Image of Dr Fiona Tolan

Dr Fiona Tolan

Humanities and Social Science

Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies

Email: F.Tolan@ljmu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0151 231 5106

I specialise in contemporary British fiction, contemporary women's writing and the history of second wave feminism. I am happy to supervise PhD students looking to undertake research in these areas.

Degrees

2004, Durham University, UK, PhD in English
2000, University of Sheffield, UK, BA (First Class) in English Literature

Chapters

Tolan F. 2023. A Life Can Be a Manifesto: Connecting Bernadine Evaristo to a History of Feminist Manifestos Tolan F, Carroll R. The Routledge Companion to Literature and Feminism Routledge. Abingdon 978-0367410261 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Tolan F. 2021. Margaret Atwood's Revisions of Classic Texts Howells CA. The Cambridge Companion to Margaret Atwood Cambridge University Press. Cambridge

Tolan F. 2014. 'I am the narrator of this work': Narrative authority in Andrea Levy's The Long Song' Baxter J, James D. Andrea Levy: Contemporary Critical Perspectives :95-108 Bloomsbury. London

Tolan F. 2011. "Was I My Sister's Keeper?": The Blind Assassin and Problematic Feminisms Bouson JB. Margaret Atwood :73-87 Continuum Intl Pub Group 978-0-8264-3062-5

Tolan F. 2008. "He could see her no longer": The negation of femininity through violence in Ian McEwan's fiction Throsby K, Alexander F. Gender and interpersonal violence: language, action and representation :186-199 Palgrave MacMillan. Basingstoke 9780230574014 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2006. British fiction today Tew P, Mengham R. British fiction today :128-138 Continuum International Publishing Group 9780826487315

Tolan F. 2006. Modern North American criticism and theory Wolfreys J. Modern North American criticism and theory :214-223 9780748624515

Tolan F. 2006. Literary theory and criticism Waugh P. Literary theory and criticism :319-339 Oxford University Press, USA 9780199291335

Tolan F. 2006. Identifying the Precious in Zadie Smith’s On Beauty British Fiction Today :128-138 9781441128676

Tolan F. Twenty-first Century Gileads: Feminist Dystopian Fiction after Atwood— The Handmaid’s Tale, Natural Way of Things, The Water Cure and The Testaments. Fisiak T, Ostalska K. Intersectional, Feminist and Non-Binary Approach to Speculative Literature, Film and Art in the 21st Century Routledge

Tolan F, Carroll R. Introduction: Writing Women’s Rights – from Enlightenment to Ecofeminism Tolan FIONA, Carroll RACHEL. The Routledge Companion to Literature and Feminism Routledge. Abingdon DOI

Journal article

Tolan F. 2023. Kate Atkinson Contemporary Women's Writing, 17 :235-236 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2022. “Work, Gratitude and ‘the Good Immigrant’: rereading Andrea Levy’s Every Light in the House Burnin’ (1994) and Never Far From Nowhere (1996) after the Windrush Scandal.” ARIEL, 53 :25-46 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Tolan F. 2021. The Politics of Cleaning in Doris Lessing’s 1980s Realist Fiction: The Diary of a Good Neighbour (1983) and The Good Terrorist (1985) Critical Quarterly, 63 :82-97 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Tolan F. 2020. "I don't know who I'd be if I wasn't a writer": An Interview with Kamila Shamsie Contemporary Women's Writing, 13 :119-133 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Tolan F. 2017. Aging and Subjectivity in Margaret Atwood’s Fiction Contemporary Women's Writing, 11 :336-353 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2017. Aging and Subjectivity in Margaret Atwood's Fiction Contemporary Women's Writing, 11 :336-353 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Tolan F. 2013. Zadie smith's forsterian ethics: White teeth, the autograph man, on beauty Critique - Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 54 :135-146 DOI Publisher Url

Bates C, Roberts G, Tolan F. 2013. Introduction British Journal of Canadian Studies, 26 :165-171 DOI Publisher Url

Murray MA, Tolan F. 2012. Editors' note Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 48 :341-343 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2010. "Painting while Rome burns": Ethics and Aesthetics in Pat Barker's Life Class and Zadie Smith's On Beauty Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, 29.2 (Fall 2010)

Tolan F. 2010. Editor's note Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 46 :241-243 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2010. "Cleaning gives me pleasure": Feminism and Housework in Carol Shield's Unless Australasian Canadian Studies: a multidisciplinary journal for the humanities and social sciences, 28 (2010)

Tolan F. 2009. "Everyone has left something here": The Storyteller-Historian in Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum CRITIQUE-STUDIES IN CONTEMPORARY FICTION, 50 :275-290 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2009. The Psychoanalytic Theme in Margaret Atwood's Fiction: A Response to Burkhard Niederhoff Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate, 19 (2009/10) :92-106

Wilson J, Tolan F, Lawson Welsh S. 2009. Rerouting the postcolonial Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 45 :121-123 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2007. Sucking the blood out of second wave feminism: Postfeminist vampirism in Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride Gothic Studies, 9.2 (2007) DOI Publisher Url

Wilson J, Tolan F. 2007. Editors' note and letters Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 43 :243-247 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F, Rudd A. 2007. Introduction Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 43 :1-2 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2006. Anglophone Canadian literary studies :214-224

Tolan F. 2005. Feminist utopias and questions of liberty: Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as critique of second wave feminism Women: a cultural review, 16.1 (Spring 2005) :18-32 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2004. guilt and Innocence in the Community and the Self: An examination of mutual responsibility in Margaret Atwood's Surfacing British Journal of Canadian Studies, 17.1

Tolan F. Situating Canada: the shifting perspective of the post-colonial other in Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride The American Review of Canadian Studies, 35.3 (Autumn 2005) :453-470 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. To Leave and to return: Frustrated departures and female quest in Alice Munro's Runaway Contemporary Women's Writing, 4.3 (2010) :161-178 DOI Publisher Url

Books (authored)

Carroll R, Tolan F. 2023. THE ROUTLEDGE COMPANION TO LITERATURE AND FEMINISM :1-480 9780367410261 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2022. The Fiction of Margaret Atwood Bloomsbury Publishing 9781350336742

Tolan F, Ferrebe A. 2012. Teaching Gender Palgrave MacMillan 9780230252516

Tolan F, Morton S, Valassopoulos A. 2011. Literature, Migration and the 'War on Terror' Routledge 9780415669290

Tolan F. 2010. New Directions Longman 9781408204771

Tew P, Tolan F, Wilson L. 2008. Writers talk: Conversations with Contemporary British Novelists Continuum Intl Pub Group

Tolan F. 2007. Margaret Atwood: Feminism and Fiction Rodopi Bv Editions 9789042022232

Other

Tolan F. 2017. "i could say that, too": An Interview with Margaret Atwood Contemporary Women's Writing, 11 :452-464 DOI Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2010. Review: Margaret Atwood and the Female Bildungsroman The Review of English Studies, 61 :490-492 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Tolan F. 2010. Review: Liminal Spaces: The Double Art of Carol Shields BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANADIAN STUDIES, 23 :144-145 Author Url

Editorial/letter to the editor

Tolan F. 2017. Introduction Contemporary Women's Writing, 11 :291-296 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Tolan F. 2015. Editors note Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 51 :503-505 DOI Publisher Url

External PGR examinations performed:

University of Reading, PhD, An intertextual reading of female characters in Margaret Atwood’s work. 2021

Murdoch University, Australia, PhD, The Place Between: Time as Palimpsest in the Reading and Writing of Women's Fiction. 2018

University of Gloucestershire, MA by Research, Breaking Boundaries: Gender and Genre in Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam Trilogy and The Heart Goes Last.. 2017

Editorial boards:

Contemporary Women's Writing, Reviews Editor, https://academic.oup.com/cww. 2020

Margaret Atwood Studies, International Advisory Board. 2010

Journal of POstcolonial Writing, Associate Editor, http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rjpw. 2005

Conference organisation:

Beyond Western Eyes: South Asian Women’s Writing in Contemporary Contexts (International symposium, Liverpool John Moores University), Organiser. 2019

"Where is Here Now? Canadian Literary Study in the Twenty-first Century", held at the Eccles Centre at the British Library., organiser. 2012

External committees:

Contemporary Women's Writing Association Executive Committee, Contemporary Women's Writing Association, Membership Secretary, http://www.the-cwwa.org/. 2011

British Association of Canadian Studies Literature Group, British Association of Canadian Studies, Co-Convenor, http://www.canadian-studies.info/. 2009

British Association of Canadian Studies Board, British Association of Canadian Studies, Board Member, http://www.canadian-studies.info/. 2008

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