Justin Mitchell

Justin Mitchell earned his PhD in English from Duke University in 2020. His research examines how American novelists engaged with social protest movements throughout the twentieth century. He is particularly interested in the legacy of the literary Left that emerged in America during the 1930s and the role that the novel has played in shaping debates about class conflict in American life.

Current Work:

Dr. Mitchell's current book project argues that the 1960s mark a turning point in the history of the American novel. It shows how novelists stood at the forefront of efforts to shift the locus of political life away from the industrial working class to figures previously deemed superfluous to class struggle, namely housewives, welfare mothers, outlaws, students, and young urban professionals. These novelists hoped to reveal possibilities for revolutionary agency foreclosed by traditional theories of radical social change. Through readings of Mary McCarthy, Paul Goodman, Marge Piercy, and Sam Greenlee, this work demonstrates that 1960s protest novelists remained preoccupied with class analysis even as they inspired and sometimes embraced social movements organized around matters of identity.

Research Area Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century American literature; African American literature; the novel; narrative theory