Dr. Rebecca Fell

Biography

Rebecca (Becky) Fell is a faculty member at the University of Cambridge in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics. Her research focuses on the role of gossip in late 19th Century and early 20th Century Hispanic literature, particularly in the novels of Emilia Pardo Bazán and Clarín’s La Regenta and José Rizal’s Noli me tangere. By examining how gossip functions both thematically and as a plot device within realist literature, she explores the psychological theories related to gossip and its etymology in Spanish equivalents. Her work categorizes gossip into interdependent strands, such as gossip dialogue, catechism, and discourse, and considers its role in settling imagined communities. Additional aspects of her inquiry include the symbolism of gossip in servant narratives and its implications as a medium of social capital.

Research Interests