University of Edinburgh

From flirt to flapper: re-examining the flirt figure in American fiction from 1878 - 1928

Academic History:

2016 - PhD English Literature, University of Edinburgh

2014 - 2016 MScR English Literature, University of Edinburgh

2010 - 2014 MA (Hons) English Literature, University of Edinburgh

Supervisors:

Dr Allyson Stack

Dr Andrew Taylor

Research Interests:

My research project focuses on the depiction of the flirt figure in American fiction, specifically in works by Henry James, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather & F.Scott Fitzgerald. Focusing on this elusive & chameleon like figure, I will discuss how the flirt comes to represent changing gender ideologies & mythologies bound up in certain conceptions of American nationhood. I am particularly interested in how the flirt relates to the angel/whore dichotomy commonly represented in Victorian fiction & how she functions as a device by which authors may discreetly challenge patriarchal gender models without overtly discussing the taboo subjects of female sexuality, power or adultery.

Previous Research Projects:

A Study of the Flirt in Edith Wharton’s The Reef, The House of Mirth and Summer. (2016) MScR Dissertation.

The Shadow of the Fallen Woman – (2014) MA(Hons) Dissertation

Scholarships:

AHRC PhD Studentship (2016)

Edinburgh University's LLC Masters Bursary (2014)

Contact Details:

Address: Postgraduate Office, 1.09, 50 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LH

Email: s1026599@sms.ed.ac.uk

First published: 10 November 2016