Catherine Belsey

Catherine Belsey (13 December 1940 – 14 February 2021) was a British literary critic and academic.

Belsey was born in Salisbury and attended Godolphin and Latymer School in London.

She studied at Somerville College, Oxford, and subsequently as a postgraduate at the University of Warwick.

Her book Critical Practice (1980) was an influential post-structuralist text in suggesting new directions for literary studies.

Besides her profuse scholarly writing, Belsey often expressed her beliefs in the values of socialism and the importance of the humanities.