I am interested in the following areas, and more generally literature and culture of the 18th and 19th centuries.

• My research focuses on women’s writing in Britain in the long 18th century. My doctoral study lays the foundation for my ongoing fascination and interest in women’s writing, in particular the marginal and peripheral. Novels have always been a central concern for me. I hope to integrate more interesting work (not just canonical but also marginal ones) into the purview of literary studies of this period.  

• I am interested in the mechanisms of celebrity and the logics of celebrity culture. My research considers the rise of celebrity and the environment in which women’s bodies were consistently sexualised in this period, and examines the process of cultural intermediaries, gendered concerns about celebrity. I hope to continue my discussions on celebrity through exploring some of the key issues in the creation, (re)production, circulation, and consumption of celebrity and the ever-shifting landscape of celebrity as pointers to broader social and cultural formations, to make sense of the trajectory of celebrity from the 18th century to today. 

• I am always interested to know what would emerge at the intersections of different methodologies and frameworks. I am interested in the interplay between literature and visual culture in Britain in the last two decades of the 18th century (roughly 1780-1800), in particular the ways in which visual images translated concepts such as female authorship, agency, and subjectivity at a time when women’s public profile was relatively constrained.  My previous works examine the dynamic nature of performative modes, in particular the representation of female performers in both visual and textual ways, and demonstrate the possible collusion and incompatibility between visual and textual dimensions.

• I have also developed an interest in Sino-British cultural relations in the long 18th century. The surge of research addressing Sino-British cultural exchange and its implications in recent years has been invigorating and extensive. I want to bring to fore new questions about British preoccupation with China in the early 19th century, and offer a more nuanced understanding of the interlocking issues raised in this project. In particular, I want to show that through the eyes of women writers, we are presented with a world that has extended beyond the restricted globe of the general public.

I welcome enquiries and opportunities to collaborate on topics outlined above, or any aspect of this period.