123421 SE Literary & Cultural Studies Seminar / BA Paper / MA British/Irish/New English (2016S)

This course is premised on the idea that theatrical performance and cinematic projection have played a decisive role in the creation of Ireland's imaginary, particularly in its narrative of modern exile. The course takes 'Ireland' as a unit of analysis whilst recognising its 'fractal' and 'polythetic' nature (Appadurai 1996: 46), that is as a partial, 'messy' and multiple-routed entity. It takes as its focus the specific location of Irishness in London/England, a scene of re-imagination but also a lived, material place for Irish emigrants, their descendants and temporary migrants. The course seeks to analyse selected images of Ireland and Irishness over time that have occupied different kinds of theatrical and screen space in the cultural imagination, including buildings, festivals, cultural centres and cultural networks that support these media. It will compare continuities and contrasts between generations as well as considering the links and distinctive features of theatre and cinema as representational modes. This option explores modernity, identity and diaspora as theoretical terms for understanding the cultural history of emigration, exile and the transnational as they have been expressed through a range of plays, films and TV material on these themes.
An extensive description is available on the course's Moodle page (course booklet in the forum).
For some more information on Professor Lance Pettitt, please see his personal Website at: www.lancepettitt.com/