Elisha Cohn publishes book on theories of the aesthetic in Victorian literature

This past December, Assistant Professor of English Elisha Cohn published her new book Still Life: Suspended Development in the Victorian Novel (Oxford University Press), an extension of her research on Victorian novels and theories of the aesthetic.

Through the writings of novelists such as Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, George Meredith and Thomas Hardy, Cohn examines themes like reverie, trance and sleep, all of which have a strong presence in 19^th century Victorian novels. She asks questions like why Victorian novelists celebrated these experiences of “still life” and how the new styles they created affected processes of self cultivation and altered the novel form.

Cohn's current interests also include the history of neuroscience, animal studies and affect theory. Her essays have appeared in Contemporary Literature, Victorian Studies, the Journal of Victorian Culture and other publications. 

Cohn will be holding a Chats in the Stacks book talk on Tuesday, February 23 to discuss Still Life. The event will be held at 4:30 pm in Olin Library, Room 107. Refreshments will be served and books will be available for purchase.