Anna J. Brecke

Anna J. Brecke is a Lecturer in Literary Arts and Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), holding a BA from the University of Evansville, MA from Simmons College, and PhD from the University of Rhode Island. Her research centers on gender representation across 19th-century popular media and contemporary culture, with emphasis on marginalized women writers and genre studies.

Education:

• BA, University of Evansville
• MA, Simmons College
• PhD, University of Rhode Island

Dr. Brecke's scholarship critically examines the erasure of popular women writers in Victorian literary canon formation, as demonstrated in her monograph Widening the Sphere. She analyzes how sensation fiction, New Woman narratives, and speculative works by authors like Mary Elizabeth Braddon and Marie Corelli subvert traditional gender spatial boundaries. Her research extends to modern television's portrayal of gendered bodies and supernatural tropes, revealing historical continuities in media representation.

She actively shapes academic discourse as co-founder of the Mary Elizabeth Braddon Association, reviews editor for Victorian Popular Fictions journal, and area chair for Women’s and Gender Studies within the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association. Media engagements include featured discussions on The Victorian Scribblers and 3 Interns and Counting podcasts.

Professional Leadership:

• Co-founder, Mary Elizabeth Braddon Association
• Reviews Editor, Victorian Popular Fictions
• Area Chair, Women’s and Gender Studies, Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association