professor at Boston College and editor of Religion and the Arts, earning fellowships and prizes that recognize his scholarship and poetry.
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James’s critical essays bring historical depth and close reading to questions of literature, religion, and moral imagination in the nineteenth century.
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James’s review work offers thoughtful critical assessment of recent scholarship in nineteenth- and twentieth-century literary studies.
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James's poetry has appeared in literary journals and award-winning collections.
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James's short fiction and creative prose explores character, voice, and moral complexity.
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Teaching Experience and Selected Talks and Lectures
James brings energy and depth to his teaching and speaking, engaging audiences at universities and conferences around the world.
