Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Monash University, where she specializes in literary studies with a focus on children's and young adult literature, Victorian literature, and gender representation. She is actively engaged in research, supervision, and public scholarship.

Her research interests include:

• Femininity in Victorian print culture
• British and Australian children's literature
• Transnational girlhood and colonial literature
• Ecocriticism in children's fantasy
• Affect and emotion in youth literature
• Fairy tales and Gothic fiction

Michelle Smith’s recent publications span monographs, edited collections, and journal articles, reflecting a strong interdisciplinary engagement with literary history, cultural studies, and gender theory. Her work often explores how literature shapes and reflects identity, emotion, and societal values across historical and national contexts. She is particularly known for her contributions to the understanding of girlhood in imperial and settler colonial contexts.

Her scientific awards include:

• ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2011)
• European Society for the Study of English Book Award (2012)
• ACU Historical Children’s Book Collections Fellowship (2019)

Michelle Smith actively supervises Honours, Master’s, and PhD students in areas such as children’s/YA literature, fairy tales, Victorian culture, gender studies, and ecocriticism. She has also led research projects including Australian Children’s and Young Adult Literature, 1841 to the Present and Gender Imbalance in the Book Industry. She contributes regularly to public discourse through media outlets such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, and The Conversation.

She is involved in scholarly communities through editorial roles, including serving on the editorial board of Palgrave Macmillan and as guest editor for Marvels & Tales. She has also participated in professional events such as the Australian and New Zealand Rare Book School and peer-reviewed journals like Children's Literature and Papers: Explorations into Children's Literature.