Current PhD Student

Daniel Green

Thesis Title:

Emily Hahn and The Fall of Hong Kong

Supervisor:

Dr Lola Boorman

Description:

My research investigates the work of American writer Emily Hahn, focusing on her use of literary form and her complex positioning within literary history, especially among prominent commentators on China in the 1930s and 1940s. This project centres on Hahn's contributions to The New Yorker, particularly her pieces about Hong Kong before, during, and after its fall to the Japanese in World War II, as well as her earliest writings, her influences from the Chicago Renaissance, and her broader body of published works. By tracing the impact of war, motherhood, and trauma on Hahn’s writing, I examine how these experiences shaped her narratives and assess how her works may be classified within broader literary movements.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines historical and literary analysis, this project aims to position Hahn within the context of her contemporary China commentators while analysing her evolving narrative techniques and genre-blending style. It seeks to explore Hahn’s unique contribution to 20th-century literature by assessing her works from both historical and literary perspectives.

My wider research interests include early 20th-century Chinese history, expatriate and travel literature, war writing, and psychology. I hold a BA in English Literature and International Studies, an MA in Asia Pacific Studies, and several teaching qualifications. I am an English literature teacher and am completing this research project part-time.