Elizabeth Alexandra Howard

Elizabeth Alexandra Howard is a Career Instructor in the German & Scandinavian Department at the School of Global Studies and Languages, University of Oregon. She teaches courses related to folklore, Scandinavian literature, and queer theory.

Dr. Howard earned her MFA in Poetry from Boston University in 2011 and her PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Oregon in 2020. Her dissertation, "The Singing Bone: Collective Creativity & the Creation of a Queer Imaginary," examines how supernatural folkloric texts with roots in oral tradition open to view queer ways of imagining.

Dr. Howard's research focuses on intersections between queerness and the supernatural in fairy tales, fantasy, and fantastic literature. Her work spans multiple disciplines including:

• Folklore & Fairytales
• Scandinavian Literature
• Queer Theory
• Gender & Sexuality Studies
• Comparative World Literature

She is particularly interested in how traditional narratives can be reinterpreted through queer perspectives to create new imaginative possibilities.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on queer interpretations of fairy tales and fantastic literature, with particular attention to authors like Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy and Angela Carter. Her work bridges literary criticism, gender studies, and folklore studies, creating interdisciplinary connections that highlight the transformative potential of queer readings.

Dr. Howard is currently working on a queer ecocritical study of fairy tales and novels by Hans Christian Andersen and Selma Lagerlöf.