Modern Irish Writing

Credits: 15.0
Overlap: None
Prerequisite: None

This module will introduce students to the literature and society of early twentieth-century Ireland.
We will begin by looking at the two founders of modern Irish writing, W.B. Yeats and James Joyce, in the
context of the Literary Revival, the Easter Rebellion, and the founding of the new Irish state. We will
consider the role of the Abbey Theatre, and the Irish National Theatre Society, through the riots associated
with productions of works by J.M. Synge and Sean O'Casey. In the second half of the module we will examine
the work of mid-century writers such as Samuel Beckett, Flann O'Brien, Elizabeth Bowen, Louis MacNeice,
Patrick Kavanagh. Students will be asked to consider the nature of independence, the struggle between
tradition and modernity, the role and representation of women in Irish society, representations of
revolutionary violence and civil war, the role of religion.

Assessment: 100.0% Coursework
Level: 6