123252 AR Literature Course - Literature 1/2 (MA) British/Irish/New English (2014W)

Contents: The course will introduce students to a wide range of fictional texts written by contemporary Irish authors dealing with various aspects of Irish identity ('Irishness') - including the Celtic heritage, distinctive features of Irish society, mentality, myth, religion, history, landscape and family life. The novel and short stories selected focus on such diverse themes as the current financial crisis, the Celtic tiger years, the penchant of Irish authors for dealing with varieties of star-crossed love, emigration and the Irish diaspora, marriage and divorce in the context of Ireland, 'the Troubles', Irish Catholicism, the belief in fairies and recent changes in urban and rural Irish society. The works of fiction selected for discussion include Claire Kilroy's recent novel 'The Devil I Know' (2012) and short stories by William Trevor, Colm Toibin, Claire Keegan, Eilis Ni Dhuibhne, Billy O'Callaghan, Evelyn Conlon and a few examples of 'chick-lit' (popular fiction written by and, arguably, mainly for women - including works by Maeve Binchy, Sarah Webb, Marian Keyes). By applying imagological theory various aspects of Irish identity and features of the 'auto-image' of the Irish portrayed in the literary works discussed will be explored in some depth.