Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson is a Professor of English at Northwestern University and held a visiting professorship at the Institut d'Histoire des Représentations et des Idées dans les Modernités (IHRIM) at Université de Lyon from April to May 2024. Her research focuses on British literature, the history of science, and intersections between materialism, identity formation, and epistolary traditions. She earned a B.A. in English and Chemistry from Amherst College (1989), an M.A. in science writing from Johns Hopkins University (1991), and a Ph.D. in English literature from Duke University.

Thompson’s work explores how scientific concepts like ‘secondary qualities’ shaped 17th- and 18th-century literary forms. Her book Fictional Matter (2017) examines chemical theories of matter in literary narratives. During her Lyon residency, she analyzed transatlantic trade archives to reframe the epistolary form’s social dynamics. Fluent in French, she has conducted research in Paris and Dakar, emphasizing colonial and postcolonial contexts. Her current projects include studies of the Royal African Company’s correspondence and French trade networks in West Africa.

Thompson’s articles span Eighteenth-Century Fiction, ELH, and Ambix, addressing topics like Defoe’s epistemology, Locke’s influence on narrative, and gender in early modern novels. Though no formal awards are listed, her interdisciplinary approach bridges literary analysis with historical and scientific methodologies.