Synopses & Reviews
Provides a new account of the emergence of Irish gothic fiction in mid-eighteenth century
This book provides a robustly theorised and thoroughly historicised account of the 'beginnings' of Irish gothic fiction, maps the theoretical terrain covered by other critics, and puts forward a new history of the emergence of the genre in Ireland. The main argument the book makes is that the Irish gothic should be read in the context of the split in Irish Anglican public opinion that opened in the 1750s, and seen as a fictional instrument of liberal Anglican opinion in a changing political landscape. By providing a fully historicized account of the beginnings of the genre in Ireland, the book also addresses the theoretical controversies that have bedevilled discussion of the Irish gothic in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The book gives ample space to the critical debate, and rigorously defends a reading of the Irish gothic as an Anglican, Patriot tradition. This reading demonstrates the connections between little-known Irish gothic fictions of the mid-eighteenth century (The Adventures of Miss Sophia Berkley and Longsword), and the Irish gothic tradition more generally, and also the gothic as a genre of global significance.
Synopsis
This new study provides a robustly theorised and thoroughly historicised account of the beginnings of Irish gothic fiction, maps the theoretical terrain covered by other critics, and puts forward a new history of the emergence of the genre in Ireland.
Synopsis
Provides a new account of the emergence of Irish gothic fiction in mid-eighteenth century GBS_insertPreviewButtonPopup( 'ISBN:9780748690800', 'ISBN:9780748690817']);
This new study provides a robustly theorised and thoroughly historicised account of the beginnings of Irish gothic fiction, maps the theoretical terrain covered by other critics, and puts forward a new history of the emergence of the genre in Ireland.
Jarlath Killeen argues that Irish gothic should be read in the context of the split in Irish Anglican public opinion that opened in the 1750s, and seen as a space for the development and expression of liberal Anglican opinion in a changing political landscape. By providing a fully historicised account of the beginnings of the genre in Ireland, the book also addresses the theoretical controversies that have frustrated discussion of the Irish gothic in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The book gives ample space to the critical debate, and rigorously defends a reading of the Irish gothic as an Anglican, Patriot tradition. This reading demonstrates the connections between little-known Irish gothic fictions of the mid-eighteenth century (The Adventures of Miss Sophia Berkley and Longsword), the Irish gothic tradition more generally, and also the gothic as a genre of global significance. Key Features
- Examines gothic texts including Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Charles Robert Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer, (Anon), The Adventures of Miss Sophia Berkley and Thomas Leland's Longsword
- Provides a rigorous and robust theory of the Irish Gothic
- Reads early Irish gothic fully into the political context of mid-eighteenth century Ireland
About the Author
Jarlath Killeen is a Lecturer in Victorian Literature at Trinity College Dublin. He is the author of
British Gothic Literature, 1824-1914 (University of Wales Press, 2009),
The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde (Ashgate, 2007),
Gothic Ireland: Horror and the Irish Anglican Imagination in the Long Eighteenth Century (Four Courts Press, 2005),
The Faiths of Oscar Wilde: Catholicism, Folklore and Ireland (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), and the editor of
Oscar Wilde: Irish Writers and Their Work (Irish Academic Press, 2010).
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Zombieland: From Gothic Ireland to Irish Gothic
1. Braindead: Locating the Gothic
2. The Creeping Unknown: Re-Making Meaning in the Gothic Novel
3. Mad Love: The Adventures of Miss Sophia Berkley and the Politics of Consent
4. The Monster Club: Monstrosity, Catholicism and Revising the (1641) Rising
5. Undead: Unmaking Monsters in Longsword
Conclusion: Land of the Dead
Bibliography