Stephanie Nelson

Stephanie Nelson is a Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University, where she has held academic positions since 1995, including Assistant Dean and Director of the Core Curriculum (2012–2019). She earned a BA from St. John’s College, followed by MA and PhD in Social Thought from the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on classical reception, intertextuality, and narrative time across ancient and modern literature, particularly exploring how authors transform earlier works while acknowledging their influences. Key areas include Greek and Roman epic (Hesiod, Virgil), Aristophanic comedy, and the relationship between James Joyce’s Ulysses and Homer’s Odyssey.

Her educational background uniquely positions her to bridge ‘Great Books’ traditions with modern critical analysis. Current research investigates the interplay between sight/sound, media evolution, and temporality in oral and written literature. She has held affiliated roles in the MFA in Literary Translation program since 2019, emphasizing translation’s role in cultural transmission.

Notable publications include Aristophanes’ Tragic Muse (2016), God and the Land (1998), and translations of Hesiod. Her work often addresses how authors reinterpret classical texts through their own cultural lenses, such as analyzing Shelley’s engagement with Plato or T.E. Lawrence’s Odyssey translation.

Nelson’s scholarly contributions span academic leadership and creative translation, with a focus on time’s philosophical dimensions in narrative structures. Her recent projects explore modernist temporal experimentation and the evolving role of classical traditions in contemporary media contexts.