How to Disguise Fairy Tales in 21st Century Ireland. A Feminist Analysis of Marian Keyes’ and Cathy Kelly’s Blockbusters

Ireland has suffered many extraordinary changes during the last decades that have made the Emerald Isle a geographical point upon which all eyes are fixed. Despite this metamorphosis, the question is if its population and cultural heritage have been able to cope with the times. Known as a traditionally catholic and conservative country, many social aspects remain unchangeable and those that have evolved may still keep an inner glimpse of the old times that is not always easily recognizable. Undoubtedly, women and all subjects related to them have experienced a revolution. However, data show that true equality is still far from being reached. In this context, literature must be taken as a powerful cultural force that helps create stereotypes and a popular conscience. Thus, this article analyses the success of what has been called “women’s literature”, especially Marian Keyes’ and Cathy Kelly’s bestselling books. It also tries to examine to what extent the traditional ideologies of womanhood are present and by which means their female protagonists attach to the old stereotypes under a mask of modernity and economic boom. Finally, their effects on the female Irish population will also be studied in order to demonstrate that globalization and modern capitalism prove to be unable to change the old myths that lie beneath and keep women in a relegated position

Power, Gender and the Nation: Negotiations of Belonging in Evelyn Conlon’s Short Story “Park-Going Days”

In the central decades of the 20th century, the feminine icons of “Mother Church” and “Mother Ireland” were set as conduct models to follow by Irish women. Simultaneously, legal, moral and economic forces collaborated in limiting the scope of their agency. In order to elicit where women situated and how female expressions of belonging and not belonging took shape, this article uses intersectionality to look into the short story “Park-Going Days” authored by women’s rights activist and writer Evelyn Conlon. The plot displays the ambivalent feelings of the newcomer, a childless married woman, towards the other women in the community and her difficulties fitting in. At the same time, this story provides the reader with the unspoken personal experiences of these women in relation to marriage, work and motherhood. Thus, the analysis will show how this situation is constructed and understood by the author. Besides, the use of intersectionality will allow a multi-level analysis to unveil the interdependence of structures, social categories and representations that result in socially constructed forms of differentiation and exclusion for (some) women, and the consequent forms of resistance and consent. Finally, new paths for literary analysis are suggested within the frame of intersectionality.En las décadas centrales del siglo XX, los iconos femeninos “Madre Iglesia” y “Madre Irlanda” se presentaron como los modelos de conducta a seguir por las mujeres irlandesas. Al mismo tiempo, una serie de fuerzas legales, morales y económicas colaboraron para limitar el alcance de su capacidad de actuación. Con el fin de inferir el posicionamiento de las mujeres y cómo se fueron conformando las diversas expresiones femeninas de pertenencia y no pertenencia, este artículo utiliza la interseccionalidad para analizar el relato “Park-Going Days” de Evelyn Conlon, escritora y activista por los derechos de las mujeres. La trama muestra los sentimientos ambivalentes de la recién llegada, una mujer casada sin hijos, hacia las otras mujeres de la comunidad, y sus dificultades para encajar en ese colectivo. Al mismo tiempo, esta historia descubre al lector las experiencias personales silenciadas de estas mujeres en relación con el matrimonio, el trabajo y la maternidad. Así, el análisis mostrará cómo la autora construye y entiende esta situación. Además, el uso de la interseccionalidad permitirá un análisis a varios niveles que revele la interdependencia existente entre las estructuras, las categorías sociales y las representaciones, lo que se traducirá en formas socialmente construidas de diferenciación y exclusión para (algunas de) las mujeres, y las consiguientes formas de resistencia y de consentimiento. Por último, se proponen nuevas vías de análisis literario en el marco de la interseccionalidad

“AEDEI has been and is my life”: an interview with professor Inés Praga Terente

In this interview, Professor Inés Praga Terente reviews the evolution of AEDEI from its origins to the present. As a founding member and its Chairperson until 2007, Professor Inés Praga has been a key force in the creation of AEDEI at a time when Ireland was not considered a field of study in the Spanish academia. In this interview, she recalls that a personal event in her life became the turning point that would lead her academic career towards Irish literature. Also, she recalls the timid and humble attempts made by her and a group of scholars to explore Irish literature and culture. Overcoming the difficulties and challenges that entailed the launching of an association, they finally succeeded in 2001 and AEDEI was born. In a personal and vivid style, she displays the clues that have made AEDEI not only a renowned forum for national and international lecturers, scholars and students, but also a community where passion and inspiration in Irish Studies are shared.En esta entrevista, la profesora Inés Praga Terente revisa la evolución de AEDEI desde sus orígenes hasta la actualidad. Como miembro fundador y su presidenta hasta 2007, la profesora Inés Praga ha sido un elemento clave en la creación de AEDEI en un momento en el que Irlanda aún no era considerada como campo de estudio académico. Según relata en esta entrevista, un evento personal de su vida fue el punto de inflexión que orientaría su carrera académica hacia la literatura irlandesa. También recuerda los primeros tímidos intentos de explorar la literatura y la cultura irlandesas desde su profesión hasta que, tras superar las dificultades y desafíos que conllevaba el lanzamiento de una asociación, AEDEI nació en 2001. En un estilo personal y distendido, la profesora Praga Terente desvela los elementos que han hecho de AEDEI no sólo un foro de renombre para profesores, académicos y estudiantes a nivel nacional e internacional, sino también una comunidad donde la pasión por los estudios irlandeses son compartido

“When writing, I see myself as a drone”: an Interview with Jan Carson

Northern Irish author Jan Carson was invited writer at the 20th International Conference of the Spanish Association for Irish Studies (AEDEI), organized by the Universidad de Burgos in 2022. There, she kindly talked about herself as a writer, about the intricacies of her creative work, and about the sensitive issues underlying the plot of The Raptures, her last novel. Violence, religion, rurality and death, are filtered through Hannah’s eyes, a young girl for whom reality and magic mingle inextricably.La escritora norirlandesa Jan Carson asistió como invitada al XX Congreso de la Asociación Española de Estudios Irlandeses (AEDEI) que tuvo lugar en 2022 en la Universidad de Burgos. Allí habló de su trabajo como escritora, de la complejidad de su actividad creativa y de los temas controvertidos que subyacen en The Raptures, su última novela. Violencia, religión, ruralidad y muerte se presentan a través de los ojos de Hanna, una niña para quien realidad y magia son todo uno

Caroline Moreira Eufrausino’s Anne Enright. Feminine Aesthetics: Writing, Mothering, Spiraling

Eufrausino, Caroline. Anne Enright. Feminine Aesthetics: Writing, Mothering, Spiraling. Peter Lang, 2021.Eufrausino, Caroline. Anne Enright. Feminine Aesthetics: Writing, Mothering, Spiraling. Peter Lang, 2021

Emma Dononghue’s and James Finn Garner’s Rebellious Cinderellas: Feminism and Satire for Empowerment in Contemporary Fairy Tales

The end of the 20th century witnessed a rewriting of traditional tales for children in English. In 1997, Irish writer Emma Donoghue published Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, a sequence of re-imagined fairy tales that was shortlisted for the James L. Tiptree Award. In 1994, American writer James Finn Garner had also re-written many well-known stories for children and had them compiled in a single volume: Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. These new versions of Cinderella incorporate formal, structural and ideological alterations that subvert the traditional fairy tale genre. Using intersectionality as a theoretical research framework, the analysis of these works demonstrates that when the matrix of social power is dissected, the existing networks of oppression are exposed. While both versions are centred around gender, Donoghue and Garner employ different strategies, namely queer alliances and parodic scenes respectively, with the aim of overcoming the same structural obstacles. The resulting characters are rebellious and successful women who challenge tradition and open new horizons for female empowerment through the reinvention of the fairy tale genre

The gender dimension of research and innovation Horizon 2020

Trabajo presentado en: Capacity Building Workshop for Researchers - COST Targeted Network TN1201, 25th April, 2016, Bucharest, Dimitrie Cantemir Christian Universit

Gender bias in the images of text books of english for secondary education

El objetivo de este trabajo es establecer en qué medida existe un sesgo de género en los materiales docentes utilizados para la enseñanza del inglés en la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria a través de las imágenes reales contenidas en los libros de dos prestigiosas editoriales. A partir de unos indicadores determinados, se realiza un estudio estadístico descriptivo que proporciona información cuantitativa sobre los estereotipos y modelos presentados al alumnado. Esta información se completa con un análisis cualitativo basado en una adaptación del modelo propuesto por Cunningsworth (1995). A la luz de los datos obtenidos, se realiza un estudio comparativo para determinar el sesgo de género en los libros de texto y establecer qué áreas precisarían una intervención.The objective of this article is to detect the gender bias contained in the images of the coursebooks of English as a Second Language of two prestigious publishing houses at Secondary Education level. Based on some specific indicators, a longitudinal study is conducted to provide quantitative information on the stereotypes and models presented to the students. In addition, this information is complemented by a qualitative analysis based on an adaptation of Cunningsworth´s model (1995). In the light of the data obtained, a longitudinal and comparative study is carried out to determine how gender inequality is reflected. Indications for future intervention are suggested

Pedagogical interventions to Foster engagement and improve oral skills among future teachers of English

The oral performance of Spanish future teachers of English is an essential linguistic aspect that requires thorough attention. This aspect is not only important but also vitally necessary, as achieving adequate oral performance on a daily basis is crucial for teachers of English. This study addresses emotional stressors in the form of anxiety or frustration, as well as mistakes related to their mother tongues’ influence, which affect the demographic and, hence, determine the use of appropriate pedagogical strategies. In order to tackle these two issues, a classroom intervention was performed with a group of twenty students enrolled in a Bachelor of Teaching program. Before attempting any pedagogical innovation, a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted to gather data about their difficulties and motivations. The results led to a twofold intervention; first, sets of pedagogical strategies were tailored to improve their attitudes towards participation in oral English instruction; secondly, an array of participatory activities were designed and implemented in order to correct their most common oral mistakes. The success of the intervention indicates that improving classroom engagement is possible by working on the student teachers' oral competence; this, in turn, promotes improvements in attitude and increased confidence in oral skills.La producción oral de los futuros profesores españoles de inglés representa un aspecto lingüístico de enorme importancia que requiere una atención minuciosa. El estrés emocional en forma de ansiedad o frustración y los errores relacionados con la influencia de su lengua materna determinan el uso de estrategias pedagógicas. Para hacer frente a estas dos cuestiones, se llevó a cabo una prueba pedagógica en el aula. Antes de ponerla en práctica, los alumnos rellenaron un cuestionario semi-estructurado para recabar datos sobre su motivación y las dificultades que encontraban. Los resultados obtenidos dieron lugar a un trabajo doble. En primer lugar, se confeccionaron un conjunto de estrategias pedagógicas para mejorar sus actitudes. En segundo lugar, se diseñaron y se pusieron en práctica una serie de actividades participativas con el fin de corregir sus errores orales más comunes. Tras la realización de las pruebas, los resultados positivos indicaron que una mayor participación del alumnado, así como el trabajo en la competencia oral de los estudiantes, son claves para fomentar una actitud más segura y correcta en el ejercicio de las habilidades orales