The Unheard Voices of Irish Women in the Novels of Edna O'Brien

Abstract

This thesis project focuses on the work of Edna O’Brien, an Irish author, as a pioneer in literature who uniquely represents the feminine perspective and voice, even while her books were banned and burned. The discussion notes O’Brien’s work as it addresses woman’s perceived place in Irish history as “muted” and powerless. In a close examination of her writing, The Country Girls Trilogy and House of Splendid Isolation specifically, are noted themes of isolation, the constraints of Catholicism, loneliness, and loss, as enduring realities for women in Ireland.