Dr. Toni Wein, professor emerita, English Department (2002-2018) was born on April 20, 1952, in Detroit, Michigan and, after a bout with brain cancer, passed away on Dec. 17, in Portland, Oregon.

Wein came to literary studies and teaching after a career as a professional actress. She earned her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley in 1994 where she specialized in romanticism and wrote her dissertation on the Gothic novel. She taught at UC Berkeley, Gettysburg College and Princeton University before closing out her career at Fresno State. 

She published articles on 18th to 20th century British literature in the journals SEL, Genre, English Language Notes, Contemporary Fiction and Women’s Studies. Her first book was "British Identities, Heroic Nationalisms, and the Gothic Novel 1764-1824" (2002) Palgrave Press. Her last book "Monstrous Fellowship: ‘Pagan, Turk and Jew’ in English Popular Culture" (2019) by Peter Lang International Academic Publishers earned high praise from many of her contemporaries.

Apart from her exceptional scholarship, Wein was noted for her generous heart, her quick wit and her trenchant insights. Her passing is a painful loss to all who knew her. She is survived by her wife, Karen Kantor; her sister, Esther Wein; brother-in-law, Tom Shiovitz; and nieces, Brynn Shiovitz and Zoe Shiovitz.

Donations can be made to Global Giving .

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