Overview
Asher is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University. Their primary research interests are environment, virginity, and empire in 16th and 17th century English poetry and drama. Informed by queer theory, trans studies, and ecocriticism, their current projects focus on literary depictions of metamorphosis and embodied nature to examine the constructions of gender, environment, and colonialism. Their dissertation, “Emergent Bodies: Nymphs, Nature and Empire” examines early modern representations of nymphs, viewing them as a liminal figure that blurs the boundaries of environment, gender, and the human and fairy worlds. As a secondary interest, Asher engages with 20th and 21st century American and British literature, specifically Modernism, queer poetics, and Indigenous literature.
Research Focus
- Early Modern Studies
- Medieval Studies
- Queer Theory
- Classics