Susan J. Wolfson is a professor in the Department of English. Her book, “Romanticism’s Generative Reading” was published in August 2026 by Princeton University Press.
How did you get the idea for this project?
From classroom experience, from curiosity, from community and professional lectures, from preliminary publication.
How did the project develop or change throughout the research and writing process?
I became deeply immersed in relevant research, and across my chapters articulated stronger connections and throughlines.
What questions for future investigation has the project sparked?
“Sparked” is a fortuitous word, since this is a key word in my book, about what reading does in the mind, to the mind. A future project has already been ignited, a short book on Emily Dickinson’s poetry, initiated by and developed from some public lectures in Princeton, [coming] Winter 2026.
Why should people read this book?
“Should” bothers me as an imperative. I hope people will read this book because the subject of generative reading sparks curiosity and because the chapter subjects are intriguing.
Learn more about other publications by Princeton University faculty in the humanities by exploring our Faculty Bookshelf.
