Graduate Student, English
Boston College, Irish Studies/History
Thesis Title: Literary and Cultural Analysis of the Complete Works of Stewart Parker, Christina Reid, and Gary Mitchell
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Eamonn Hughes
Michael McAteer |
About
In brief, my PhD research concentrates on the theatrical and televised works of Stewart Parker, Christina Reid, and Gary Mitchell. Within this, there is an emphasis on the continuation/creation of the Protestant tradition in drama, representations of paramilitaries, women, and masculinities, and cross-generational conflict.
Stewart Parker believed that “[i]t falls to the artists to construct a working model of wholeness by means of which this society can again begin to hold up its head in the world” (Dramatis Personae 19). This statement encapsulates one of the questions which this thesis seeks to answer, namely how these playwrights envision the world in which they live and whether they see any room for improvement or change in their society. Though these three playwrights all come from a Protestant/Loyalist background, the plays themselves convey several distinct and unique responses to the Troubles. Topics addressed include the roles of and reactions to paramilitary organizations (including the participation of women and children in such organizations), the role of women in Northern Irish conflict and society, the significance of youth and generational differences/similarities, and performance history and critical reviews.
