Erika Boeckeler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English (CSSH)
Program: English
Description of Subject Interest and Expertise: Late medieval and early modern literature (15th-17th centuries), the early printing press, visual culture, Shakespeare, Comparative Literature (German, French, Russian, English)
Description of Current Project/Scholarly Endeavor: The Dragon Prayer Book Project studies Northeastern University’s only medieval manuscript, which I discovered in our archives. Past research on the book has included bioarchaeological inquiry into the composition of its pages (which animals the skins came from), its inks, and the bacteria growing on its pages; the search for greater understanding of and recreation of its musical features; an inquiry into its historical origins both in the late fifteenth century and the provenance that led it to Northeastern’s acquisition; and the development of our public-facing website. At the time of writing, our current project has been the complete transcription, translation, and encoding thereof to render the manuscript more accessible.
Profile of Student Researcher: All students are welcome to join the Project. No knowledge or understanding of Latin, German, or coding is required.
Email: e.boeckeler@northeastern.edu