Cathryn Davies

Biography

Cathryn returned to education in 2016 after many years as a legal assistant, successfully graduating with a first-class honours degree in English Literature from Staffordshire University. Wishing to continue her studies, Cathryn enrolled on the MaNS program (Master's by Negotiated Study) at Staffs and graduated with Distinction a year later.

In January 2021, Cathryn enrolled on the PhD program at Keele University under the supervision of Dr Rebecca Bowler and Dr Jonathon Shears, and has worked hard to become an integral part of the postgraduate community.

Cathryn's research looks at how far the theories of sexology shaped the way modernist women writers thought about gender and sexuality, and the effects of same-sex desire.

Cathryn also works as a sessional teacher in the School of Humanities.

Research and scholarship

My thesis examines how far the theories of sexology have influenced and shaped the way modernist women writers thought about gender and sexuality, and the psychological effects of same-sex desire.

My research explores the works of Radclyffe Hall, Virginia Woolf, and Djuna Barnes and the representations of lesbians and lesbianism in their narratives. It will be influenced throughout by queer theory to express the liminality of gender, and to explore both the coded and undisguised lesbian texts of modernist women writers to not only establish the ambiguity within gender but to emphasize its variations.

Teaching

In the 2021/2022 academic year, I was a sessional teacher on ENG-20068 - Culture and Barbarism: Literature in the Victorian Age.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, I am teaching on ENG-20033 - Romanticisms.

Further information

Academic service:

Committee Member, Keele Humanities and Social Sciences Work in Progress Seminar Series, 2021-2022.

Supervision

Dr Rebecca Bowler and Dr Jonathon Shears

Collaborations and grants awards

Awards 

Recipient of the Bob Beattie Postgraduate Recognition Award, 2022 for services to the postgraduate community.