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Emily R. Anderson

Professor of English and Chair of Film Studies

Professor Emily Anderson

Meet Professor Anderson

Years at Knox: Fall 2003 to present

"I am fascinated by narrative and the competing explanations of how it might work. My current research is on the ways film tells stories, in ways both surprisingly similar to and different from the way a novel might. Specifically, I work on the implications of point of view and reliability on theories of narrative across media.

My previous work has focused on histories of the novel and its development throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and on the light gothic novels shed on contemporaneous philosophical questions."

Education

Ph.D., English, 2003, University of California, Berkeley.
M.A., English and American Literature, 1997, Mills College.
B.A., English and History, 1995, Willamette University.

Teaching Interests

Eighteenth-Century Literature, Romantic literature, Victorian literature, narrative theory, theories of the novel, the gothic, film theory, and theories of adaptation.

Selected Professional Accomplishments

Honors/Grants

Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Prize for Distinguished Teaching, Knox College, 2007.

Publications

"Telling Stories: Unreliable Discourse, Fight Club, and the Cinematic Narrator." Journal of Narrative Theory 34.1 (2010).

"‘I Will Unfold a Tale-!': Ontology, Epistemology, and Caleb Williams" Eighteenth-Century Fiction 22.1 (2009).

"Why We Can't Live Without Mr. Darcy." Knox Magazine 92.1 (Spring 2008).

"‘A Mere Tale of Spectres': The Enlightenment and Shelley's Frankenstein." EnterText 5.3 (2006).

"Constance Naden." Nineteenth-Century British Women Writers. Abigail Burnham Bloom, editor. Greenwood Press. July, 2000.

Presentations

Poetics and Linguistics Association Annual Conference, University of Cagliari. July 27-30, 2016.

"Welcome to the Narrative: Todd Solondz, Irony, and the Cinematic Narrator." International Conference on Narrative, April, 2010.

"‘So Authoritative a Tone': Austen, Irony, and Adaptation." National Popular Culture & American Culture Associations Annual Conference, March, 2010.

"Story Telling: Unreliable Discourse in Novels and Film." International Conference on Narrative, March, 2008.

"Fictional Narrative, Adaptation, and Wuthering Heights." International Conference on Narrative, March, 2007.

"Gothic Anxiety: Crises over Ontology, Epistemology, and Language." Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association, November, 2002.

What Students Say

  • In Emily's classroom, you will not be allowed to sit passively, nor could you. Her intelligence, dry and clever sense of humor, and variety of academic interests combine for an engaging learning environment for thoroughly exploring complicated theories and texts. Her expectations are high, but balanced with a respect and encouragement that assures you that you are capable of meeting or exceeding them. In addition to being a great educator, Emily goes above and beyond the requirements of her position to support students in their interests, academic or not. She is a great guide for anyone who works with her and an unforgettable one, as well.

    Lauren Assaf '10

    English Literature Major and Japanese and Philosophy Minor

  • When discussing your work with Emily, you need to remind yourself of a couple of things. The first is that you're dealing with a formidable mind that's going to break your ideas down while simultaneously building a suit of armor around them. The second is that you'll actually have fun doing it. Rest assured, it's a wild ride and you will emerge from it a better scholar.

    Neil Richter '09

    English Major & Film Studies Minor