In this episode I'm joined by Dr Richard Jorge Fernández, who researches into the nineteenth-century Irish Gothic, especially the short story. We talk about how his interest in Irish literature began, and also about his current project which compares Galician literature and Irish literature, due to his own roots, and the similarities in these regions. We think about the issues colonial countries face, as well as immigrants and second-generation immigrants. Specifically, we consider how language comes into play, such as conflicting feelings about parent languages, how people react to hearing different accents, all of which play into the Othering concept. We discuss how these ideas were present in both 19th century contexts and today, and the importance of recognising privilege, and how literature can challenge this.

About my guest: Richard Jorge Fernández received his BA in English Studies at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and later on proceeded to enhance his knowledge in the field of literature with an MA in Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama at University College Dublin, where his minor thesis on the relation of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and the Gothic tradition was supervised by Declan Kiberd. He completed his PhD at the University of Santiago de Compostela researching the relationship between the short story and the Irish Gothic tradition in the writings of James Clarence Mangan, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and Bram Stoker. He is currently teaching at the Department of Philology in the University of Cantabria.

For more information on Richard's work, check out the details below:

https://www.estudiosirlandeses.org/contributor/richard-jorge-fernandez/

Check out Richard's suggestions:

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu - In a Glass Darkly; Carmilla: The House by the Churchyard
Bram Stoker - Dracula's Guest
Kate Morton - The Forgotten Garden; The Distant Hours
M.R. James - Collected Ghost Stories
Maria Edgeworth - Castle Rackrent
Marcial Valladares - Maxina

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

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