Miss Elizabeth Bratton
Expertise
I work on the literature and culture of medieval Italy, specialising in the works of Dante. I am interested in the political functions of literature, and in how abstract imaginaries are made visible through art and literature.
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Biography
Here in Bristol, my doctoral research is fully-funded by a Postgraduate Research Scholarship, and is supervised by Dr. Tristan Kay and Dr. Rhiannon Daniels. In its early stages, my work seeks to bridge the perceived gap between the 'arts' and 'sciences', and proposes a theoretical model for reading Dante's 'Paradiso' as an example of a site of both literary and scientific inquiry.
Research interests
I work on the literature and material culture of medieval Italy, specialising in the works of Dante. As an interdisciplinary literary scholar, I am interested in the political functions of literature, and in how abstract imaginaries are produced and reinforced in art and media.
My doctoral project, fully funded by a Postgraduate Research Scholarship, develops and proposes a theoretical model for reading Dante’s Paradiso as a site of both scientific and social inquiry (2025-).
This first work of mine marks a growing interest in the way in which social abstractions (nations, narrated histories, belonging, scientific consensus, etc.) are made visible through literature and the arts, from the Middle Ages to the present.
Conference Papers:
'From Watercolour to West End: the Representational Problem of the Paradiso', Society for Italian Studies Biennial Conference, Dublin, 9-11 July, 2026.
'Painting a Picture of the Earthly Paradise: A Visual Inquiry into the Divine in Purgatorio 29', Dante Futures, University of Warwick, 21-22 November, 2025.
Departmental Activities:
Dante Futures Conference Organiser, University of Bristol (2026)
Postgraduate Conference Committee, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Bristol (2025-2026)