Lizzy LeRud

I specialize in nineteenth- and twentieth-century American literature, and my research focuses on the aesthetics, history, and sociopolitical effects of literary forms--from sonnets and ballads to novels and essays.

My current project uncovers the surprisingly recent history of the false dichotomy between poetry and prose in US literature. Writers today often divide their ouevre into "Collected Poetry" and "Collected Prose," and English and writing departments often invite students to specialize in one mode or the other. But it was not always so. Moreover, our increasing fixation on the prose-poetry binary parallels our emerging understanding that the dividing lines between poetry and prose can be inexact, extraneous, and misleading—indeed, conventions themselves. By analyzing texts that conform with or react against this binary, I argue that these aesthetic categorizations have profoundly influenced—both productively and counterproductively—the way we read, study, teach, and interpret literature. 

I received my PhD in English from the University of Oregon in 2017. I currently teach American literature, writing, and rhetoric at the University of Oregon.

Contact me at:
English Department
University of Oregon
1286 University of Oregon
​Eugene OR 97403

E-mail:
lerud@uoregon.edu