Biography
PhD (University of Nottingham, 2005)My research interests are in contemporary American literature, postmodernism, trauma theory and the literature of trauma, Jewish-American literature, and naturalism in American culture. I am the author of Contemporary American Trauma Narratives (Edinburgh UP, 2014), which won the Irish Association for American Studies' 2015 Peggy O'Brien Book Prize, and Henry Roth’s Semi-Autobiographical Tetralogy, Mercy of a Rude Stream(1994-1998): The Second Career of an American Novelist (Mellen, 2008), plus articles and book chapters on crime fiction, trauma in popular culture, and naturalism in contemporary American culture. I am currently researching further elements of naturalism in contemporary American literature and culture. I welcome proposals from prospective PhD candidates in any of these areas. Research Interests
My research and supervision interests include a wide range of American writing. In particular, I am interested in contemporary American fiction, naturalism in contemporary American literature and culture, trauma narratives and trauma theory, Jewish-American literature, and narrative theory. In 2014 I published a monograph, Contemporary American Trauma Narratives, with Edinburgh University Press. This monograph won the Irish Association for American Studies' 2015 Peggy O'Brien Prize. I am currently researching naturalism in contemporary American culture, and have published articles on the subject in journals including the Journal of American Studies, Studies in American Naturalism, the Cormac McCarthy Journal, and the Canadian Review of American Studies.Research Grants
| Project | Funding Body | Start Date | End Date | Award | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Solotaroff and the New American Review 1967-1977 | Irish Research Council | 01-OCT-19 | 31-AUG-21 | €93,831.00 | |
| The Resurgence of American Literary Naturalism in the Neoliberal 21st Century | Irish Research Council | 01-OCT-18 | 30-SEP-20 | €48,000.00 | |
| Reading Postmodernism - Indeterminacy, Instability and the changing role of the Modern Reader. | Irish Research Council | 01-OCT-16 | 30-SEP-19 | €69,390.00 | |
| Innovative Representations of Trauma in Contemporary Literature, Postmodernish and popular Culture. | Irish Research Council | 01-OCT-16 | 30-SEP-19 | €71,924.00 | |
| Solastalgic America - Literature of the Environmental Psyche. | Irish Research Council | 01-OCT-17 | 30-SEP-18 | €24,000.00 |
Publications
Books
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2014) | Contemporary American Trauma Narratives. Gibbs, Alan (2014) Contemporary American Trauma Narratives. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. [Details] | |
| (2008) | Henry Roth's Semi-Autobiographical Tetralogy Mercy of a Rude Stream (1994-1998): The Second Career of an American Novelist. Gibbs, Alan; (2008) Henry Roth's Semi-Autobiographical Tetralogy Mercy of a Rude Stream (1994-1998): The Second Career of an American Novelist. unknown: Edwin Mellen Press. [Details] |
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2022) | 'Naturalism, Determinism and Fate in Joel Coen's: The Tragedy of Macbeth' Gibbs, Alan (2022) 'Naturalism, Determinism and Fate in Joel Coen's: The Tragedy of Macbeth'. Studies in American Naturalism, 17 (2):150-174 [Details] | |
| (2022) | 'American Literary Naturalism and the Visual' Gibbs, Alan; McCreedy, Sarah (2022) 'American Literary Naturalism and the Visual'. Studies in American Naturalism, 17 (2):ix-xvii [Details] | |
| (2021) | 'The Exonerative Deterministic: Uses of Neo-naturalism in Twenty-First-Century American Culture' Gibbs, Alan (2021) 'The Exonerative Deterministic: Uses of Neo-naturalism in Twenty-First-Century American Culture'. Journal Of American Studies, 55 (5):1046-1070 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2021) | 'New Television as Neo-Naturalism: The Wire and The Shield' Gibbs, Alan (2021) 'New Television as Neo-Naturalism: The Wire and The Shield'. The Canadian Review of American Studies, 51 (3):247-260 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2020) | '“You make yourself into a monster so you no longer bear responsibility for what you do” Dexter, Naturalism, and Neoliberal Crime Discourse' Gibbs, Alan (2020) '“You make yourself into a monster so you no longer bear responsibility for what you do” Dexter, Naturalism, and Neoliberal Crime Discourse'. Studies in American Naturalism, 15 (2):211-235 [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2020) | '"Things happen to you they happen": Cormac McCarthy, Morality, and Neo-Naturalism' Gibbs, A (2020) '"Things happen to you they happen": Cormac McCarthy, Morality, and Neo-Naturalism'. Cormac Mccarthy Journal, 18 :56-77 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'So This Is a Big Preventive Guilt Trip: Neo-Naturalism and the Politics of Obesity in Lionel Shriver's Big Brother' Gibbs, Alan (2019) 'So This Is a Big Preventive Guilt Trip: Neo-Naturalism and the Politics of Obesity in Lionel Shriver's Big Brother'. Pennsylvania Literary Journal, 11 (3):186-204 [Details] | |
| (2015) | 'Decolonizing Trauma Studies: Round-Table Discussion' Craps, Stef; Cheyette, Bryan; Gibbs, Alan; Andermahr, Sonya; Allwork, Larissa (2015) 'Decolonizing Trauma Studies: Round-Table Discussion'. Humanities, 4 (4):905-923 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2013) | '“Maybe that's what happens if you touch the Doctor, even for a second”: Trauma in Doctor Who' Gibbs, Alan (2013) '“Maybe that's what happens if you touch the Doctor, even for a second”: Trauma in Doctor Who'. Journal of Popular Culture, 46 (5):950-972 [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2006) | 'Trends in Twentieth-Century American Literary culture: Henry Roth's 'Gateways of Esteem'' Gibbs, Alan; (2006) 'Trends in Twentieth-Century American Literary culture: Henry Roth's 'Gateways of Esteem''. Working With English, 2 (*):*-* [Details] | |
| (2005) | 'A Means to an End: Henry Roth's Self-Consuming Short Fiction' Gibbs, Alan; (2005) 'A Means to an End: Henry Roth's Self-Consuming Short Fiction'. Journal of The Short Story In English, 44 (*):25-36 [Details] | |
| (2004) | 'Editing the Great Literary Comeback: Ralph Ellison's Juneteenth and Henry Roth's Mercy of a Rude Stream' Gibbs, Alan; (2004) 'Editing the Great Literary Comeback: Ralph Ellison's Juneteenth and Henry Roth's Mercy of a Rude Stream'. US Studies Online, 5 (*):*-* [Details] | |
| (2003) | 'Editing Henry Roth's Mercy Series: A Conversation with Robert Weil' Gibbs, Alan; (2003) 'Editing Henry Roth's Mercy Series: A Conversation with Robert Weil'. Studies In American Jewish Literature, 22 (*):154-162 [Details] | |
| (2003) | 'The Play's the Thing: Textual Criticism and Performance of King Lear' Gibbs, Alan; (2003) 'The Play's the Thing: Textual Criticism and Performance of King Lear'. Postgraduate English, (7) [Details] |
Book Chapters
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2024) | 'Embodied Traumas in Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Literature' Gibbs, Alan (2024) 'Embodied Traumas in Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Literature' In: Anna M. Elsner and Monika Pietrzak-Franger (eds). Literature and Medicine. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Reset' Gibbs, Alan (2020) 'Reset' In: Richard Peevers, Bob Furnell (eds). Torchwood: What the Fans Think. Vancouver: Pencil Tip Publishing. [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Adam' Gibbs, Alan (2020) 'Adam' In: Peevers, Richard and Bob Furnell (eds). Torchwood: What the Fans Think. Vancouver: Pencil Tip Publishing. [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Children of Earth: Day Five' Gibbs, Alan (2020) 'Children of Earth: Day Five' In: Richard Peevers, Bob Furnell (eds). Torchwood: What the Fans Think. Vancouver: Pencil Tip Publishing. [Details] | |
| (2014) | 'The problem is, I'm not sure I believe in the thunderclap of trauma: Aesthetics of Trauma in Contemporary American Literature' Gibbs, Alan (2014) 'The problem is, I'm not sure I believe in the thunderclap of trauma: Aesthetics of Trauma in Contemporary American Literature' In: Tamas Benyei and Alexandra Stara (eds). The Edges of Trauma: Explorations in Visual Art and Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars' Press. [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2010) | 'Listen to him, Mr. Take-Charge: Gender Politics and Morality in Carl Hiaasen's Crime Novels' Gibbs, A; (2010) 'Listen to him, Mr. Take-Charge: Gender Politics and Morality in Carl Hiaasen's Crime Novels' In: Writing America into the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2009) | 'Naturalism and Steinbeck's Curious Compromise in The Grapes of Wrath' Gibbs, Alan; (2009) 'Naturalism and Steinbeck's Curious Compromise in The Grapes of Wrath' In: The Grapes of Wrath: A Re-Consideration. Amsterdam: Rodopi. [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2008) | 'Jewish Salami and Ira Stigman's Mark of Evil: Sex and Self-Hatred in the work of Henry Roth' Gibbs, Alan; (2008) 'Jewish Salami and Ira Stigman's Mark of Evil: Sex and Self-Hatred in the work of Henry Roth' In: Jews and Sex. unknown: Five Leaves. [Details] | |
| (2005) | 'Jewish American Autobiography' Gibbs, Alan; (2005) 'Jewish American Autobiography' In: The Encyclopaedia of Ethnic American Literature. unknown: Greenwood Press. [Details] | |
| (2005) | 'Nathanael West' Gibbs, Alan; (2005) 'Nathanael West' In: The Encyclopaedia of Ethnic American Literature. unknown: Greenwood Press. [Details] |
Book Reviews
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | Review: Ernst, Matter-Siebel, and Schmidt, eds., Revisionist Approaches to American Realism and Naturalism. Gibbs, Alan (2020) Review: Ernst, Matter-Siebel, and Schmidt, eds., Revisionist Approaches to American Realism and Naturalism. Book Reviews [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2012) | The Major Phases of Philip Roth. Gibbs, A (2012) The Major Phases of Philip Roth. Book Reviews [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2011) | History Lessons: The Creation of American Jewish Heritage. Gibbs, A (2011) History Lessons: The Creation of American Jewish Heritage. Book Reviews [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2006) | Considering Maus: Approaches to Art Spiegelman's Survivor's Tale of the Holocaust. Gibbs, Alan; (2006) Considering Maus: Approaches to Art Spiegelman's Survivor's Tale of the Holocaust. Book Reviews [Details] | |
| (2006) | Redemption: The Life of Henry Roth. Gibbs, Alan; (2006) Redemption: The Life of Henry Roth. Book Reviews [Details] | |
| (2006) | Atom Egoyan. Gibbs, Alan; (2006) Atom Egoyan. Book Reviews [Details] | |
| (2004) | Lars von Trier. Gibbs, Alan; (2004) Lars von Trier. Book Reviews [Details] | |
| (2003) | American Literature: The Essential Glossary. Gibbs, Alan; (2003) American Literature: The Essential Glossary. Book Reviews [Details] |
Electronic Article
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2022) | RTE Brainstorm: Cormac McCarthy's unflinching dedication to life's big themes. Gibbs, Alan (2022) RTE Brainstorm: Cormac McCarthy's unflinching dedication to life's big themes. Dublin: Electronic Article [Details] | |
| (2022) | RTE Brainstorm: Does a new face as Doctor Who really mean a new Doctor Who?. Gibbs, Alan (2022) RTE Brainstorm: Does a new face as Doctor Who really mean a new Doctor Who?. Dublin: Electronic Article [Details] |
Professional Activities
Honours and Awards
| Year | Title | Awarding Body | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Peggy O'Brien Book Prize | Irish Association for American Studies |
Professional Associations
| Association | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Association for American Studies | Member | / | |
| The Cormac McCarthy Society | Member | / | |
| Irish Association for American Studies | Member | / |
Conference Contributions
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2023) | American Literature Association Annual Conference, Gibbs, Alan (2023) “The heavy unending wall of it”: Trauma and Naturalism in The Passenger and Stella Maris. [Oral Presentation], American Literature Association Annual Conference, Boston, USA , 25-MAY-23 - 27-MAY-23. [Details] | |
| (2023) | American Literature and its Travels, Gibbs, Alan (2023) Trauma and Naturalism in the Novels of Toni Morrison. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], American Literature and its Travels, University of Nottingham, UK , 17-APR-23 - 18-APR-23. [Details] | |
| (2022) | American Literary Naturalism and the Visual/Digital, Gibbs, Alan (2022) Naturalism, Determinism and Fate in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth. [Oral Presentation], American Literary Naturalism and the Visual/Digital, University College Cork , 14-OCT-22 - 15-OCT-22. [Details] | |
| (2022) | American Literary Naturalism and the Visual/Digital, Gibbs, Alan (2022) Symposium Organiser. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], American Literary Naturalism and the Visual/Digital, University College Cork , 14-OCT-22 - 15-OCT-22. [Details] | |
| (2022) | International Cormac McCarthy Conference, Gibbs, Alan; Downey, Dara; Hayes-Brady, Clare (2022) Roundtable Discussion: Teaching Cormac McCarthy. [Invited Seminars/Guest Lectures], International Cormac McCarthy Conference, TCD, Dublin , 14-JUN-22 - 17-JUN-22. [Details] | |
| (2019) | Confidence Men and Hucksters: Corruption and Governance, Gibbs, Alan (2019) IAAS Annual Conference. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Confidence Men and Hucksters: Corruption and Governance, University College Cork , 12-APR-19 - 13-APR-19. [Details] | |
| (2017) | PCA-ACA Annual Conference, Gibbs, Alan (2017) Sensationalist Neo-Naturalism: The Nether World of The Shield. [Oral Presentation], PCA-ACA Annual Conference, San Diego, California , 12-APR-17 - 15-APR-17. [Details] | |
| (2016) | Crossroads and Transgressions: Cormac McCarthy Between Worlds, Gibbs, Alan (2016) 'Things Happen to You They Happen': Cormac McCarthy and the New Naturalism. [Oral Presentation], Crossroads and Transgressions: Cormac McCarthy Between Worlds, JFK Institute, Berlin , 07-JUL-16 - 09-JUL-16. [Details] | |
| (2015) | Decolonizing Trauma Studies Symposium, Gibbs, Alan (2015) Decolonizing Trauma Theory: Roundtable. [Invited Seminars/Guest Lectures], Decolonizing Trauma Studies Symposium, University of Northampton, UK , 15-MAY-15 - 15-MAY-15. [Details] | |
| (2015) | Memory Frictions: International Conference on Contemporary Narratives in English, Gibbs, Alan (2015) 'Naturalism and Traumatic Memory in Lionel Shriver's Big Brother. [Oral Presentation], Memory Frictions: International Conference on Contemporary Narratives in English, Zaragoza, Spain , 06-MAY-15 - 08-MAY-15. [Details] | |
| (2015) | Sight Unseen: IAAS Annual Conference, Gibbs, Alan (2015) The Shield: Torture and Surveillance in post-9/11 American Popular Culture. [Oral Presentation], Sight Unseen: IAAS Annual Conference, TCD, Dublin , 24-APR-15 - 25-APR-15. [Details] | |
| (2015) | Narrative (Annual Conference), Gibbs, Alan (2015) Denarration and the Counterfactual: Narratives of Trauma in Lionel Shriver's Big Brother. [Oral Presentation], Narrative (Annual Conference), Chicago , 05-MAR-15 - 08-MAR-15. [Details] | |
| (2014) | British Association of American Studies Annual Conference, Gibbs, Alan (2014) Against Collective Trauma: Art Spiegelman’s In the Shadow of No Towers and Pluralistic Responses to 9/11. [Oral Presentation], British Association of American Studies Annual Conference, Brimingham, UK , 10-APR-14 - 13-APR-14. [Details] | |
| (2014) | North East Modern Languages Association Annual Conference, Gibbs, Alan (2014) The Gulf Wars and Perpetrator Trauma. [Oral Presentation], North East Modern Languages Association Annual Conference, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA , 03-APR-14 - 06-APR-14. [Details] | |
| (2012) | Cultural Representations of Trauma, Gibbs, Alan (2012) ‘It’s so heartbreaking, violence, when it’s in a house’: Neo-Naturalist Explorations of Traumatic Absence and Loss in Recent American Counterfactual Novels. [Oral Presentation], Cultural Representations of Trauma, University of Reykjavik , 31-AUG-12 - 01-SEP-12. [Details] | |
| (2012) | Interrogating Trauma in the Humanities, Gibbs, Alan (2012) ‘The problem is, I’m not sure I believe in the thunderclap of trauma’: The Trauma Genre and Trauma Criticism in Contemporary American Literature. [Oral Presentation], Interrogating Trauma in the Humanities, University of Lincoln , 20-AUG-12 - 23-AUG-12. [Details] | |
| (2012) | American Alternatives/Alternative Americas, Gibbs, Alan (2012) Chair of Organising Committee/Panel Chair. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], American Alternatives/Alternative Americas, University College Cork , 27-APR-12 - 28-APR-12. [Details] | |
| (2011) | Irish Association for American Studies Annual Conference, Gibbs, Alan (2011) Appropriating Trauma: American Literary Responses to 9/11. [Oral Presentation], Irish Association for American Studies Annual Conference, Queen's University Belfast , 15-APR-11 - 16-APR-11. [Details] | |
| (2010) | Exploring the Edge of Trauma, Gibbs, A; (2010) Traumatic Metafiction and the Inscribed Narrator in Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves. [Oral Presentation], Exploring the Edge of Trauma, Chichester, Sussex, UK , 13-MAY-10 - 16-MAY-10. [Details] | |
| (2009) | The Work of Autobiography, Gibbs, Alan; (2009) Autobiography and Film Adaptation: Swofford, Mendes and Jarhead. [Oral Presentation], The Work of Autobiography, University College, London , 26-MAY-09 - 28-MAY-09. [Details] | |
| (2009) | British Association for American Studies Conference, Gibbs, Alan; (2009) Don DeLillo's The Body Artist: A New Phenomenology of Trauma. [Oral Presentation], British Association for American Studies Conference, University of Nottingham, U.K , 16-APR-09 - 19-APR-09. [Details] | |
| (2008) | 1948: American Realignments Conference, Gibbs, Alan; (2008) 1940 or 1948? Philip Roth and Michael Chabon's Alternative Histories. [Oral Presentation], 1948: American Realignments Conference, University of Sussex, England , 01-SEP-08 - 01-SEP-08. [Details] | |
| (2008) | International Conference on the Short Story in English, Gibbs, Alan; (2008) International Conference on the Short Story in English. [Conference Organising Committee Member], International Conference on the Short Story in English, University College Cork, Cork , 01-JUN-08 - 01-JUN-08. [Details] | |
| (2007) | British Association for American Studies Conference, Gibbs, Alan; (2007) Listen to him, Mr. Take-Charge: Gender Politics in Carl Hiaasen's Crime Novels. [Oral Presentation], British Association for American Studies Conference, University of Leicester, England , 01-APR-07 - 01-APR-07. [Details] | |
| (2005) | British Association for American Studies Conference, Gibbs, Alan; (2005) Making Funnies: Repetition, Evasion and Procrastination in American Postmodernist Trauma Narratives. [Oral Presentation], British Association for American Studies Conference, University of Cambridge, England , 01-APR-05 - 01-APR-05. [Details] | |
| (2004) | Literary Fads and Fashions: International Conference, Gibbs, Alan; (2004) Trends in Twentieth-Century American Literary Culture: Henry Roth's Gateways of Esteem. [Oral Presentation], Literary Fads and Fashions: International Conference, University of Nottingham, England , 01-NOV-04 - 01-NOV-04. [Details] | |
| (2004) | Interdisciplinary Approaches to Short Fiction Theory and Criticism, Gibbs, Alan; (2004) A Means to an End: Henry Roth's Self-Consuming Short Fiction. [Oral Presentation], Interdisciplinary Approaches to Short Fiction Theory and Criticism, Salamanca, Spain , 01-MAR-04 - 01-MAR-04. [Details] | |
| (2003) | Race and Rights Symposium, Gibbs, Alan; (2003) Race and Rights Symposium. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Race and Rights Symposium, University of Nottingham, UK , 01-DEC-03 - 01-DEC-03. [Details] | |
| (2002) | Jewish-American and Holocaust Literature Symposium, Gibbs, Alan; (2002) Henry Roth's Flawed Flawed Hero: Editing and Censorship in Mercy of a Rude Stream. [Oral Presentation], Jewish-American and Holocaust Literature Symposium, Boca Raton, Florida , 01-OCT-02 - 01-OCT-02. [Details] |
Committees
| Committee | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CACSSS Graduate Studies Committee | Chair of Committee and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies | 2015 / 2018 | |
| CACSSS Graduate Studies Committee | School of English representative | 2012 / |
Employment
| Employer | Position | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| University College Cork | College Lecturer in American Literature (English Department) | 01-SEP-06 / |
Education
| Year | Institution | Qualification | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | University of the West of England, Bristol | B.A. | English | |
| 2001 | University of the West of England, Bristol | M.A. | English | |
| 2005 | University of Nottingham | PhD | American Studies |
Journal Activities
| Journal | Role | To / From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Journal Of American Studies | Referee | 01-MAR-08 - | |
| Journal Of American Studies | Referee | 01-JAN-15 - | |
| The European Journal Of American Studies | Member of Advisory Board | 01-JAN-15 - 30-APR-21 | |
| Criticism | Referee | 12-JAN-15 - | |
| Contemporary Literature | Referee | 01-JAN-15 - |
Other Activities
| Description | |
|---|---|
PhD External examiner at Trinity College Dublin, 2016 | |
PhD external examiner at University of Edinburgh, December 2014 | |
PhD external examiner at University of Limerick, October 2014 |
Teaching Activities
Teaching Interests
I was appointed to my current position in UCC as lecturer in American Literature during September 2006, my first permanent academic role. My teaching and research interests include naturalism in American culture, Jewish-American writing, autobiography, contemporary American fiction, and trauma narratives, with a strong emphasis on narrative theory.
Recent Postgraduates
| Graduation Year | Student Name | Institution | Degree Type | Thesis Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Sean Travers | University College Cork | PHD | Innovative Representations of Trauma in Contemporary Literature | |
| 2020 | Ciaran Kavanagh | University College Cork | PHD | Postmodernism and Reader-Response |
Modules Taught
| Term (ID)) | Title | Link | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Special Studies Seminar II | EN3007 | Special Studies Seminar II | |
| 2010 | Twentieth-Century American Literature | EN3048 | Twentieth-Century American Literature | |
| 2010 | Critical Theory | EN3051 | Critical Theory |