I am a literary historian specializing in early modern studies, especially English and Spanish literature, political history and transnational exchanges. My research interests include early modern imperialism, the intersections between political history and literature as well as transnational drama.

My current postdoctoral project Theatre of Absolutism examines the literary and political history of 17^th century Copenhagen’s lost Skauborg theatre and its transnational connections to the Dutch Republic. The project combines methods from comparative literature, digital network analysis and archival studies in Denmark and the Netherlands. It is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) and will be carried out at Aarhus University in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam.  

I received my PhD in 2026 on the dissertation The Time and Matter of Empire: New World Gold and the Golden Age in Spanish and English Drama, 1580-1642, which was a transnational, comparative study of the geopolitical rivalry between England and Spain as it was played out on the early modern stage, with a special focus on how New World Gold and the Golden Age myth shaped the imperial desires of the two states.

I also work with medical humanities as a project member of the cross-disciplinary research group Anatomical Theater:Early Modern and Contemporary Dissection as Investigative Art (PI: Karen-Margrethe Simonsen), which gathers researchers from across the humanities and medical sciences. 

Feel free to get in touch — on collaborations, research enquires, on pursuing af PhD etc. — via mtpaulsen@cc.au.dk