English 150

Other Readings and Media

Yeats, W.B.: selected poetry and prose; Synge, J.M.: The Playboy of the Western World; Joyce, J.: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Bowen, E.: The Last September; Beckett, S.: First Love; O?Brien, F.: The Poor Mouth,The House of Splendid Isolation; Jordan, N.: The Crying Game; DeEmmony, A. and Lowney, D.: Father Ted; Doyle, R: A Star Called Henry; Sheeran, P.: Aqua; O?Neill, J.: At Swim Two Boys

Description

"This course surveys some of the most popular Irish literature in the last one hundred years. Irish Writing in the early part of the 20th century was part of a cultural revolution that culminated in a political revolution, a war of independence and the foundation (in the south) of a free state . In this course, we�ll be looking at some of the key texts that influenced and were influenced by the cultural nationalist movement. Then we�ll look to later-century fictions, some of which look back to the revolutionary period, and some of which look, very deliberately, away from it. Along the way we�ll try to identify as many thematic and aesthetic continuities as we can in order to come up with a conception of what Irish literature is, or may be, in the 20th century. One medium-length essay, one final 15pp research paper, one in-class presentation required.

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