Department & University: Department of English and German, Universitat de València
Brief summary of research interests:
My broader research interests are contemporary Irish literature from a gendered perspective, the relationship between literature and conflict, and theatrical reception. Currently, my research focuses on the ways in which contemporary Northern Irish theatre addresses the intersection between the political, social, historical and physical geography of post-conflict Northern Irish society, with a focus on how women playwrights and directors challenge previous male representations of the conflict.
Post-conflict Northern Irish society can be defined by a fragmentation that occurs on multiple levels, and the intersection between political, social and ethnic division is often marked by physical separations: the border with the Republic, the ‘peace’ walls, the maritime border created by Brexit, the rivalry between East and West, between town and country, and between Catholic and Protestant counties. Northern Irish literature, and more specifically theatre, is articulating in various ways the transgenerational trauma with which society as a whole is grappling, while at the same time attending to its divisions. In my research, I attempt to explore how this is achieved through humour.
Selected publications:
- 2024 “‘Taking Comedy Seriously’: Humour in Lisa McGee’s Girls and Dolls.” Estudios Irlandeses, vol. 19, 2024, pp. 127-139.
- 2024 “Revisiting Brian Friel’s Translations through the Lens of Stage Director Caitríona McLaughlin.” Irish Studies Review, vol. 32, no. 2, 2024, pp. 282-294.
- 2024 “Peace Walls and No-Go Zones: A Portrait of a Generation Caught in Between in Stacey Gregg’s Shibboleth.” Rewriting War in Contemporary Literature and Culture, in Cristina Pividori and David Owen (eds), Routledge, 2024, pp. 17-26.
- 2023. “Don’t Tell Them: The Strategy of Silence in Anna Burns’ Milkman.” Trauma, Memory and Silence of the Irish Woman in Contemporary Literature, in Madalina Armie, Veronica Membrive (eds.) Routledge, 2023, pp. 150-161.
- 2021. “Brian Friel in Spain: An Off-Centre Love Story.” Estudios Irlandeses, vol. 16, 2021, pp. 110-124.
Please also consult the Publications section in this website for additional recent publications.
Personal Website: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7623-9873