Gallagher, Arthur Robin (2026) A Secret Shy and Cold: A Novel and a Reflection on Family Injustice and Inheritance. Doctoral thesis, York St John University.
Preview |
Text (Doctoral thesis)
A Secret Shy and Cold.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. | Preview |
Abstract
A Secret Shy and Cold examines the dynamics of relationships, inheritance, tradition, and gender in a contemporary family manipulated by intolerance and distorted by a damaged, domineering and emotionally cold patriarch. The arrival of the protagonist releases suppressed emotions and anxieties within the family that lead to tragedy and eventually to a form of resolution.
The critical component positions the novel within a broader historical and literary framework and examines how I have drawn on my own experience and diaries predominantly in relation to characterisation and setting. Chapter one of the exegesis explores the influence of personal diaries on the development of narrative voice, and structure, alongside the ethical considerations of using autobiographical material in fiction. Chapter two traces the legal and cultural history of primogeniture and the rights of women and analyses how this has been represented in literature. Chapter three documents the creative development of the novel and its characters in relation to the themes identified in chapters one and two. Chapter four examines the role of the landscape, particularly in North Wales, and folklore in shaping the novel’s atmosphere, sense of place and thematic development. The critical component then examines how I draw on the myths and motifs of The Mabinogion and integrate elements of the weird, eerie, and uncanny to evoke the hidden structures of power and inheritance.
Through both creative and critical strands, I argue that while legal frameworks now formally support sexual equality, the cultural and psychological residues of centuries of female subordination and prejudice continue to shape their position in society. My conclusion reflects on the disjunction between legal progress and emotional reality, suggesting that the journey toward true parity remains incomplete.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) |
| School/Department: | School of Humanities |
| URI: | https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/15486 |
University Staff: Request a correction | RaY Editors: Update this record
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
