Isabelle Burrows holds a BA in Humanities from Simon Fraser University.
Do you have any research interests? What are they?
I’m interested in any piece of history that illuminates some aspect of life in the past, which is probably why I love studying literature and art. The connection to individual experiences of beauty, humour, and tragedy I can find in works of art and writing from all eras of history has kept me engaged in research on these topics for years.
How did you get involved with the WPHP?
My childhood interest in Jane Austen led me to Michelle’s Austen class in the fall of 2020. The only problem with that class was that it was too short, so when Michelle emailed me over the winter break to ask if I’d be interested in working on a project dedicated to recording works by other literary women of the 18th and 19th centuries, of course I said yes.
What is something surprising that you’ve learned while working on the WPHP?
I was surprised to see the number of women involved in the print and publishing trades. Before I started working on the WPHP, I had studied female authors from many time periods, but I had never considered how much women were involved in all the roles of the literature industry.
Do you have any pets?
Yes, one spaniel named Licorice.
What do you do for fun when you aren’t working on the WPHP?
Most of the activities I do for fun are products of the same interests that drew me to the WPHP—that is, engaging with art and material culture from history. Studying artists from the past helps me improve my own drawing and painting, and I also enjoy researching and recreating items of clothing from the past.