Using the work of René Girard and Jacques Lacan, Mahon develops a new theoretical framework for reading the dynamic interplay of textuality, sexuality, violence, politics, reciprocity and the body in key literary and cinematic texts that engage with the period of political and social unrest in Northern Ireland known as the 'Troubles' (1968-1998).
'Peter Mahon's book is both timely and original, with a good sense of the vital significance of literature in Irish history. It is a trenchant scholarly intervention but will also interest a wide range of readers in both Ireland and Britain. I expect the book to become a model of the analysis of the cultural effects of political violence.' - Luke Thurston, Department of English& Creative Writing, Aberystwyth University, UK