Girls, Girls, Girls!: Defining and Deconstructing ‘Domestic Noir’

A free-of-charge one-day symposium on domestic noir fiction, hosted by the School of English at Trinity College Dublin in association with the Trinity Long Room Hub.

In recent years, the ‘domestic noir' genre has seen a surge in popularity, with bestsellers like Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and A.J. Finn's The Woman in the Window garnering critical acclaim and commercial success. These narratives of domestic suspense are the latest incarnations of a genre which has existed in various forms since the nineteenth century, from the ‘had I but known' intrigue of the sensation novel to the mid-20^th-century marriage thriller. These narratives invariably centre on the domestic sphere, with a particular focus on the lived experience of the women for whom these spaces may prove treacherous or psychologically stifling. Author Julia Crouch, the originator of the term ‘domestic noir', defines it as fiction that “takes place primarily in homes and workplaces, concerns itself largely (but not exclusively) with the female experience, is based around relationships and takes as its base a broadly feminist view that the domestic sphere is a challenging and sometimes dangerous prospect for its inhabitants.” This symposium is the first of its kind, focusing exclusively on narratives which broadly fit these criteria.

Author and originator of the term ‘domestic noir,' Julia Crouch, is keynote speaker for this event. The second keynote speaker is Dr Bernice Murphy F.T.C.D. (Trinity College Dublin), world-renowned expert on popular literature.

Attendance is free-of-charge, but places must be booked.