My research interests include fashion, infection, and nineteenth-century prostitution. My interdisciplinary PhD research is titled ‘Dressing the Self: Infectious Performance and the Nineteenth-Century Prostitute’.
It argues that prostitutes deliberately ‘dressed’ their clothing, body, and behaviours to perform the roles of ‘moral’ women. The research illustrates how prostitutes were able to and did avoid condemnation and criminalization. It evaluates the extent that ‘dressed’ performance became an overlooked source of infection toward society. To do so, it incorporates French and English literature and artwork, ranging from Émile Zola to Charles Dickens.
Additional Work
- I have presented papers at Postgraduate Symposiums and Research Days at the University of Chester titled: ‘Deliberate Performance: The nineteenth-century fille à brasserie’ and ‘Reclaimed Voice and the English Courtesan: Thackeray’s Rebecca Sharp’.
- I have contributed to the University of Chester’s VICRes Shorts Blog titled: ‘Reading appearances and the nineteenth-century fille à brasserie’: https://vicarageresearchersshorts.wordpress.com/2020/08/05/hollie-geary-...
- I have contributed a Research Blog Post to BAVS (British Association for Victorian Studies) Postgraduate Research Blog titled: ‘Re-reading Performative Behaviour in Thackeray’s Vanity Fair (1848): Why Rebecca Sharp is an English Courtesan’ https://bavs.ac.uk/news/re-reading-performative-behaviour-in-thackerays-...
- I have taught on modules at the University of Chester including EN6022, EN6032, and EN7201.