Women and reading in fin-de-siècle Ireland
Citation:
Mai Yatani, 'Women and reading in fin-de-siècle Ireland', [thesis], Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland). Department of History, 2017, pp 306Download Item:
Abstract:
There is a general understanding that women at the turn of the twentieth century operated under the strict guidance of male authority, and women's reading activities are no exception. Existing studies, which are strongly influenced by feminist ideas, have explained this as one facet of the general oppression of women. This approach has emphasised the image of women as victims and denied women's own will and agency. Aiming for a more balanced historiography, this thesis seeks to challenge this set of assumptions by providing a wide-ranging exploration of the relationship between women and reading in fin-de-siècle Ireland. Based on primary research in archives across Ireland, the thesis employs an interdisciplinary methodology which combines quantitative and textual analyses of the contemporary press, diaries and memoirs. The thesis has three main objectives: to reconstruct the general landscape of Irish people's reading activity around the turn of the twentieth century; to outline how women enjoyed reading throughout their lifetime; and to consider what meaning such reading activity had for women. This thesis also aims to address following questions: what were regarded as "good" or "bad" readings? How restricted was female reading in that period? If so, what restricted women's freedom of reading? Were women powerless to challenge these restrictions? If not, what was the strategies to broaden their possibilities?
Author: Yatani, Mai
Advisor:
Dickson, DavidO'Neill, Ciaran
Qualification name:
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)Publisher:
Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland). Department of HistoryNote:
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