Christine Holbo

Christine Holbo is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Arizona State University, located on the Tempe campus. Her research focuses on American literature from the age of sentimentality to the modernist era, with a particular emphasis on how social values intersect with literary genres and forms. She explores the transformation of the novel in relation to competing forms of social knowledge and artistic expression.

Dr. Holbo holds a Ph.D. in English from Stanford University. Her expertise lies in American literature, with a specialization in 19th-century works and the study of literary realism. Her first monograph, Legal Realisms: The American Novel under Reconstruction (Oxford UP, 2019), examines how social knowledge and empathy shaped American literary realism during post-Reconstruction America.

Her research interests include the intersection of literature and social change, the evolution of narrative forms, and the role of literature in mediating cultural tensions. Her work frequently engages with authors like Albion W. Tourgée and Hamlin Garland, analyzing their contributions to understanding Reconstruction-era America and modernist literary movements.

Dr. Holbo’s recent publications (2023–2025) focus on the legacies of Reconstruction-era literature, exploring themes such as racial reconciliation, economic narratives in fiction, and the political dimensions of narrative form. She has also contributed to discussions on modernist realisms and the cultural geography of American literature.

While no formal awards are listed, her scholarship demonstrates sustained engagement with critical debates in American literary studies. Her advising activities and grants are not explicitly detailed in the provided materials, but her academic profile reflects an active research agenda in 19th- and early 20th-century American literature.