Negotiating Identities: Aspects of 20th Century Irish Writing

Brief Outline of Content: This course provides an introduction to twentieth-century Irish writing and considers how writers in Irish and in English have participated in the negotiation of modern and contemporary Irish identities. Through a close critical reading of key selected texts in Irish and in English, it will investigate the ways in which writers have imagined and re-imagined Ireland and Irishness from the literary and cultural revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries through to the new millennium. Issues to be addressed will include Ireland?s transition from a traditional to a modern society, language, gender, and the connections between literary production and the imagined "nation." The politics and practice of translation will be a key issue throughout the course.

Learning Outcomes: On completion of this course, students will have a critical understanding of the "dual tradition" of modern Irish writing. They will have developed the reading skills necessary to understand how literature is implicated in the process of constructing and deconstructing national identities. Finally, they will have been introduced to concepts of language, gender, and nation, as key elements in the critical reading of literary texts.

Assessment: Three written assignments: a brief literary historical review (300-500 words) to be submitted in Week 5, an abstract of the final essay to be submitted by Week 9 and a final literary critical essay (1000-1200 words) to be submitted in Week 12.

Reading: All core readings are included in the course handbook. Supplementary readings will be recommended in class.