ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the prevalence of the grotesque in women’s comedy monologue plays that came to prominence in Ireland during the recession. Focussing on Elaine Murphy’s Little Gem, Noni Stapleton’s Charolais, and Genevieve Hulme-Beaman’s Pondling, it discusses the ways in which the characters in these plays use specifically grotesque humour to transgress the boundaries of hegemonic femininity. Drawing on the figure of Baubó, the chapter shows how female playwrights reconfigured the form of the monologue to develop a distinctive style of comedy that was sharply distinguished from the dominant male-authored plays of this era.
