Kennedy Schwiebert, Hughes Hall

Biographical Information

I graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from Yale University, where I received distinction in the major and won the John Hubbard Curtis Prize for one of my senior theses.

I spent the following year on a Fulbright grant, teaching English in La Rioja, Spain. Building off of this irreplaceable pedagogical training and global experience, I returned to life as a student to pursue an MPhil in English Studies at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Dr. Dominic O’Key. 

I am delighted to continue my research at Cambridge with a PhD in twentieth century and contemporary literature, supervised by Professor Kasia Boddy.  

Research Interests

My doctoral research examines representations of the author’s “work” in twentieth century and contemporary metafictions. By investigating these self-reflexive texts’ obsession with their own production and consumption, I argue that metafictions provide a crucial vantage point from which to consider the contemporary power and authority of assumed authorship, demands for productivity within the arts, and the status of literature as a service, a good, a poison, and a remedy — unveiling a defence of literary labor and the Humanities within the covers of the books themselves. 

My research interests orbit around metafiction, ‘autofiction’, representations of labor, the novel and new media, literature within the university, genre fiction, poorly behaved writers, and habitually annoyed readers. While my current research centers on twentieth century and contemporary fiction, I am enthusiastic about opportunities to investigate these themes and topics across all time periods and forms.