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In: EN6009, Renaissance English

Given that Milton’s Paradise Lost has been critically evaluated for centuries, the epic poem presents many themes and questions for the reader to untangle. This rich text has elicited critics to analyse Milton’s cosmology, theology, politics, and his views on authority, free will, and women. Work has been previously done to chart Milton’s universe, and Satan’s traversal through it. For my dissertation, I will be positing that we can reimagine this journey as one through spheres of wombs. I am interested in comparing and contrasting these spheres through their creative power or lack thereof, metaphorical insemination and asexual reproduction, the male womb, impotent versus fruitfulRead More →

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In: Middle English, Renaissance English

A few weeks ago our class read The Tragedy of Mariam, The Fair Queen of Jewry, a closet drama from the Jacobean period that deals in part with the female act of speech. While our class read the material with the role of women in mind, there is also an ethnic/religious component to the play. This is most prominent in the moral abhorrence of Edomites from the perspective of Israelites. The titular character and her family belong to the Israelite lineage, while Mariam’s cruel husband Herod and his family are descended from Edomites, amplifying the hostility between the two parties. While I had heard ofRead More →

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In: EN6009

Last week my class presented the Textualities ‘26 conference at UCC. The presentations varied not only across Med/Ren and Modernities, but across an assortment of topics regarding binaries, narrative, thresholds, and antiheroes. The day opened with a bang, with Francis talking about body horror in film, from the 80s to the present. I’m a fan of the topic—I love horror movies and grotesque imagery that makes you recoil, yet captivates and thrills you. The panel continued exploring bodies and binaries, including my fellow Med/Ren student Sally, who analysed gender and nature in ‘The Wife’s Lament’ and Tolkien. The next panel explored ‘hidden narratives,’ from Adrian’sRead More →

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In: Creative, Middle English, Old English, Renaissance English

Text Version Here*: Memory, O Memory, Mistress of Misadventure Mass that moves the firmament of my mind Mnemocentric monarch, Madam Maker, my demise Petrifying paramour, you’ve panged me till this point Painfully pulling, or with pleasant palms persuading Down paths that preach of penance for the pitiful  Deceptively pricking poison in the purity of a child No longer can I act attritious amour, a vulnerable veneer Veiling vaults of vexing vermin fettered, infested in my chest No longer can you suffocate my senses- Enamored in another world, feeding phantom flesh My moth-eaten mouth murmurs ‘O Maria,’ as bog and body moldering matrimony make No longerRead More →

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In: Renaissance English

Milton’s descriptive work in Paradise Lost is admirable, capturing the reader’s imagination; Milton dazzles us with defamiliarized, celestial descriptions of Earth, and engrosses us in horrific descriptions of Hell. In fact, it was Milton’s description of Hell in Book 1 that captivated me as a high school student studying excerpts from the epic for the first time. In this blog post, my goal is to exemplify Milton’s use of prosody and poetic device in an excerpt from Book 2 that caught my attention while re-reading it some days ago. It was the shift in meter at line 621 that made me pause and do someRead More →

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In: Research Seminar Responses

In this blog post I will be discussing the seminar given by Prof. Jane Degenhardt and Prof. Henry S. Turner, entitled ‘Shakespeare’s Dark Cosmologies.’ The main question their seminar poses is: ‘If a cosmology is a system of meaning and value, requires judgement and reason, and looks at ethical questions, what is the value of dark cosmology? A cosmology of darkness, death, and disorder?’ Prof. Turner opened the seminar, first contextualizing the question at hand. In this context, cosmology not only means the study of the universe, but how society constructs ideas about the universe and our world, and how this is often revealing. InRead More →

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In: Middle English, Renaissance English

The Trojan War has captivated the imagination of writers spanning countless generations. From the authors of Antiquity, through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, to contemporary adaptations, the story has been translated, retold, and adapted in various ways. Each iteration focuses on different points of the narrative and on different characters. Some maintain the epic heroic spirit of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, while others choose a more romantic or psychological approach. The syllabus of the Medieval and Renaissance English Literature MA at UCC offers a few adaptations of the tale: Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, Robert Henryson’s The Testiment of Cresseid, and George Chapman’s Achilles’ Shield. AtRead More →

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In: EN6009

In recent years, AI has emerged as a controversial tool that has instigated several moral questions as our society responds to this rapidly growing technology. Some people use it daily, some people swear it off entirely, and yet ultimately it is a tool that has no moral compass, and no capability to think for itself. Due to this, AI is entirely dependent upon the will of its creators. Humans must decide what to use AI for, how to use it, and how to train those models to complete the desired task. With this in mind, I would like to explore some of the most powerfulRead More →

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In: Research Seminar Responses

In this blog post I will be discussing the talk delivered by Dr. Heather Laird entitled ‘Leave as Little Trace as Possible: Ethical Non-Consumption in Cathy Sweeney’s Breakdown and Sara Baume’s Seven Steeples.’ Cathy Sweeney’s debut novel Breakdown (2024) tells the story of a suburban mother and wife who leaves her family and life behind in Dublin, never to return. During this 48-hour journey, the narrator explores various forms of breakdown—in marriage, friendship, and trust—from the perspective of a middle-aged, middle-class school teacher unsatisfied in life. Sara Baume’s Seven Steeples (2022) follows a couple who isolate themselves from society. The novel is set across sevenRead More →

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In: Creative

As of today, my first semester at UCC has come to a close, and my second semester has begun. I feel quite satisfied now that I have submitted both of my essays for the first semester, regardless of the result. A few years have passed since I graduated from my undergrad at UCC, so it was a bit nerve wracking coming into my first semester back. I’m just proud that I applied and got in, and that I’ve now officially submitted all the written work required from me this term. I’ve submitted my essays almost like one expels a nasty stomach bug: by writhing withRead More →