In Memoriam: Rhoda Flaxman, 1940-2025

Rhoda Flaxman, longtime professor at Brown University, passed away on March 10. She was 84 years old.

After several years as a high school English teacher, Dr. Flaxman’s career in higher education began as a professor of English at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. She went on to teach at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1987 to 2007. While there, she directed the Writing Fellows Program, a peer-tutoring program matching undergraduate writing tutors with professors in support of various classes and seminars.

As a scholar, Dr. Flaxman focused on British and American literature, particularly during the Victorian era. Her book, Victorian Word-Painting and Narrative: Toward the Blending of Genres (University of Rochester Press, 1982), discusses the painterly aspects of works by Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, and other prominent Victorian authors and poets.

In 2012, Dr. Flaxman founded the Open University of Wellfleet, a nonprofit organization dedicated to year-round lifelong learning on the history and culture of Cape Cod. In recent years, the nonprofit has expanded their course offerings to include any topics their instructors find interesting.

Dr. Flaxman received her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College, a women’s liberal arts institution in Pennsylvania. She earned a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College and a doctorate from Brown University.