Zac Richards

Zac joined Villanova’s program after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Ohio State University with a BA in English and a minor in Physical Anthropology. At OSU, he explored a wide array of courses ranging in topic from Early Medieval Feminist Writers to Postcolonial Children’s Stories. The most influential course for him was the 19th Century British Novel where he read Wilkie Collins for the first time. Through his writing, he was introduced to the genre of sensation fiction. For his senior Independent Study, he analyzed the novel Lady Audley’s Secret. Utilizing a queer lens and the work and theory of Eve Kosovsky Sedgwick, he posited that erotic triangles and performative heterosexuality were integral to the characters’ motivations in the novel. In the future, he plans to focus on queer and gender theory and their relationship to Victorian Literature, and more specifically, the genre of sensation fiction. Due to his background in Physical Anthropology, he is also interested in the ways Darwin and his findings were received and translated into Victorian literature and society. Outside of his studies, you can find him working at a local library, where he can apply his passion for reading with public service. He also enjoys going to hockey games, traveling with friends and family, and going to the movies.