Zoe Brennan

Dr Zoe Brennan is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), where she has taught since 1997 after completing her PhD at the institution. Her expertise spans English Literature with specialized focus on Gothic traditions, ageing narratives, and gender dynamics in fiction.

Her educational qualifications include:

• BA from the University of Exeter
• MA from the University of Exeter
• PhD from the University of the West of England

Brennan's research interrogates the intersection of ageing, gender, and literary form across British and American fiction from the nineteenth century to present. She pioneers critical analysis of how Gothic conventions reshape perceptions of old age, particularly examining female and male ageing through horror tropes and supernatural motifs. Her scholarship bridges literary theory with cultural gerontology, revealing how fiction challenges societal ageism.

Analysis of her publications shows consistent evolution from foundational work on older women's representation (2004) toward genre-specific investigations of ageing in Gothic contexts (2023). This trajectory demonstrates deepening specialization in how horror narratives weaponize age-related anxieties while simultaneously offering subversive frameworks for aging bodies.

As an active PhD supervisor, Brennan mentors doctoral candidates researching ageing, gender, Gothic literature, and contemporary fiction. She leads the 'Gothic Literature' module and teaches gender/sexuality components in 'Literature in the World', emphasizing critical engagement with textual representations of identity and embodiment.