Leslee Thorne-Murphy is a BYU associate professor and associate chair of the Department of English. Raised in the Pacific Northwest, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from BYU and her PhD in English literature from Brandeis University.
She teaches courses in British literature, and her specialty is Victorian literature—the era of Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, and George Eliot. She is particularly interested in the vast amount of literature published during this period to depict and help ameliorate the conditions of the poor during the Industrial Revolution.
Her current scholarly work is focused on the interaction of literature and philanthropy, especially as seen in books written to be sold at charity bazaars. Her research also addresses short fiction, digital humanities, and book history. She has published work on Victorian philanthropy, authorship, poetry, and social reform fiction.
Professor Thorne-Murphy is married to John Murphy, a curator in BYU’s L. Tom Perry Special Collections. They are the parents of three children. As a family they enjoy hiking, skiing, and traveling. She currently serves as stake Relief Society secretary.
