Dr Katie Harling-Lee

About Me

I'm an academic researcher in musico-literary and literary sound studies, having completed my PhD in 2022 in the Department of English Studies at Durham University, UK, funded by The Wolfson Foundation. My research explores representations of sound and music in literature, including specific thematic representations of Western classical music in contemporary novels set during armed conflicts (introducing the 'musico-literary novel'), and wider representations of the listening experience. I have an additional interest in, and experience of teaching, Old Norse and Medieval Studies, the subject of my first academic publication and MA research. You can read more about my research and publications on this website. 

Between 2016-22, I also co-edited the blog Object, writing fortnightly on the significance and influence of objects in my day-to-day life. I now post semi-regularly about books on Instagram (#bookstagram), combining academic study with sharing the joy of 'fun reading', and I tweet about the academic and non-academic world as @KatieOsha. My musico-literary research is informed by my own practical experiences of music, as I play the violin, viola, and piano and I am an experienced vocalist across a variety of genres. 

Contact: k.o.harling-lee@durham.ac.uk