Start Date
3 February, 2025
There will be 4 weekly meetings on Monday, 11am - 1pm, starting from 3 February.
Overview
Born in Dublin in 1895, the working-class writer Jim Phelan led an eventful life until his death in 1966. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Phelan spent a short spell in Liverpool. His time in the city ended in 1923 after his participation in the robbery of a Post Office resulted in his conviction for murder. The courts sentenced Phelan to death, but the punishment was eventually commuted to penal servitude for life. Phelan served thirteen and half years of a life sentence in some of England’s harshest prison regimes. Upon his release he wrote about various subjects, including his incarceration. This four-week course provides an introduction on the life and writing of Jim Phelan and investigates Phelan’s prison literature to consider how he used imprisonment as a formative space to develop his writing and eventually use his personal experience together with politics and social history to underline the plight of marginalised sections of society.
Students do not require any prior knowledge of Phelan. The course would appeal to anybody interested in various subjects including history, literature, sociology, crime fiction, criminology, biography, and archival research.
Syllabus
Week 1: Reminiscence
Week 2: Prison Novel
Week 3: Short Stories
Week 4: Reprints
Please note that the ‘last date available to book’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure enrol as soon as possible. Registrations will not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm.
Course Lecturer: Dr Michael Gill
I have worked at the University of Liverpool since 2011. My latest research project took an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the life and writings of the Irish born working-class writer Jim Phelan. The research extended to a coterie of writers and publishers active during the early twentieth century whose work included social criticism on socio-economic, political and cultural events. My previous research, and some of my teaching, has included social history, working-class writing, literature, media analysis, and international relations. The experience I have gained has given me an interest in the different methods of research practice.
Courses fees: Full fee £60/Concession £30.
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