Dresher Center

The chase and thrill of researching erotic worlds

Dec 15, 2025 • By Catalina Sofia Dansberger Duque

Jessica Floyd is used to the chase and thrill of finding rare texts. She studies the gender and sexuality of sailors during the height of British and American sailing, from the mid-16th to the mid-19th centuries—when sailing ships dominated global trade and naval warfare—as well as 17th and 18th-century literature, erotic folklore, gender and women's studies, and queer theory.