Dr. Dora Zhang

Biography

Dora Zhang is an Associate Professor whose research interests concentrate on Anglo-American and European modernist fiction, literature philosophy, novel theory, affect theory, and visual culture. Her work explores contemporary literature with a focus on Asian American and Asian diasporic literature. Her book, Strange Likeness: Description Modernist Novel, published in 2020 by the University of Chicago Press, is part of the 'Thinking Literature' series and examines how modernist forms by authors like James, Proust, and Woolf rejuvenate the discussion around the often under-theorized concept of novelistic description. Additionally, her research delves into the role of atmospheres in everyday life, the impact of Roland Barthes's travels in China, and the significance of detail in fiction related to social information, gender, and race. Currently, she is working on a new book project that investigates the themes and challenges of contemporary fiction in the United States and is preparing an annotated edition of Woolf's A Room of One’s Own for the Norton Library. Zhang's scholarly contributions include various articles and book chapters featured in notable academic journals and collections, further establishing her expertise in literary studies.

Research Interests