Student Spotlight: Brandi Burns

Brandi Burns is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in Florida State University’s Literature, Media, and Culture program through the Department of English, and she is also an alumna of FSU’s Department of History. With specializations in Victorian literature and health humanities, Burns explores the intersection of literature and ethics, diving into topics such as the culture of death, medical authority, ghost stories and gothic tales. Last year, she won first place in a creative writing competition for her poem “Down, Down, Down,” awarded by the Windward Review from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and the poem was published in its Fall 2023 issue. This summer, Burns also received the American Association of University Women American Dissertation Fellowship, which funds one year of living expenses for students finishing their dissertations.

Tell us a little about your background. Where are you from, and what initially brought you to FSU?

I’ve dreamed of attending FSU since childhood. After earning my associate degree from Tallahassee State College, I transferred to FSU to pursue a bachelor’s degree, double majoring in English literature and classical civilizations. As a first-generation college student, I worked full-time jobs with the state government to support my academic career, most notably as a dispatcher for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol and later as a senior crime intelligence analyst at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

What inspired your academic interests?

Each of my degrees has been a pursuit of passions I cultivated in childhood. My mother taught me to read at a young age, and I naturally gravitated towards 19th-century Gothic fiction, such as “Frankenstein” and “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” I was also fascinated by Greco-Roman mythology and later in medicine and society after taking an ancient Greek medicine class at FSU taught by professor of classics Svetla Slaveva-Griffin. My master's degree in history, which I received in 2014 from FSU, helped me cultivate valuable research skills I applied when surveying epitaphs, or inscriptions on tombstones, in two of Tallahassee’s 19th-century cemeteries: Old City Cemetery and St. John’s Episcopal Cemetery. This work is vital, as headstones increasingly become too damaged to read due to the elements and vandalism. These interdisciplinary experiences helped me realize that I wanted to focus on 19th-century culture and literature.

Your research explores themes like the Gothic, ghost stories, death culture and health humanities. What specifically draws you to these areas?

I'm fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves as a society, especially those that delve into uncomfortable topics like death. My interest in medicine and society solidified when I took associate professor of English Meegan Kennedy’s Victorian health humanities class. I realized I wanted to contribute to this field, which has since shaped my dissertation in ways I never anticipated.

Tell us about your dissertation.

My dissertation, “Misbehaving Medical Professionals: Medical Authority and Struggles over Bodily Autonomy in British Nineteenth Century Literature, 1858-1911,” addresses the emergence of the misbehaving doctor within popular 19th-century fiction as a response to the increasing authority of medical practitioners. While the British Medical Association did not adopt an official code of ethics during the 19th-century, there were numerous texts that circulated regarding the ethical concerns of practitioners, some of which are just as significant for issues that they do not address. As such, I place ethical texts in conversation with fictional texts that engage with some of the most significant debates of the latter half of the 19th-century, spanning topics such as vaccinations, hypnotism, false imprisonment within asylums and animal vivisection, or dissections on live animals. Fictional authors went to great lengths to inform their readers that they were drawing on real-life inspiration, whether from personal accounts, local newspapers, government reports or trials. I aim to reveal how these authors used fiction to expose abuses of power within the doctor-patient relationship and concerns over bodily autonomy and informed consent, many of which are ongoing ethical issues that remain relevant today.

What does winning the American Dissertation Fellowship mean to you?

I’m incredibly fortunate to have received the fellowship from such a prestigious organization that has supported women’s educational and career goals since 1888. This fellowship was first brought to my attention by professor of English Candace Ward, one of my committee members and former AAUW awardee. With over 3,700 applicants and only 261 selected last year, winning this fellowship is such a validation of my work.

What’s been your best memory at FSU?

My best memory is yet to happen: the graduation hooding ceremony! This tradition marks the culmination of all my dedicated time and hard work over the years.

What on-campus resources have helped you achieve success?

The FSU Libraries have provided countless resources, especially access to texts I couldn’t have obtained otherwise. Additionally, I recently joined the Coffeehouse, a faculty and graduate student writing group hosted by Timothy Gannon Associate Professor of English Lindsey Eckert, which has significantly helped my writing.

What are some current goals or projects that you’re working on?

I’m working on completing my dissertation and preparing my chapter on false imprisonment within asylums for publication in Vernon Press' edited collection titled “Resilience and Resistance: Embracing Disability Narratives in Nineteenth-Century British Fiction.”

Are there any faculty or staff who have helped or inspired you?

My experience with faculty in the Department of English has been amazing. Each of my committee members — Kennedy, Ward, professor of English Barry Faulk, and professor of history Charles Upchurch — has advocated for my research through valuable feedback and recommendation letters. I've also interacted with several outstanding professors outside my research area who encouraged my work and shared publication and conference opportunities.

If there was one piece of advice you could share with a fellow graduate or undergraduate student, what would that be?

I highly recommend joining a writing group. The extra input makes a big difference and helps foster a strong sense of community. I also recommend applying for scholarships and fellowships to help you achieve your goals and open yourself to new experiences and communities.