English 238 - Modern Irish Literature

This course will introduce students to the literature of modern Ireland beginning with Swift, moving through the nineteenth century, examining the Irish Literary Revival and Irish modernism, and finally contemporary drama, poetry, and fiction. We will focus on Irish women writers and their literary interventions concerning colonial history, nationalism, and Unionism. We will pay particular attention to representations of Irishness, the relationship between literature and national history, and questions of violence and representation. The course will explore how the genres, styles, and forms of Irish writing are determined by the experience of colonial trauma and the imperative to imagine national identity.

Course limited to sophomores, juniors and seniors; Prereq: English 200.