Helen Cooper (literary scholar)
professor of Medieval and Renaissance English
Elizabeth Helen Cooper, (born 6 February 1947), known as Helen Cooper, is a British literary scholar. From 2004 to 2014, she was Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge, and a fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Early life and education
Cooper was born on 6 February 1947 in Nottingham, England. Her parents were Percy Edward Kent, an exploration geologist, and Betty Kent. She was educated at Nottingham Girls' High School, an all-girls private school. She studied at New Hall, Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1968: as per tradition, her BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree. She remained at New Hall to undertake postgraduate study, one of her supervisors was Jack A. W. Bennett, and she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1971. Her doctoral thesis was titled "The mediaeval background of English Renaissance pastoral literature".
Academic career
From 1971 to 1974, Cooper was a junior research fellow at New Hall, Cambridge. In 1978, she was elected a fellow at University College, Oxford: she was the first woman to become a fellow at the formerly all-male college.
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