Description

Writing both under her pen name M.J. Farrell and her own name, Molly Keane was a master analyst of the declining Anglo-Irish gentry. Behind the elegant facades of country houses, fox hunts, and impeccable drawing-room manners, her novels exposed a cold world of emotional cruelty, financial ruin, and strict social hypocrisy. Molly Keane: Essays in Contemporary Criticism provides a fresh, comprehensive evaluation of her distinct literary legacy.

This scholarly anthology gathers leading international critics to examine her masterpiece Good Behaviour alongside her wider theatrical plays and early novels. The essays explore her revolutionary treatment of complex mother-daughter dynamics, the distinct architectural symbolism of the “Big House,” and her dark, modern handling of gender boundaries. It is a vital volume that firmly cements Keane’s position as one of the most brilliant, subversive voices in twentieth-century literature.

Critical frameworks explored in this text:

• Comprehensive Artistic Survey: Balances detailed evaluations of her famous later novels alongside her early commercial West End stage plays.

• Deep Socio-Cultural Insight: Analyzes her unique ability to satirize and document the domestic codes and eventual collapse of the Ascendancy class.

• High-Level Scholarly Caliber: An essential critical addition for academic researchers focusing on modern Irish fiction and women’s writing.