Murphy, Bernice M. 1977–

PERSONAL:

Born November 2, 1977, in County Louth, Republic of Ireland. Education: Queen's College Belfast, 1999, B.A. (Hons.), M.A., 2000; Trinity College Dublin, Ph.D., 2004. Politics: "Liberal." Religion: "Atheist."

ADDRESSES:

Home— Republic of Ireland. Office— School of English, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland; fax: 353-1-671-7114. E-mail— bernicemurphy55@yahoo.co.uk.

CAREER:

Academician. Trinity College, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences postdoctoral research fellow, 2006-07.

MEMBER:

Irish Association of American Studies.

WRITINGS:

(Editor and contributor)Shirley Jackson: Essays on the Literary Legacy(essays), McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 2005.

Editor and cofounder of Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies. Contributor to the online Literary Encyclopedia and Companion to the American Novel. Contributor to anthologies, including The Male as the Source of Gothic Horror, edited by Ruth Anolik, McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 2006;American Fiction Writers, edited by Wanda Giles, Bruccoli Clark Layman (Columbia, SC), 2006;The Essentials of Literature in English, Post 1914, edited by Ian MacKean, Hodder Arnold (London, England), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Bernice M. Murphy is an Irish academician whose research interests include horror and the gothic, popular culture, film, American literature, and 1950s American culture and society. Born in County Louth, Republic of Ireland, on November 2, 1977, Murphy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's College Belfast in 1999. She earned a Master of Arts degree in modern literary studies the following year from Queen's College Belfast as well. In 2004 she completed a Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin with a thesis on the life and works of American author Shirley Jackson. In 2006 Murphy became an Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences postdoctoral research fellow at Trinity College, Dublin. With funding from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Murphy is writing a book on gothic and horror-themed representations of American suburban life since 1948.

Murphy is a member of the Irish Association of American Studies. She is also the cofounder and editor of the biannual Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies with Elizabeth McCarthy. The journal, started in October, 2006, is an online source for examining horror and gothic-themed films, books, television programs, and new media. Murphy is a contributor to research journals, including writing the "Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle " entry for Companion to the American Novel. Murphy contributed a number of entries to the online Literary Encyclopedia, including "The Horror Genre," "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," "Shirley Jackson," "Stephen King," "H.P. Lovecraft," "Richard Matheson," "Alan Moore," "Stan Lee," "Neil Gaiman," and "Peter Straub." Murphy also contributes to anthologies and scholarly books on various topics. In 2005 she contributed to Ian MacKean's The Essentials of Literature in English, Post 1914. In 2006 Murphy contributed articles to Ruth Anolik's The Male as theSource of Gothic Horror and Wanda Giles's American Fiction Writers.

In 2005 Murphy edited her own collection of essays on Jackson, called Shirley Jackson: Essays on the Literary Legacy. From 1948 to 1965 Jackson published a half dozen novels, a story collection, two volumes on her family life, and numerous stories. It is said that her writing inspired such authors as Stephen King and Nigel Kneale. The stories range from lighthearted and casual tales to those of deep deception. Among Jackson's stories and novels, Murphy focuses on a handful, including The Haunting of Hill House, The Road through the Wall, "The Lottery," and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Murphy analyzes contemporary critical accounts of Jackson while adding her own insights on the author and her works. She also takes into consideration Jackson's ethics, domestic fiction, eschatology, and cosmology. A contributor to Reference & Research Book News commented that Murphy's "collection expands the scope of Jackson scholarship."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Literature, September, 2006, review of Shirley Jackson: Essays on the Literary Legacy, p. 671.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, March, 2006, J.J. Benardete, review of Shirley Jackson, p. 1230.

Reference & Research Book News, February, 2006, review of Shirley Jackson.

ONLINE

Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies,http://irishgothichorrorjournal.homestead.com/ (November 29, 2007), author profile.

Trinity College Dublin, School of English Web site,http://www.tcd.ie/english/ (November 29, 2007), author profile.