Wendy Anne Lee

Wendy Anne Lee is an Associate Professor of English Education at New York University's College of Arts & Science, specializing in Enlightenment literature, the history of the novel, and affect studies with a particular focus on Jane Austen. Her scholarly work bridges literary theory, philosophy, and cognitive studies, exploring how narrative structures shape our understanding of consciousness and emotion.

Dr. Lee earned her Ph.D. from Princeton University, M.Phil. from Cambridge University, and B.A. from Columbia University. Her research interests span eighteenth-century British literature, psychoanalysis, gender and sexuality studies, public humanities, and experimental writing. She approaches literary texts through the lens of affect theory, examining how emotional states are constructed and represented in narrative form.

Lee's scholarship reveals a distinctive trajectory from Enlightenment philosophy to contemporary questions of consciousness and emotional experience. Her work on Jane Austen has evolved from analyzing narrative techniques to exploring how literary engagement can shape our relationship to mortality. This progression reflects her broader interest in the intersections between literary form, cognitive processes, and lived experience. Her recent focus on dementia patients who were avid Jane Austen readers represents a compelling application of literary theory to real-world human experiences at life's threshold.

Among her significant honors are the NYU Golden Dozen Teaching Award, the Sarai Ribicoff Prize for Teaching at Yale College, the Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, and the McCosh Prize for Distinguished Teaching from Princeton University.

• NYU Golden Dozen Teaching Award, College of Arts & Sciences
• Sarai Ribicoff Prize for the Encouragement of Teaching in Yale College
• Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship in Religion and Ethics
• McCosh Prize for Distinguished Teaching, Princeton University

As a proponent of collaborative, transdisciplinary teaching, Lee co-founded Consent Lab at NYU with musicologist Brigid Cohen, theater artist Rosemary Quinn, and designer/choreographer Mimi Yin. This innovative project creates interactive experiences that explore the boundaries between inner and outer realities through experimental composition and embodiment. Lee's current research on Jane Austen and end-of-life experiences represents a significant contribution to both literary studies and medical humanities, demonstrating the enduring relevance of literary engagement in understanding fundamental human experiences.