Abstract
This thesis uses sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s theories, in particular the concept of ‘habitus clivé’ to look at social mobility and the Northern Irish working-class experience through new creative work—a novel called Inventionland—and close readings of Robert McLiam Wilson’s Ripley Bogle (1986) and Glenn Patterson’s Fat Lad (1992). Habitus clivé is the experience of being split between two social worlds—working class and middle class—existing in both, but belonging to neither, leading to divided loyalties and a fragmented sense of self. The creative component of this study uses the concept of habitus clivé to explore elements of Bourdieu’s field theory as it applies to the experience of social mobility in Northern Ireland. The critical component considers existing studies of Bourdieu’s concepts and literature, summarises recent research on Irish and Northern Irish working-class fiction with regard to habitus clivé, and applies the concept in close readings of Ripley Bogle and Fat Lad.The thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2026. Note that the creative component, "Inventionland "(pp. 5-316) is redacted from view for 5 years and is subject to a future review decision in July 2029.
| Date of Award | Jul 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Sponsors | Northern Ireland Department for the Economy |
| Supervisor | Stefanie Lehner (Supervisor) & Glenn Patterson (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- Creative writing
- working-class literature
- working-class writing
- Pierre Bourdieu
- habitus clivé
- cleft habitus
- split habitus
- cultural capital
- working-class studies
- Northern Ireland
- Irish literature
- Glenn Patterson
- Fat Lad
- Robert McLiam Wilson
- Ripley Bogle