Monika Fludernik

Prof. Monika Fludernik is a Professor of English Literature at the University of Freiburg since 1994, affiliated with the School of Language & Literature at FRIAS. Her academic journey includes a Dr.phil. from the University of Graz (1982), Habilitation at the University of Vienna (1992), and former roles as assistant professor (1984–1992). She is a leading figure in narratology, postcolonial studies, and medieval/Renaissance literature. Current research focuses on prison narratives and narrative structures in English literature (1250–1750).

Her awards include the Perkins Prize (1996) and the Landesforschungspreis (2001). She is a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (since 2000) and Academia Europaea (since 2008). Her FRIAS project explores metaphor’s role in ideology and knowledge production, analyzing prison imagery as a case study. Research interests span metaphor theory, carceral imaginary, and cognitive approaches to literature.

Publications include Towards a 'Natural' Narratology (1996), An Introduction to Narratology (2009), and edited volumes on postcolonialism and diaspora studies. Her articles critically examine narrative techniques, spatiality in confinement, and colonial discourse.