Lorna Irvine, a long-time faculty member at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, died on October 14 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She was 85 years old.
A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Dr. Irvine was the daughter of a minister. She was elected president of her high school class in Oshawa, Ontario. Dr. Irvine was a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where she majored in English literature. She went on to obtain a master’s degree in English at Carleton University in Ottawa.
After marrying and raising two children, Dr. Irvine moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland, and earned a Ph.D. at American University in Washington, D.C. She was hired as an assistant professor of English at George Mason University and was eventually promoted to full professor of English, Canadian studies, women and gender studies, and cultural studies.
In addition to her teaching career, Dr. Irvine was a literary critic, specializing in contemporary Canadian and Commonwealth women writers. She published several books including Sub/Version: Canadian Fiction by Women (ECW Press, 1986) and Collecting Clues: Margaret Atwood’s Bodily Harm (ECW Press, 1993).