- University College Dublin
- María Auxiliadora Pérez Vides: “Theocratic Ireland and beyond in John Banville’s crime fiction”
Description of the activity.
Departing from the early, transcendental engagements in his literary career, since the turn of the millennium John Banville’s crime fiction has focussed prominently on the intersection of religion and class on a pragmatical level. The author has become increasingly outspoken in his critique of the terms whereby these two principles of the Irish post-nationalist identity have remained culturally ingrained and impacted the lives of individuals on the island. This seminar examined his noir narratives as Benjamin Black, where Banville showcases the entanglement of Church and State, signifying the institutional wrongdoing and corruption that permeated such theocratic milieu. We discussed the ethical and religious contradictions behind these social practices which, facilitated by a persistent rule of secrecy and dependent on class discourses, inform the ethos that instils through his noir stories.