Birgit Breidenbach

Birgit Breidenbach is a Lecturer in Literature and Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, affiliated with the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing and the Modern and Contemporary Writing Research Group. She joined UEA in 2018 after academic appointments at the University of Warwick and Queen Mary University of London.

• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Warwick (2017)
• Master of Arts, University of Warwick (2013)
• Bachelor of Arts, University of Giessen (2012)

Her research centers on the role of mood and collective affect in literature and artistic forms, employing an interdisciplinary framework that integrates aesthetic theory, philosophy, and affect theory. She is particularly interested in how literature produces or conveys mood and how affect intersects with political, social, and cultural dimensions. Her work spans comparative literature with a focus on modern and contemporary European writers such as Dostoevsky, Beckett, and Bernhard.

The most recent articles reflect a sustained engagement with mood, affect, and literary-philosophical intersections. Her publications include a monograph and co-edited volume on mood, demonstrating interdisciplinary reach across literature, philosophy, musicology, and psychology. The research consistently explores how aesthetic forms articulate feeling and how such articulations resonate beyond the text into broader societal contexts.

She is a Fellow of Advance HE and serves as Admissions Director for her School, overseeing undergraduate and postgraduate admissions. She welcomes PhD candidates in her areas of interest and is actively involved in teaching modules on literature and philosophy, critical theory, and comparative literary studies.

Birgit Breidenbach is a member of the Modern and Contemporary Writing Research Group, contributing to a vibrant academic community focused on innovative literary scholarship.