Avril
Tynan
Links
Areas of expertise
Biography
Avril Tynan is a Research Council of Finland Fellow (2023‒2027) at the University of Turku and editor of Storyworlds: A Journal of Narrative Studies. She was an International Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities in Essen, Germany (2022) and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (2019-2021). From 2016 to 2019 she was a language tutor and lecturer in French and Comparative Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Her current project, "Reading Recovery: Narratives of Recovery in Culture, Medicine and Society", takes a critical perspective on the role and representation of illness and recovery in contemporary literature. Her monograph, Critical Narratives of Recovery: Rejecting Repair, Restoration and Resolution (Edinburgh UP, 2027), studies how narrative illustrates the complexity, ambivalence and irresolution of recovery. She is also the author of over 50 publications on on the ethics and aesthetics of illness and disability, dementia, trauma and old age in francophone, anglophone and other literatures.
Teaching
From 2016 to 2018, I was course convenor and lecturer for the new intensive two-year ab initio French programme at Royal Holloway. Altogether, I have taught over 10 different language courses, including:
- French ab initio I and II (2016–2018, course convenor and lecturer)
- Advanced French Writing (2012–2018, language tutor)
- Pratique du français I and II (2012–2018, language tutor)
- Languages for All, Beginners – Advanced (2016–2018, evenings, language tutor)
Additionally, I taught the following culture courses to students of French, Comparative Literature and Liberal Arts:
- Stage and Screen in France (2013, BA in French/Comparative Literature, Royal Holloway, University of London)
- The Individual and Society (2017, BA in French/Comparative Literature/Liberal Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London)
At the University of Turku, I have (co-)designed, developed, and delivered the following research-led courses of Comparative Literature as a postgraduate tutor or sessional lecturer:
- The Holocaust in French Literature (2019, co-taught, Comparative Literature, University of Turku)
- Mental Health in Literature and Culture (2020, online, Comparative Literature, University of Turku)
- Introduction to Medical Humanities: Narratives of Illness (2021, co-taught, Comparative Literature, University of Turku)
- Recovery Narratives in Literature and Culture (2026, Comparative Literature, University of Turku).
Research
Reading Recovery: Narratives of Recovery in Culture, Medicine, and Society (NarRec) (Research Council of Finland, 2023-2027) PI Avril Tynan
This interdisciplinary project studies the representation, meaning and value of recovery from illness in culture, medicine and society. It explores the relationship between recovery and narrative from a critical perspective that interrogates narrative’s claim to cure. It argues that recovery functions as an organisational tool of medical and social management that has the power to grant or restrict access to biomedical and economic resources and services, and to systems of care, relationships and freedoms. The data includes fiction and non-fiction literature, film, mass media and social media written in English, French and Finnish languages. The site of research is the University of Turku. The project is linked to the SELMA Centre and the Research Centre for Culture and Health.
#ENDOS (Erasmus+ 2023-2026) Project partner Avril Tynan
The #ENDOs project is a European initiative that educates and supports adults dealing with chronic diseases, with a specific focus on endometriosis. With a potential reach of 14 million women across Europe – who often refer to themselves as “ENDOs,” this project aspires to empower these individuals to take a more active role in their healthcare journey. The project’s innovative approach incorporates the world of art and culture as skill developers, creating user-centric learning tools that aim to build an engaged community of ENDOs and their caregivers. Through performing and visual arts, storytelling, narrative medicine, and digital tools, healthcare experts and ENDOs will facilitate their understanding and communication with each other.
The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Education and Training Programme.
The project's Emotional Dictionary can be found online here: https://endostories.eu/narrative-pathway/