Unreliability in Contemporary Irish Fiction: Narration, Masculinities, and the Affects of Trauma, Guilt and Shame in Damian McNicholl's "A Son Called Gabriel" and John Boyne's "A History of Loneliness" and "The Heart’s Invisible Furies"

Esta tesis doctoral observa la narración no fiable y su aplicación a la literatura contemporánea de la República y el Norte de Irlanda. Tres novelas, A Son Called Gabriel (Damian McNicholl), A History of Loneliness y The Hearts Invisible Furies (ambas de John Boyne), han sido seleccionadas para tratar la (no) fiabilidad y su conexión con las masculinidades y los afectos del trauma, la culpa y la vergüenza. Estas narrativas muestran la necesidad que el narrador tiene de ser no fiable y cómo esto se proyecta en el papel, así como su representación del trauma, la culpa y la vergüenza causadas por las sociedades de la República y el Norte de Irlanda en los siglos XX y XXI. Este estudio explora primero el contexto histórico y social de la República de Irlanda y el Norte de Irlanda especialmente desde los años 50 del siglo XX hasta hoy. Tomando como base las novelas seleccionadas, se muestran los cambios que estas sociedades atravesaron principalmente en cuanto a la secularización de los países y la sexualidad. La política es también relevante para tratar la relación entre católicos y protestantes en el Norte de Irlanda, una parte esencial de este análisis. A continuación, el capítulo tres se centra en las masculinidades. Los tres protagonistas de las novelas son hombres y, dado que sus masculinidades son una parte clave de su identidad y su caracterización, un estudio de las masculinidades es necesario, especialmente basado en lo que significaba ser un hombre en los años 50 y lo que implica hoy en día. Este trabajo se centra en las masculinidades irlandesas para entender mejor a los personajes, así como en la paternidad para explorar las relaciones de los protagonistas con sus padres e hijos, para poder entenderlos como hombres. El capítulo cuatro se centra en la narración, dado que mi análisis se basa en cómo el trauma, la culpa, la vergüenza e incluso la masculinidad afectan a la narración. Así, se presta atención a la figura del narrador para después pasar a la narración no fiable. Aquí se exploran las diferentes interpretaciones de esta figura narratológica con ejemplos sacados de la literatura contemporánea escrita en lengua inglesa. También se discuten otros temas relacionados como la focalización, la confesión católica o las narrativas de vida, dada la temática de las novelas seleccionadas. El capítulo cinco está destinado a un análisis de los afectos del trauma, la memoria, la culpa y la vergüenza, dado que su comprensión es esencial para entender a continuación las ideas presentes en las novelas. Los cuatro afectos se tratan en cuanto a su relación con la no fiabilidad, así como con los roles de género, una vez más, con enfoque en las masculinidades. Así, esta tesis presenta una combinación de esos cuatro capítulos (la sociedad irlandesa, las masculinidades, narración y las emociones mencionadas) en las tres novelas escogidas. Los capítulos seis a ocho se destinan a los análisis de A Son Called Gabriel, A History of Loneliness y The Hearts Invisible Furies, respectivamente. Finalmente, el capítulo nueve recoge las conclusiones de esta tesis, incluyendo una propuesta para una nueva clasificación de narración no fiable, extraída de las tres novelas. RESUMEN EN INGLÉS This thesis dissertation looks at unreliable narration and its application to contemporary literature from the Republic and the North of Ireland. Three novels, Damian McNicholls A Son Called Gabriel, and John Boynes A History of Loneliness and The Hearts Invisible Furies, have been selected to discuss (un)reliability and its connection to masculinities and the affects of trauma, guilt, and shame. These narratives show the narrators need for unreliability and how it is portrayed on the page, as well as the representation of trauma, guilt, and shame brought about by the societies of the Republic and the North of Ireland of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This study deals first with the exploration of the historical and social background of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland especially since the 1950s to the present day. Taking the selected novels as basis, I show the changes that these societies went through mainly in terms of the secularization of the countries and sexuality. Politics is also relevant to discuss the relationship between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, an essential part of my analysis. Next, chapter three focuses on masculinities. The three protagonists of the novels are all male characters and, since their masculinities are a strong and essential part of their identity and characterization, a study on masculinities is needed, especially regarding what it meant to be a man in the 1950s and what it implies now. I focus on Irish masculinities to understand the characters better, as well as fatherhood to explore the relationship of the protagonists with their fathers and sons in order to understand them as men. Chapter four deals with narration, given that my analysis is based on how trauma, guilt, shame, and even masculinity affect narration. Thus, I pay attention to the figure of the narrator and then move on to unreliable narration. I here discuss different interpretations of this narratological figure through examples from contemporary literature written in English. I also tackle other related terms such as focalization, Catholic confession, or life narratives, given the plot of the selected novels. Chapter five is devoted to an analysis of the affects of trauma, memory, guilt, and shame, since their understanding is essential to comprehend next the ideas present in the narratives. All four of them are discussed regarding their relationship to unreliability, as well as their relationship to gender rolesonce again, with a focus on masculinities. This thesis, then, presents a combination of those four chapters (Irish society, masculinities, narration, and the emotions mentioned) in the three novels chosen. Chapters six to eight are devoted to the analyses of A Son Called Gabriel, A History of Loneliness, and The Hearts Invisible Furies, respectively. Finally, chapter nine deals with the conclusions of this thesis, including a proposal for a new classification of unreliable narration, drawn from the three novels.This thesis dissertation looks at unreliable narration and its application to contemporary literature from the Republic and the North of Ireland. Three novels, Damian McNicholls A Son Called Gabriel, and John Boynes A History of Loneliness and The Hearts Invisible Furies, have been selected to discuss (un)reliability and its connection to masculinities and the affects of trauma, guilt, and shame. These narratives show the narrators need for unreliability and how it is portrayed on the page, as well as the representation of trauma, guilt, and shame brought about by the societies of the Republic and the North of Ireland of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This study deals first with the exploration of the historical and social background of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland especially since the 1950s to the present day. Taking the selected novels as basis, I show the changes that these societies went through mainly in terms of the secularization of the countries and sexuality. Politics is also relevant to discuss the relationship between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, an essential part of my analysis. Next, chapter three focuses on masculinities. The three protagonists of the novels are all male characters and, since their masculinities are a strong and essential part of their identity and characterization, a study on masculinities is needed, especially regarding what it meant to be a man in the 1950s and what it implies now. I focus on Irish masculinities to understand the characters better, as well as fatherhood to explore the relationship of the protagonists with their fathers and sons in order to understand them as men. Chapter four deals with narration, given that my analysis is based on how trauma, guilt, shame, and even masculinity affect narration. Thus, I pay attention to the figure of the narrator and then move on to unreliable narration. I here discuss different interpretations of this narratological figure through examples from contemporary literature written in English. I also tackle other related terms such as focalization, Catholic confession, or life narratives, given the plot of the selected novels. Chapter five is devoted to an analysis of the affects of trauma, memory, guilt, and shame, since their understanding is essential to comprehend next the ideas present in the narratives. All four of them are discussed regarding their relationship to unreliability, as well as their relationship to gender rolesonce again, with a focus on masculinities. This thesis, then, presents a combination of those four chapters (Irish society, masculinities, narration, and the emotions mentioned) in the three novels chosen. Chapters six to eight are devoted to the analyses of A Son Called Gabriel, A History of Loneliness, and The Hearts Invisible Furies, respectively. Finally, chapter nine deals with the conclusions of this thesis, including a proposal for a new classification of unreliable narration, drawn from the three novels