Victoria de Zwaan

Victoria de Zwaan serves as Associate Professor in Cultural Studies at Trent University, with dual appointment in the Department of Cultural Studies and Traill College. Her academic profile spans undergraduate and graduate instruction in literary and cultural theory.

Her educational foundation includes:

• BA in Philosophy and English (Trent University)
• MA in English (McGill University)
• PhD in English (University of Toronto)

Professor de Zwaan's research pioneers theoretically rigorous analyses of experimental fiction traditions. She examines narrative innovation across American, European, and global contexts - from Cervantes/Sterne lineages through Beckett/Borges influences to contemporary digital-era experiments. Her work critically engages slipstream fiction, historical witness narratives, and the cultural significance of formal 'gimmickry,' challenging reductive postmodernist frameworks while exploring connections between literary form and historical consciousness.

As a dedicated supervisor, she mentors graduate students in developing original research through close textual analysis and theoretical innovation. Her guidance emphasizes conference presentation opportunities and scholarly publication within vibrant literary studies communities, fostering the next generation of critical thinkers in experimental literature and cultural theory.