Dr. Kathy Eden

Biography

Kathy Eden is the Chavkin Family Professor of English Literature at Columbia University, a position she has held since 1980. She earned her PhD in Comparative Literature from Stanford University. Her research focuses on Renaissance Humanism, the history of rhetoric, and the classical tradition. Her publications include 'Poetic Legal Fiction in the Aristotelian Tradition' (1986; pbk 2014), 'Hermeneutics and the Rhetorical Tradition: Chapters on the Ancient Legacy and Humanist Reception' (1997; pbk 2002), 'Friends Hold Things Common: Tradition, Intellectual Property and the 'Adages' of Erasmus' (2001), and 'Renaissance Rediscovery of Intimacy' (2012; pbk 2017). She has received several fellowships, including those from the Center for Hellenic Studies, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Eden has been recognized for her teaching excellence with awards such as the Great Teachers' Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates, the Mark Van Doren Award, and the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching. She is currently working on a book-length manuscript titled 'Rhetorical Renaissance: Master Art of Literary Legacy.'

Research Interests