Brief Biography

Dr. Joseph Becker, Ph.D., Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas 2002; M.A., Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas 1999; M.A., English Literature, Winthrop University 1990; B.A., English Literature, Winthrop University 1988; Certificate of Achievement in Weather Forecasting, Penn State University, 2014.

Dr. Becker has published various papers and presented at prestigious conferences throughout the US for over 25 years.

Research Interests

My primary area of research focuses on archetypal dynamics in European literature focusing on the Jungian shadow as it appears in literary works of the Romantic period (late 1700s through mid-1800s). More recently, I have also been writing on mythopoesis in the works of British author J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973).

Distinctions & Associations

  • Co-founder & Publisher, Old Sylvain House Press (2020 – present)
  • North Woods Jung Society Co-Founder & Co-Director (2005 – present)
  • WE LEARN (Women Expanding Literacy Education Action Resource Network)
  • Transformative Language Arts Network National Board (2010-12)
  • Foundation for Mythological Studies (2004-2008)
  • Associated Faculties of the University of Maine System
  • Northeastern Modern Language Association
  • Maine Education Association / National Education Association
  • Omicron Delta Kappa, National Honor Society
  • Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society

Selected Publications

  • Publisher and Editor with Geraldine Cannon Becker, Composition Series: LIFE Review: Volume One (collection of interviews written by UMFK and Early College composition students), Old Sylvain House Press, 2021.
  • Co-author with Geraldine Cannon Becker, Teaching College Composition: Common Assignments Guidelines and Strategies for Meeting Expectations. Old Sylvain House Press, 2020.
  • Chapter 2: “Depictions of Rape in the Ancient World: A Brief Survey” in Rape Culture 101: Programming Change edited by Geraldine Cannon Becker and Angel Dionne, Demeter Press, Ontario, 2020
  • “Alfred, Lord Tennyson” Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. Ed. Jennifer McClinton-Temple. Facts on File, Inc, October 2010. ISBN-13: 978-0816071616
  • “Religion in Tennyson’s In Memoriam A. H. H.” Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. Ed. Jennifer McClinton-Temple. Facts on File, Inc, September 2010. ISBN-13: 978-0816071616
  • “Grief in Tennyson’s In Memoriam A. H. H.” Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. Ed. Jennifer McClinton-Temple. Facts on File, Inc, September 2010. ISBN-13: 978-0816071616
  • “Nature in Tennyson’s In Memoriam A. H. H.” Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. Ed. Jennifer McClinton-Temple. Facts on File, Inc, September 2010. ISBN-13: 978-0816071616
  • The Da Vinci Code ” Encyclopedia of American Popular Fiction. Ed. Geoff Hamilton and Brian Jones. New York: Facts on File, April 2009. ISBN-13: 978-0816071579
  • “Dan Brown” Encyclopedia of American Popular Fiction. Ed. Geoff Hamilton and Brian Jones. New York: Facts on File, April 2009. ISBN-13: 978-0816071579
  • “The Panther” [Der Panther] by Rainer Maria Rilke. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Autumn Day” [Herbsttag] by Rainer Maria Rilke. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Buddha in Glory” [Buddha in der Glorie] by Rainer Maria Rilke. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Leda” by Rainer Maria Rilkie. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Archaic Torso of Apollo” [ Archaïscher Torso Apollos] by Rainer Maria Rilke. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “The Young Fate” [La Jeune Parque] by Paul Valéry. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “The Graveyard by the Sea” [Le Cimetière marin] by Paul Valéry. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Paul Valéry” The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • The Satin Slipper [Le Soulier de Satin] by Paul Claudel. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • Five Grand Odes [Cinq Grandes Odes] by Paul Claudel. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Paul Claudel. “The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “The Golden Boat” [Śonār Tarī ] by Rabindranath Tagore. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Rabindranath Tagore.” The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Christmas in Biafra (1969)” by Chinua Achebe. The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Chinua Achebe. “The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Ed. R. Victoria Arana. New York: Facts on File, December 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6457-1
  • “Sonnet 141” by William Shakespeare. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Sonnet 109” by William Shakespeare. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Sonnet 80 ” by William Shakespeare. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Sonnet 31” by William Shakespeare. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Sonnet 15 ” by William Shakespeare. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Sonnet 72” from Astrophil and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Sonnet 47” from Astrophil and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer.New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Sonnet 20” from Astrophil and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • “Guigemar” by Marie de France. The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600. Ed. Michelle Sauer. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6360-4
  • The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot. The Facts On File Companion to British Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Eds. James Peerson and Rob Watson. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-8160-6406-9
  • “T. S. Eliot.” The Facts On File Companion to British Poetry, 1900 to the Present. Eds. James Peerson and Rob Watson. New York: Facts on File, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-8160-6406-9
  • “Gnostic Dualism and the Blakean Vision.” Consequentiality Volume I: Human, All Too Human. Tallahasse, FL: Expanding Human Consciousness, 2005.
  • “Chinua Achebe” Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Twentieth Century, 1914-2000. Ed. John Powell. Westport, Connecticut; London: Greenwood Press, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0313317842
  • “Albert Camus” Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Twentieth Century, 1914-2000. Ed. John Powell. Westport, Connecticut; London: Greenwood Press, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0313317842
  • “Aimé Césaire” Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Twentieth Century, 1914-2000. Ed. John Powell. Westport, Connecticut; London: Greenwood Press, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0313317842
  • “Theodore ‘Dr. Seuss’ Geisel” Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Twentieth Century, 1914-2000. Ed. John Powell. Westport, Connecticut; London: Greenwood Press, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0313317842

Conferences/Presentations

  • Scheduled to attend Pembroke College, Oxford 2021 Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature by Guy Gavriel Kay, May 11, 2021
  • Attended Assisi Institute virtual lecture on The Archetypal Nature of Biblical Themes: “Puzzling Moments In The Lives Of Great Individuals: Why Jesus Cursed The Fig Tree & Why Lot’s Wife Looked Back And Became A Pillar Of Salt” by Jungian analyst, Henry Abramovitch, May 1 2021
  • Host, Composition Series: LIFE Review Volume One Virtual Book Launch and Awards Ceremony, April 27, 2021
  • Attended Assisi Institute virtual lecture Honoring the Pioneering Women in Jungian Psychology: “A Dream, Memories, And Stories About Marie-Louise Von Franz (1915-1998)” by Jungian analyst, Hansueli Etter, April 24, 2021
  • Moderator, Rape Culture 101: Programming Change Book Discussion with editors Geraldine Cannon Becker and Angel Dionne, Virtual Webinar, April 20, 2021.
  • Jung Platform Summit January 14-17, 2021: “Dreams and Your Personal Journey” featuring Robert Moss, Tina Stromsted and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, et al.
  • Pembroke College (University of Cambridge, UK) 2020 Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature Online Symposium: “Fantasy in Times of Crisis” 16 May 2020
  • Presented “Of Woods, Wild Men, and Woses: Intertextual Archetypes in Tolkien’s Mythos” paper/PowerPoint at Panel 3.3: Intersections with Gender Studies, during the 2019 Pennsylvania College English Association annual conference at Bloomsberg University of Pennsylvania, 23 May 2019.
  • Faculty Address to the Class of 2019, University of Maine at Fort Kent, May 2019
  • Self-Esteem & Confidence—Your Emergent Nature (New York Botanical Garden Walking Tour and Talk with Dr. Joseph Becker). WE LEARN Conference, Lehman College / New York City, April 2016.
  • “Earth First” Earth Day Celebration Follow-up—reading and presentation of environmentally-themed book to FKES 1st graders. (Annually—Spring)
  • To Be or Not To Be—Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration—annually in April (readings of Shakespeare and poetry)—Nadeau Teleconference
  • Harry Potter Book Night—Nadeau Teleconference, February 2016.
  • Haunting the House—Blake Library, October 2015.
  • Changing the Channel: Quieting your Mind & Relaxing Your Body. WE LEARN Biennial Conference: Providence, Rhode Island, March 2014.
  • Philip Pullman’s the Golden Compass from Print to Film: A Jungian Perspective New England Modern Language Association Conference, March 2013.
  • Making Sense of Peace: An Experiential Workshop. Transformative Language Arts Network 8th annual Power of Words Conference. Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont: September 2010.
  • Of Wizards and Waifs: Merlin, Gandalf, and Dumbledore as Storytellers, 10th Annual Cape Breton University Storytelling Symposium, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 2006.
  • Faculty Address to the Class of 2006, May 2006.
  • The Art and Literature of William Blake, University of Maine at Fort Kent Board of Visitors, January 2006.
  • Tolkien, Barfield, and the Language of Creation, Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, October 2005.
  • Tools You Can Use: Practical Communication Tips. Sheila Jans Cultural Route Workshop, St. Agatha, Maine, May 2005.
  • Honors Symposium: Jalaloddin Rumi, University of Maine at Fort Kent, April 2005.
  • Faerie Bodies in Arda: Gnostic Affinities in Tolkien’s Mythos, 2nd Annual Tolkien Conference, University of Vermont, April 2005.
  • The Mythos of William Blake, UMFK Arts and Humanities Faculty Colloquia, Fort Kent, Maine, February 2005.
  • William Blake and the Reintegration of the Feminine, 3rd Annual Hawai’i International Conference on the Arts and Humanities, Honolulu, Hawaii, January 2005.
  • “Gnostic Dualism and the Blakean Vision” Consequentiality, Volume I: Human, All Too Human. San Diego, California, August 2004.
  • Alchemy of the Dream: The Psychology of C. G. Jung, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 2002.
  • Dangerous Beauty: Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, Arkansas Philological Association, Hot Springs, Arkansas, October 1997
  • The Decline of the Anglo-Saxon Coordinating Conjunction “ac” and the Rise of “ond”, Undergraduate Paper presented at the North and South Carolina Philological Association, Charlotte, North Carolina, April 1988.

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas 2002
  • M.A., Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas 1999
  • M.A., English Literature, Winthrop University 1990
  • B.A., English Literature, Winthrop University 1988
  • Certificate in Weather Forecasting, Penn State University, 2014
  • 24 graduate credits, Master of Arts in Teaching, Winthrop University, 1990-92