Dr. Ruth Yeazell

Biography

Ruth Yeazell is a Sterling Professor of English and Director of Graduate Studies at Yale University. She obtained her Ph.D. and M.Phil. in English Language and Literature from Yale University and a B.A. with High Honors in English from Swarthmore College. Her teaching and research focus on the novel, particularly in relation to the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, exploring themes of history, gender, sexuality, and the intersection of literature with visual arts. Yeazell is also an accomplished writer, contributing to various literary journals, including the New York Review Books and London Review Books. Some of her notable publications include 'Art Everyday', which examines Dutch painting and its impact on literary realism, and 'Picture Titles', which interrogates how the naming of artworks influences their reception. Currently, she is working on a study of visual-verbal relations through the lens of Johannes Vermeer’s art. Yeazell teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses on Victorian literature, highlighting influential authors such as Jane Austen, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf.

Research Interests

Courses