Central College's Nesbit Awarded BSA Fellowship to Study Early Talking Books in England
Pella, IA (09/14/2020) — Katherine Nesbit, assistant professor of English at Central College, has been awarded a Bibliographical Society of America Fellowship to help fund a one-month research trip to archives in England containing early talking books. She'll take her research trip after it becomes safe and legal to travel internationally again following COVID-19 restrictions currently in place.
Her work there will inform her forthcoming book "Listening to Books: Reading Aloud and the Novel, 1800-1935." Nesbit writes that "Victorian … proponents of mass literacy recommended reading aloud as a safe mode of encountering text for the century's so-called 'new readers:' women, children and workers. Household reading distracted the working man from the drink and radical politics tempting him at the pub; allowed parents to censor their children's reading material; and prevented women from poring over novels alone, thus neglecting the duties of hearth and home."
She adds, "I plan to listen to and analyze the first audio-recorded novels in Britain in order to learn more about precisely what recorded books inherit from their predecessor: books read aloud in the family circle."
Nesbit earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Olaf College in Minnesota and a master's degree and Ph.D. from University of Iowa. She teaches courses in 19th- and 20th-century British and world literature, as well as sound and media studies.
Nesbit's research focuses on the politics of listening and the voice. Her scholarship has been published in "ELH," "Victorian Poetry," "European Romantic Review," "Studies in the Novel" and the "Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies."
Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private, four-year liberal arts college. Central is known for its academic rigor, leadership and character development, global experiential learning, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and sustainability education, athletics and service. For more information about Central College: www.central.edu.
The Bibliographical Society of America is dedicated to the study of books and manuscripts as physical objects. It publishes of books and the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America (PBSA), North America's leading bibliographical journal. Its membership includes bibliographers, librarians, professors, students, booksellers and collectors worldwide.
Media Attachments
Katherine Nesbit
Central College
Jeff Bersch (641) 628-5282, berschj@central.eduShare this Story
Recent News
- Central College Celebrates Faculty
- Central College Professor Collaborates with Renowned Literacy Expert on Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction
- Nancy Ann Voerman Stewart '73 Leaves Six-figure Gift to Central College
- Central College Students and Alumni Analyze Dietary Information Sources for People with Multiple Sclerosis
- Matthew Van Zetten Establishes Endowment with Central's Leave a Legacy
- Central College Names Katelin Valster to Faculty Athletics Representative
- Brown, Purcell titles highlight day at conference track meet for Dutch men
- Steffen wins MVP, three events at league championships
- Steffen secures steeplechase league title for Dutch women
- Central College Students Present at Women's and Gender Studies Conference