معرفی
Sophie Butler is a Lecturer in Early Modern Literature at the University of East Anglia's School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, and a member of the Medieval and Early-Modern Research Group. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford (2004–2013) focusing on Sir William Cornwallis the Younger and the emergence of the essay in England, alongside master's and bachelor's degrees in English Literature from Oxford. Her research explores early-modern essays, material reading practices, and women's roles as writers/patrons. She has held administrative roles including Teaching Director (2025–present) and Undergraduate Course Director (2021–2024).
Research interests include the relationship between literary essays and material forms, manuscript circulation (e.g., Sir William Cornwallis's Encomium of Richard III), early-modern noblewomen patrons like Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, and editing manuscript diaries like Mary Woodforde's late-17th-century work. She teaches undergraduate courses on 17th-century writing and Elizabethan England, and contributes to the MA in Medieval and Early-Modern Textual Cultures.
Her work engages with Montaigne's influence on English literature and readers' responses to his translated essays. Current projects examine the essay's relationship to 'drafts' and women's life-writing. Awards include a 2021 UEA Innovation Award and 2022 European Design Silver Award for the 'Logo Redux' zine.
Administratively, she has served as Digital Champion (2020–2021) and holds external roles including National Trust Advisory Panel member, Co-Editor of the Bulletin of the Society for Renaissance Studies, and Fellow of Advance HE.
