Jessica Eickmann
Jessica Eickmann, B.A., M.A. (PhD student at the University of Münster, subject: English Philology, first advisor: Prof. em. Dr. Gabriele Müller-Oberhäsuer, second advisor: Prof. Dr. Corinna Norrick-Rühl)
Working title of thesis: Female Readers in Early Modern England
Abstract:
Jessica Eickmann’s doctoral dissertation examines female readers in early modern England. The early modern period was a critical phase when women’s reading was associated with cultural and economic power. From 1500 onwards, women were becoming increasingly active in the literary world. The period from 1500 to 1610, with the spread of literacy and the expanding book market, was an especially crucial time for female readers. Despite the advances on the book market, patriarchal structures and prescriptive rules, such as determined in reading manuals, defined a strict and limited space for women’s reading experiences. Focusing on individual readers, this thesis aims to explore some of the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of their reading and the manifold ways women created their space as readers in early modern society.
Brief biographical statement:
Jessica Eickmann is currently a PhD student at the University of Münster. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anglophone Studies from the University of Marburg and a Master’s degree in British, American, and Postcolonial Studies with a focus on book studies from the University of Münster.