Matthew Foley

Dr. Matthew Foley is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for BA English at Manchester Metropolitan University. His specialisms include early-twentieth-century literature, particularly literary modernism and Gothic fiction, alongside literary theory with emphasis on psychoanalytic (Freud, Lacan, Kristeva) and Derridean approaches. He holds a 1st Class BA in English from the University of Strathclyde, an MLitt in The Gothic Imagination from the University of Stirling, and a PhD in English Studies from Stirling.

Foley serves as administrator of the International Gothic Association's Allan Lloyd Smith Memorial Prizes and sits on the Faculty Research Ethics and Governance Committee for Arts and Humanities. His pedagogical approach centers on creating inspirational classroom experiences that foster critical insights through literary discussion. Foley leads the Haunt Manchester initiative, leveraging Gothic heritage for cultural tourism development.

Teaching specialties include Postwar and Contemporary Literature and Culture, and Nineteenth-Century Writing to Modernism. His office hours focus on supporting students in these units while emphasizing literature's capacity to expand perspectives through immersive reading experiences.