Dr. Elizabeth Scala

Biography

Elizabeth Scala is the Perceval Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Medieval Romance, Historiography, and Culture. She has served as Director of the Junior Fellows Program and Senior Associate Chair in the Department of English. With a Ph.D. from Harvard University obtained in 1994, her research interests encompass Chaucer studies, medieval literature, and contemporary cultural phenomena such as girl culture and music. Scala has extensively explored the survival of medieval texts in modern contexts, analyzing their transformation through different media. Her recent works include 'Canterbury Tales Handbook' published by W.W. Norton in 2020 and 'Desire and the Canterbury Tales' from Ohio State in 2015. Notably, she taught a university course examining the literary significance of Taylor Swift’s songwriting, gaining international media attention. Scala's academic focus bridges medieval studies with post-medieval thought, challenging traditional boundaries within English Studies, and she seeks to illuminate the relevance of early literary productions in today's world.

Research Interests

Courses