Activism and the authorial persona: narratives of addiction, depression and abortion in the writings of Marian Keyes

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dc.check.chapterOfThesisPlease redact as per my previous formen
dc.check.date2035-05-31
dc.check.infoControlled Access
dc.contributor.advisorO Gallchoir, Cliona
dc.contributor.advisorO'Sullivan, James
dc.contributor.authorButler, Mariaen
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Councilen
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-13T11:58:28Z
dc.date.available2025-02-13T11:58:28Z
dc.date.issued2024en
dc.date.submitted2024
dc.descriptionControlled Access
dc.description.abstractPopular Irish author Marian Keyes has sold over 30 million books, yet she has received little critical attention compared to her literary contemporaries. This study addresses this gap by examining Keyes’ work in the context of the rapid socio-historic changes that occurred in Ireland over the course of Keyes’ publishing career. The goal of this research is to analyse how Keyes utilises her writing to agitate for social change, focusing on her depiction of three significant Irish loci of shame: addiction, depression, and abortion. In doing so, I argue that literature can function as a tool to shift readers’ societal perceptions, thereby facilitating activism through literature. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s concept of “impression”, I posit that the entirety of the textual and extratextual object (contents, paratexts, and our impression of the author) forms a lasting impression on readers. Therefore, this thesis investigates how Keyes’ writings, branding, and authorial persona collectively contribute to her social activism. By examining the interplay between emotion (affect), cognition, and branding, I demonstrate how Keyes encourages readers to reconsider traditionally shameful topics. Chapter 1 lays the theoretical groundwork for this analysis, integrating the affective and cognitive literary approaches I apply to Keyes’ writings. This is followed by an examination of Keyes’ branding and the impact of her personal history on her readers. The subsequent chapters delve into specific themes: addiction (Chapter 2), depression (Chapter 3), and abortion (Chapter 4), each illustrating how Keyes’ personal experiences and public persona influence and contribute towards her activism. The study concludes that Keyes’ combination of emotional influence, cognitive education, and potential for reparative reading invites readers to reconsider the source of their shame and judgment, increasing social equality.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationButler, M. 2024. Activism and the authorial persona: narratives of addiction, depression and abortion in the writings of Marian Keyes. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage280
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17034
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.relation.projectIrish Research Council (Grant no. EPSPG/2021/175)
dc.rights© 2024, Maria Butler.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectPopular fiction
dc.subjectCommercial fiction
dc.subjectBranding
dc.subjectSocial justice
dc.subjectAddiction
dc.subjectDepression
dc.subjectAbortion
dc.subjectIrish studies
dc.subjectReparative reading
dc.subjectFemale author
dc.subjectTwentieth century
dc.subjectTwenty-first century
dc.titleActivism and the authorial persona: narratives of addiction, depression and abortion in the writings of Marian Keyes
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD - Doctor of Philosophyen
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