Graduate Student Spotlight: Emily Sferra
By Sarah Lofstrom, Graduate Communications Editor
Meet Emily Sferra! Emily is a fourth year PhD student and teaching fellow in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. As part of the new Graduate Student Spotlight series, we asked Sferra a few questions about her research and intellectual interests.
Can you tell me a bit about your research?
Throughout nineteenth-century British novels, readers encounter friendships and sisterhoods between characters on the cusp of womanhood. My research considers adolescent women who fail to follow the expected trajectory of domestication and their relationships with other young women. I ask: Does the aberrant woman’s relationship, or lack thereof, with other young women influence her ability to thrive as wife and/or mother?