Toril Moi
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Literature
Toril Moi has three broad areas of interest: feminist theory and women's writing; the intersection of literature, philosophy and aesthetics; and ordinary language philosophy in the tradition of Wittgenstein, Cavell and Austin.
Toril Moi also works on theater. In her work on literature and theater she is particularly interested in the emergence of modernism in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Her books include Sexual/Textual Politics: Feminist Literary Theory (1985; 2nd edition 2002), Simone de Beauvoir: The Making of an Intellectual Woman (1994; second edition with a major new introduction 2008); and What Is a Woman? And Other Essays (1999), republished in a shorter version as Sex, Gender and the Body (2005). She is the editor of The Kristeva Reader (1986), and of French Feminst Thought (1987).
In 2006, Henrik Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism: Art, Theater, Philosphy , was published in English by Oxford University Press and in Norwegian by Pax Forlag (Oslo). The book won the MLA's Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for the best book in Comparative Literary Studies in 2007. It is now available in paperback.
Toril Moi now works on three projects: (1) The Emergence of European Modernism 1870-1914; (2) Femisist Theory and Women Writers; and (3) "Pictures of Language": on the vision of language in ordinary language philosophy. She also continues to work on Henrik Ibsen's plays.
Toril Moi enjoys working with students at all levels. She won Duke's Univeristy Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award in 1998, and the Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring of Graduate Students in 2008.
In her native Norway, Toril Moi writes a regular column for the cultural newspaper Morgenbladet.
Toril Moi also works on theater. In her work on literature and theater she is particularly interested in the emergence of modernism in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Her books include Sexual/Textual Politics: Feminist Literary Theory (1985; 2nd edition 2002), Simone de Beauvoir: The Making of an Intellectual Woman (1994; second edition with a major new introduction 2008); and What Is a Woman? And Other Essays (1999), republished in a shorter version as Sex, Gender and the Body (2005). She is the editor of The Kristeva Reader (1986), and of French Feminst Thought (1987).
In 2006, Henrik Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism: Art, Theater, Philosphy , was published in English by Oxford University Press and in Norwegian by Pax Forlag (Oslo). The book won the MLA's Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for the best book in Comparative Literary Studies in 2007. It is now available in paperback.
Toril Moi now works on three projects: (1) The Emergence of European Modernism 1870-1914; (2) Femisist Theory and Women Writers; and (3) "Pictures of Language": on the vision of language in ordinary language philosophy. She also continues to work on Henrik Ibsen's plays.
Toril Moi enjoys working with students at all levels. She won Duke's Univeristy Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award in 1998, and the Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring of Graduate Students in 2008.
In her native Norway, Toril Moi writes a regular column for the cultural newspaper Morgenbladet.
Office Hours
Fall 2021 Office Hours:
By appointment via Zoom
By appointment via Zoom
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Literature, Literature, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1999
- Professor of Literature, Literature, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1991
- Professor of English, English, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2007
- Professor of Romance Studies, Romance Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1995
- Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2010
- Professor in Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2021
Contact Information
- 1316 Campus Drive, 108 Friedl Building, Durham, NC 27708-0403
- Box 90670, 108 Friedl Building, East Campus, Durham, NC 27708-0403
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toril@duke.edu
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Personal Website
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Picture credit: Oscar Einzig Photography
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