Wednesday, 14th December 2022. 4:30-8 pm Irish Time
Live (online only). Register here.
This event is supported by the Trinity Long Room Hub and the School of English, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
‘The House that Jackson Built’ is the second online symposium dedicated to exploring the status of Shirley Jackson’s writing in the work of scholars, creative practitioners, and the general public. Over the past two decades, Jackson’s reputation has undergone a truly remarkable transformation. Despite being one of the most prominent (and commercially successful) American authors of her era, critical interest in Jackson’s work declined in the decades immediately following her early death in August 1965. While her works of horror and Gothic fiction have long been held in high esteem by genre aficionados, she was, for quite some time, unfairly considered by many to be a relatively ‘minor’ writer. However, the twenty-first century has seen an explosion in the level of critical and public interest in Jackson’s work, and she is arguably one of the most significant American writers of the present day, as well as her own.
Building upon the success of last year’s inaugural TCD symposium focusing on the past, current, and future state of Shirley Jackson studies, the 2022 event, entitled ‘The House that Jackson Built’, will further expand and interrogate Jackson’s renewed significance in the twenty-first century. This year’s event explores the ways in which her writing has influenced the current literary and popular-culture landscape, particularly works and writers that situate themselves within the Horror, Gothic, and Fantasy traditions, and by discussing the vital contributions that Jackson’s family and literary estate has made to the distribution and promotion of her work.
Tentative Programme
4:30-4:40: Welcome/Ground Rules
4:40-5:40: Panel 1: Jackson’s family and the literary estate.
5:40-5:50: Break
5:50-6:50: Panel 2: Folk Horror.
6:50-7:00: Break
7:00-8:00: Panel 3: Jackson’s impact on fiction.
This event is free and open to all, but attendees must register in advance of the symposium.
Organisers: Janice Deitner (TCD Provost’s PPA holder, School of English), Dr Dara Downey (Former IRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow based in the Long Room Hub), Dr Bernice Murphy (TCD School of English), Dr Rob Lloyd (Cardiff University), and Dr Luke Reid (Dawson College).
Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: deitnerj@tcd.ie.
More information coming soon. Keep an eye on this space or on our twitter for details and the registration link. The event will be free and open to all, but registration will be necessary.
Reading Shirley Jackson in the Twenty-First Century consists of an annual live online event on Jackson’s birthday, 14 December, as well as asynchronous material available on our website and a Discord server for sharing resources and further discussion. The project is part of the TCD 2019 Provost’s PhD Project Award ‘Shirley Jackson: Beyond Hill House’ and is supported by the TCD Long Room Hub and the School of English, Trinity College Dublin.
Reading Shirley Jackson in the 21st Century 