Thesis Title: (Provisionally Titled): Towards a Postcolonial Philology of Shakespeare: The elision of Irish contributions to Shakespeare’s canonization in the Eighteenth Century
Supervisor: Professor Emma Smith
Research Interests: Shakespeare, Early Modern literature and culture, Theatre History, Eighteenth century literature, Print History, History of the Book, Editorial theory, Bibliography, Decolonial and Postcolonial theory, Irish writing.
Doctoral Research: My thesis explores the canon-building of Shakespeare in the eighteenth century by focusing specifically on Irish contributions. By exploring Irish publishers, editors, and collectors of Shakespeare, my work proposes a postcolonial philology of Shakespeare which uncovers previously overlooked and non-Anglo-centric contributions to the canon. I pay special attention to figures like Edmond Malone, Alexander Pope, and Ambrose Eccles. I also advocate for an Irish editorial tradition of Shakespeare.