I'm Inger Sigrun Bredkjær Brodey. Welcome to my desk.

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As the contents of my desk might suggest, I'm a scholar, teacher, author, and public humanist. My interests tend to be international and comparative, as I was born in Japan, immigrated with my parents and brothers from Denmark, studied in Germany and Japan, and live in the United States. I'm also a mother of four creative kids (now adults) and a lover of assorted crafts. Read a fun story about my family here.

At the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, I'm the Peter Thacher Grauer Distinguished Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. I also serve as Adjunct Professor in Global Studies, and Affiliate Faculty in Asian Studies.

My latest book, An A-Z Guide to Jane Austen's World, comes out in September 2026 with Johns Hopkins UP. It is beautifully illustrated by Harriet Wu. Through a careful collection of 26 words, the book reveals Austen's responses to her rapidly changing environment and her own radical innovations in her chosen art form, the novel. Read an early review from Publisher's Weekly or the Library Journal review that recommends it for public libraries.

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My book on Jane Austen's endings and the marriage plot, called Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness, came out in 2024 with Johns Hopkins UP. You can read a Wall Street Journal review here, a Publisher's Weekly review here, a New Yorker call-out here, the Sunday Times full-page review here, or see more reviews here.  You can see a video of the book launch at Flyleaf Books, or listen to a podcast interview on Austen Chat or another conversation about the book on The Austen Connection. A new paperback edition (slightly edited) arrives in September, 2026.

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I am also the Principal Investigator in an NEH grant to build "Jane Austen's Desk." The project imaginatively recreates Austen's environment during her most productive years, including information about what she was reading, where her family was traveling, and what was going on in the world around her. We have recently released version 1.5 and a music feature on the pianoforte in the room! Keep your eyes on www.janeaustensdesk.org and follow the blog. There will be a few surprises in the coming months.

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This past year has included so many Austen-themed adventures, as I've traveled the world giving invited talks on my new book and also celebrating the 250th of Austen's birth. I'm very grateful to my wonderful hosts. These events included a week-long course I taught in Brazil, a full-day of events surrounding the topic of my Jane Austen: The Price of Happiness book, sponsored by the Jane Austen Society of Australia, and a weekend even on "Revolutionary Women" for the Carolina Public Humanities program. Recently, a stint as the Jane Austen Society of North America's Traveling Lecturer took me to Denver, CO; Boston, MA; Rochester, NY; Greenville, SC; New Orleans, LA; Los Angeles, CA, among other places. I also completed a Townsend fellowship at the UNC Institute for Arts and Humanities, enabling me to work on my new book on Austen's Asian Afterlives.

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On the side, I also run other Jane Austen-related non-profit organizations. Come to one of our events and meet me there (or leave a virtual sticky note on my desk).

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