Elise Bouley

Dr. Elise Bouley serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of French in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Mercer University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where she teaches interdisciplinary courses connecting language, literature, and visual culture.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in French Studies from Brown University (2025)
• M.A. in French Studies from North Carolina State University (2019)
• Master 1 from the University of Burgundy, France
• B.A. in Literature from the University of Burgundy, France (2016)

Dr. Bouley's research centers on 19th century French literature and culture, particularly the Decadent movement. She investigates fashion's symbolic role as a performative practice revealing identity, morality, and social critique through silhouettes, accessories, and color. Her interdisciplinary methodology merges literary analysis with art history and cultural studies, examining works by Rachilde, Barbey d'Aurevilly, and Edgar Degas while exploring intersections with ethics and visual representation.

Her recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on fashion as critical lens for 19th century French culture. She analyzes accessories as tokens of evil in Decadent literature, examines aging representations in Degas' millinery scenes, and develops pedagogical materials comparing Leblanc's literary classics with modern adaptations, highlighting fashion's narrative power across media.