The part that storytelling has played and continues to play in Irish life is difficult to underestimate. Perhaps more than any other English speaking nation, the Irish have an affinity with and aptitude for narrative that places story at the core of their collective consciousness. Ireland has long been a country of stories, from mythical tales of ancient warrior tribes and their epic quests and battles to contemporary narratives of 'ordinary' people living in extraordinary circumstances. Many of Ireland’s most well known and accomplished writers have produced their best work while in self-imposed exile. This peculiar dichotomy is one of the reasons why a close engagement with Irish literature perpetuates one of the fundamental characteristics of art: more questions are asked than answered.
This course examines the works of some of the major Irish authors writing in English from the end of the 19th century to the present day. You will be guided in the critical reading of primary sources. In addition, you will practice how to interpret literary texts from different genres. Similarly, the text will help illuminate major areas of Irish culture and society and trace significant change. The 20th Century saw Ireland emerge from a decade of unrest as a free state in 1922, achieve the status of Republic in 1948, and join the EEC in 1970. Partition in 1926 resulted in Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom, including within its borders at the time a sizable nationalist minority. These political developments and ensuing periods of violence created different conditions for writing North and South of the border. Over the last forty years, the rapid modernization of the Irish economy has led to tensions between Church and State over national morality, a pronounced urban/rural divide, and, among women, a conviction that the state has not always acted in their interests. These changes have given rise to experimental works of literature that challenge the fundamental concepts of selfhood and identity along national, gender, religious and ethnic lines. Every session is situated in its historical context and cross-referenced to the author or the literary trend that the text exemplifies.
Beyond developing reading comprehension, you will actively engage with the text and understand the context in which it was written, think critically about its themes and greater message, and analyse the connections to the cultural reality accompanying your study abroad experience. The course also emphasises the development of analytical and comprehension strategies. You will learn terminology and academic language in order to discuss content, structure, theme, character development and figurative language. Throughout the course, you will hone your skills in the reading of original texts.
Attendance policy:
Because IES courses are designed to take advantage of the unique contribution of the instruction and the lecture/discussion format, regular class attendance is mandatory. Any missed class, without a legitimate reason will be reflected in the final grade. A legitimate reason would include: documented illness or family bereavement. Travel, (including travel delays) is not a legitimate reason.
Learning outcomes:
Knowledge Skills: Cultural, Historical, and Literary
To interpret how cultural trends throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries have shaped Irish literature
To recognise and apply conceptual tools and appropriate vocabulary in order to produce quality papers and text analysis
To illustrate how post colonialism has shaped Irish culture and literature
Critical Thinking Skills: Oral and Written
To develop critical thinking as a reading device to understand political, social and historical factors represented in the literary texts
To effectively identify, evaluate, and utilize pertinent secondary sources
Attitudinal Skills: Affective & Behavioural
To value literature as a possible means of understanding a new culture
To gain intercultural competence and develop inter and intra personal skills
Method of presentation:
Class will meet twice a week for two and a half hours in a seminar format. You are required to come to class having read, and prepared to discuss, the primary texts. During class, readings, music and screening of pertinent documentary and film pieces will better help you to understand the cultural, historical, and ideological aspects of Irish reality described on the text. Guided walking tours, exhibition and museum visits will make cultural Dublin a fundamental learning resource. Its compact layout makes the city ideal for excursions to locations of note such as libraries, bookshops and literary cafés. Your active participation is critical, as the class will be taught as a seminar and will be based on debates, group work and presentations.
Required work and form of assessment:
Class participation (25%); Midterm Paper, 1500 words, (20%); Student Presentation, (15%); End of Term Exam, (40%).
content:
Session 1: Course Introduction: Overview of syllabus
The Oral Tradition of Storytelling in Ireland
Readings and resources:
Ciaran Carson, Dresden, 1987. (poem)
Session 2: Joyce’s Ulysses and Dublin City
Readings and resources:
James Joyce Ulysses, 1922. (novel)
Bloomsday celebrations around Dublin City (field trip)
Session 3: The History of the Irish Short Story
Readings and resources:
George Moore, Albert Nobbs, 1918. (short story)
Screening Rodrigo García, Albert Nobbs, 2011. (film)
Session 4: Joyce: The Truth of Life As He Saw It
Readings and resources:
James Joyce, Eveline and The Dead, 1914. (short stories)
Jim Norton, Dubliners, 1999. (audio book)
John Huston, The Dead, 1987. (film)
Session 5: Language and Identity in Irish Writing
Readings and resources:
Brian Friel, Translations, 1980. (play)
Session 6: The Political & the Personal in the Poetry of WB Yeats
Readings and resources:
WB Yeats, Selected poems, 1996. (poems)
The Yeats Exhibit, National Library of Ireland (field trip)
Session 7: Dramatic Timing: Irish Theatre and Socio-political Change
Readings and resources:
Sean O'Casey, The Plough and the Stars, 1926. (play)
Session 8: Society, Politics and the Irish Short Story
Readings and resources:
Mary Lavin, Sarah, 1943. (short story)
Frank O’Connor, Guests of the Nation, 1931. (short story)
Aidan Gillen, Guests of the Nation, 1998. (audio book)
Ken Loach, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, 2006. (film)
Session 9: A Strange Dichotomy: Emigration and the Irish
Readings and resources:
Tom Murphy, The House, 2000. (play)
The Abbey Theatre. (field trip)
Session 10: A Violence from Within: Irish Poetry and 'The Troubles'
Readings and resources:
Seamus Heaney, Opened Ground, 2002. (poems)
'Kingship & Sacrifice' Exhibit, National Museum of Ireland. (field trip)
Session 11: Stand Back and Let it All Be: Poetry and Contemporary Ireland
Readings and resources:
Paula Meehan, Three Irish Poets, 2003. (poems)
Session 12: Arrows in Flight: Contemporary Short Fiction
Readings and resources:
Claire Keegan, Night of the Quicken Trees, 2007. (short story)
Required readings:
Students will read selected stories from the following anthologies and collections. Wherever possible, audio books will be made available:
Crotty, Patrick, ed. Modern Irish Poetry, Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, 1999.
Fallon, Peter & Mahon, Derek, eds. The Penguin Book of Contemporary Irish Poetry, London: Penguin, 1991.
Welch, Robert. Changing States: Transformations in Modern Irish Writing. London and New York: Routledge, 1993.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
A native of Drogheda in County Louth, Stephen has taught at university level and with Study Abroad students since 2002. He read for a Master of Arts in English (Creative Writing) at Queens University, Belfast, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Human Development at Dublin City University (St. Patrick’s College), where he was nominated for the Bank of Ireland Millennium Scholarship Award. In recent years, he has continued his studies in third level teaching, learning, e-learning, and facilitation at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at University College Dublin.
A specialist in small group facilitation, he has taught students from Ireland, the USA and France, focusing on the creative arts in Ireland, with an emphasis on literature, writing, and photography. He has a particular interest in mentoring students in all aspects of their Study Abroad experience, academic studies and creative endeavours.
In conjunction with his teaching commitments, Stephen writes short fiction and poetry and has been shortlisted for awards including the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award and The Fish Short Story Prize. His work has been published in several creative writing journals and anthologies including New Soundings: An Anthology of New Writing from the North of Ireland, published by Blackstaff Press in 2004.
Aside from teaching and writing, Stephen has a passion for travel and documentary photography, and in 2011 was awarded the distinction of Licentiateship of the Irish Photographic Federation (LIPF).
The part that storytelling has played and continues to play in Irish life is difficult to underestimate. Perhaps more than any other English speaking nation, the Irish have an affinity with and aptitude for narrative that places story at the core of their collective consciousness. Ireland has long been a country of stories, from mythical tales of ancient warrior tribes and their epic quests and battles to contemporary narratives of 'ordinary' people living in extraordinary circumstances. Many of Ireland’s most well known and accomplished writers have produced their best work while in self-imposed exile. This peculiar dichotomy is one of the reasons why a close engagement with Irish literature perpetuates one of the fundamental characteristics of art: more questions are asked than answered.
This course examines the works of some of the major Irish authors writing in English from the end of the 19th century to the present day. You will be guided in the critical reading of primary sources. In addition, you will practice how to interpret literary texts from different genres. Similarly, the text will help illuminate major areas of Irish culture and society and trace significant change. The 20th Century saw Ireland emerge from a decade of unrest as a free state in 1922, achieve the status of Republic in 1948, and join the EEC in 1970. Partition in 1926 resulted in Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom, including within its borders at the time a sizable nationalist minority. These political developments and ensuing periods of violence created different conditions for writing North and South of the border. Over the last forty years, the rapid modernization of the Irish economy has led to tensions between Church and State over national morality, a pronounced urban/rural divide, and, among women, a conviction that the state has not always acted in their interests. These changes have given rise to experimental works of literature that challenge the fundamental concepts of selfhood and identity along national, gender, religious and ethnic lines. Every session is situated in its historical context and cross-referenced to the author or the literary trend that the text exemplifies.
Beyond developing reading comprehension, you will actively engage with the text and understand the context in which it was written, think critically about its themes and greater message, and analyse the connections to the cultural reality accompanying your study abroad experience. The course also emphasises the development of analytical and comprehension strategies. You will learn terminology and academic language in order to discuss content, structure, theme, character development and figurative language. Throughout the course, you will hone your skills in the reading of original texts.
Because IES courses are designed to take advantage of the unique contribution of the instruction and the lecture/discussion format, regular class attendance is mandatory. Any missed class, without a legitimate reason will be reflected in the final grade. A legitimate reason would include: documented illness or family bereavement. Travel, (including travel delays) is not a legitimate reason.
Knowledge Skills: Cultural, Historical, and Literary
To interpret how cultural trends throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries have shaped Irish literature
To recognise and apply conceptual tools and appropriate vocabulary in order to produce quality papers and text analysis
To illustrate how post colonialism has shaped Irish culture and literature
Critical Thinking Skills: Oral and Written
To develop critical thinking as a reading device to understand political, social and historical factors represented in the literary texts
To effectively identify, evaluate, and utilize pertinent secondary sources
Attitudinal Skills: Affective & Behavioural
To value literature as a possible means of understanding a new culture
To gain intercultural competence and develop inter and intra personal skills
Class will meet twice a week for two and a half hours in a seminar format. You are required to come to class having read, and prepared to discuss, the primary texts. During class, readings, music and screening of pertinent documentary and film pieces will better help you to understand the cultural, historical, and ideological aspects of Irish reality described on the text. Guided walking tours, exhibition and museum visits will make cultural Dublin a fundamental learning resource. Its compact layout makes the city ideal for excursions to locations of note such as libraries, bookshops and literary cafés. Your active participation is critical, as the class will be taught as a seminar and will be based on debates, group work and presentations.
Class participation (25%); Midterm Paper, 1500 words, (20%); Student Presentation, (15%); End of Term Exam, (40%).
Session 1: Course Introduction: Overview of syllabus
Session 2: Joyce’s Ulysses and Dublin City
Session 3: The History of the Irish Short Story
Session 4: Joyce: The Truth of Life As He Saw It
Session 5: Language and Identity in Irish Writing
Session 6: The Political & the Personal in the Poetry of WB Yeats
Session 7: Dramatic Timing: Irish Theatre and Socio-political Change
Session 8: Society, Politics and the Irish Short Story
Session 9: A Strange Dichotomy: Emigration and the Irish
Session 10: A Violence from Within: Irish Poetry and 'The Troubles'
Session 11: Stand Back and Let it All Be: Poetry and Contemporary Ireland
Session 12: Arrows in Flight: Contemporary Short Fiction
Students will read selected stories from the following anthologies and collections. Wherever possible, audio books will be made available:
Crotty, Patrick, ed. Modern Irish Poetry, Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, 1999.
Fallon, Peter & Mahon, Derek, eds. The Penguin Book of Contemporary Irish Poetry, London: Penguin, 1991.
Friel, Brian. Translations, London: Faber & Faber, 1981, 72pp.
Harrington, John P., ed. Modern Irish Drama, New York: Norton Critical Editions, 1991.
Joyce, James. Dubliners, London: Penguin Classics, 2000.
Joyce, James. Ulysses, London: Penguin Classics, 2000.
Keegan, Claire. Walk the Blue Fields. London: Faber and Faber, 2007.
McGahern, John. Creature of the Earth: New & Selected Stories. London: Faber & Faber, 2006.
Murphy, Tom. The House. London: Methuen Drama, 2001.
O’Casey, Sean. Three Dublin Plays, London: Faber & Faber, 1998, 272pp.
Toibin, Colm. The Penguin Book of Irish Fiction. London: Penguin Books, 2000.
Trevor, William, ed. The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories. London: OU Press, 1989.
Walsh, Caroline, ed. Arrows in Flight: Short Stories from a New Ireland. Great Britain: Scribner Town House Publishers, 2002.
Yeats, WB. The Collected Poems of WB Yeats. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd., 2000.
Reference copies of all texts available in the IES Dublin library:
Brown, Terence. Ireland: A Social and Cultural History, 1922-2002. London: Harper Perennial, 2004.
Deane, Seamus. A Short History of Irish Literature. London: Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers) Ltd, 1986.
Kiberd, Declan. Inventing Ireland: Literature of the Modern Nation. London: Vintage Press, 1996.
Kiberd, Declan. The Irish Writer and the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Kiberd Declan. Ulysses and Us: The Art of Everyday Living. London: Faber and Faber, 2009.
O’Connor, Frank. The Lonely Voice: a Study of the Short Story. New Jersey: Melville House, 2004.
Smyth, Ailbhe ed. The Irish Women’s Studies Reader. Dublin: Attic Press, 1993.
Welch, Robert. Changing States: Transformations in Modern Irish Writing. London and New York: Routledge, 1993.
A native of Drogheda in County Louth, Stephen has taught at university level and with Study Abroad students since 2002. He read for a Master of Arts in English (Creative Writing) at Queens University, Belfast, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Human Development at Dublin City University (St. Patrick’s College), where he was nominated for the Bank of Ireland Millennium Scholarship Award. In recent years, he has continued his studies in third level teaching, learning, e-learning, and facilitation at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at University College Dublin.
A specialist in small group facilitation, he has taught students from Ireland, the USA and France, focusing on the creative arts in Ireland, with an emphasis on literature, writing, and photography. He has a particular interest in mentoring students in all aspects of their Study Abroad experience, academic studies and creative endeavours.
In conjunction with his teaching commitments, Stephen writes short fiction and poetry and has been shortlisted for awards including the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award and The Fish Short Story Prize. His work has been published in several creative writing journals and anthologies including New Soundings: An Anthology of New Writing from the North of Ireland, published by Blackstaff Press in 2004.
Aside from teaching and writing, Stephen has a passion for travel and documentary photography, and in 2011 was awarded the distinction of Licentiateship of the Irish Photographic Federation (LIPF).