Queer Possessions: Creative Criticism and Modern Irish Literature
By Patrick R. Mullen
Syracuse UP, 2026.
ISBN: 9780815612131
https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/9432/queer-possessions/
Too often, fleeting moments rooted in queer experience have appeared in popular fiction, only to be little remarked upon, often noted only as a sign of continuing neoliberal social advances. In Queer Possessions: Creative Criticism and Modern Irish Literature, Patrick Mullen makes the case for a more personal analysis of these moments, finding ways for readers to create new meaning and explore closer readings of key texts.
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Queer Possessions is divided between close readings of modern Irish novels and films and creative readings of the same texts, to give readers the tools to engage more deeply with the process of analysis and criticism. In the first mode, Mullen examines how modern Irish literature has frequently featured comedy to represent queer sexuality and economic crisis in the twenty-first century. This analysis allows for the second mode, in which the text helps readers to assume a critical role, encouraging their own creative readings of texts and imagining more of the works.
Equal parts critical and playful, Queer Possessions works to rediscover misplaced queer history, encourage new forms of experiencing text, and empower readers to create new interpretations and works.
"What sets this book apart is its innovative approach to critical and creative reading. It doesn’t just offer theoretical insight, but delivers practical strategies for engaging with texts in imaginative, politically attuned, and meaningful ways, which is now more crucial than ever in the classroom. Queer Possessions is invaluable resource for scholars, educators, and students seeking new ways to approach and interpret literature."—Páraic Kerrigan, author of Reeling in the Queers: Tales of Ireland’s LGBTQ Past
Patrick R. Mullen is an associate professor of English at Northeastern University. He is the author of The Poor Bugger’s Tool: Irish Modernism, Queer Labor, and Postcolonial History.
