Events and Activities

Lunchtime Event
March 11, 2026
Canadian Gothic & Mongomery's Haunted Girlhoods
I-CYS Writing Fellow, Dr. Dawn Sardella Ayres

The Gothic holds up a mirror to the fears and hauntings that persist in society’s collective psyche. My work on LM Montgomery’s use of the Gothic explores how Montgomery explored gender in her own social contexts in part by showing how the world of girls and girlhood is haunted by ghosts literal and figurative. Both Canadian and American Gothic traditions rely on haunted wilderness spaces where the landscape is not just a setting, but an active, indifferent antagonist. However, Montgomery also shows how the hauntings girls and women experience involves physical and psychological vulnerabilities within their social and religious structures. Today, as our society redefines girlhood in increasingly problematic ways, these academic conversations are vital for uncovering the shared hauntings that still connect us.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 11th, 12:00p.m.-1:00p.m.
WHERE: C450 (I-CYS Lair)

Dr. Sardella-Ayres received her PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2016. She has published on Alcott, Montgomery, Johnston, and Wilder, and researches late nineteenth- and early twentieth century girls’ texts. As a visiting I-CYS Writing Fellow for Spring 2026, she will be sharing updates on her current research into the role of the gothic in Canadian girls' fiction.