Thompson, Helen

Helen Thompson is Associate Professor of Women and Gender studies at the University of Guam. She holds a Ph.D., English from the University of Southern Mississippi.

The Current Debate About the Irish Literary Canon: Essays Reassessing The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing

2006 0-7734-5971-5
This collection of essays examines Ireland’s literary canon in light of The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing and Irish identity at the turn of the century, contextualizing its readings within the understanding that The Field Day Anthology has crystallized discussions of literary value, canonicity, political agency and Irish identity because of its agenda and the ensuing controversy surrounding its publication. Yet, while The Field Day Anthology constitutes the occasion for writing, the collection also moves beyond it to suggest new models for reading and evaluating Irish literature and identity in the new century. The essays in the collection examine the canonical status of writers such as Joyce, Yeats and Beckett; how postcolonial theory and criticism have reshaped the boundaries of Irish studies; and how women’s writing has challenged canonicity as a concept.

THE ROLE OF IRISH WOMEN IN THE WRITINGS OF EDNA O’BRIEN Mothering the Continuation of the Irish Nation

2010 0-7734-3672-3
This book examines the interconnections between nationalism and sexuality in Edna O’Brien’s writing. The work explores the connections between Irishness and sexual reproduction that define women as good Irish citizens, exposes the dysfunctions with rural communities that strive to contain women with limited roles and rewrites them to offer her female characters increased agency. This book contains two color photographs and eight black and white photographs.