The Irish Renaissance
Course Description
The Irish Renaissance as a search for cultural and political identity--'the necessity of de-anglicising Ireland' (Douglas Hyde)--is of exemplary significance for the history of Western Europe. It roughly spans the period between 1880 and 1922, thus covering one of the most productive and dramatic periods in Irish cultural/literary history as well as the formation of an independent Irish state (via the stations of the Easter Rising of 1916, the Anglo-Irish War, and the Irish Civil War). We will begin by looking at Irish nationalism as it was conditioned by Ireland's colonial history, take in subsidiary movements such as the Gaelic Revival/Celtic Revival before moving on to the intensified rediscovery (during the second half of the 19th century) of the indigenous tradition through antiquarianism, the study of folklore and of the Irish language (Standish O'Grady). Of central importance to the cultural revival movement is the quest for a national theatre, which began in 1897 and which led to the establishment of Ireland's world-famous Abbey Theatre in 1904 (William Butler Yeats, Lady Gregory, John M. Synge, Edward Martyn). A section on the Easter Rising of 1916 and its reflection in literature will take in the wider aspects of politics and military history up to 1922. A final chapter will be dedicated to the commentators, mockers, detractors and parodists of the Irish Renaissance as an important episode in Ireland's cultural history as a whole (e.g. George Moore, James Joyce, Sean O'Casey, Samuel Beckett, Flann O'Brien).
Preparatory reading:
For titles by the authors mentioned, please consult the reading list in the Wegweiser (issued by the Department of English). See also the relevant chapters on the Irish Renaissance in various literary histories available in the university library--e.g., Heinz Kosok, Geschichte der anglo-irischen Literatur (Berlin: Schmidt, 1990); Declan Kiberd, Inventing Ireland (London: Cape, 1995).
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PGIL-EIRData.org
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This database "provides comprehensive biographical & bibliographical information on 4,500 Irish writers, along with extracts from their works and commentaries upon them." Probably the best resource on Irish writers and periodicals that is accessible via the internet.
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ireland.com
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Homepage of the Irish Times. Includes breaking news, the e-text version of the newspaper and an archive of past issues.
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The Irish Literary Renaissance
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This is a hypertext timeline of the Irish Renaissance (though the era is not clearly cut), i.e. there are a number of linked biographies, e-texts, etc. The timeline itself is plain text and includes some dead links.
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Irish History on the Web
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A good collection of links to Irish history material and similar homepages. A few annotations are included, but basically the links are self-explanatory. The latest update was in 1999, so some dead links are inevitable.
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EFACIS
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This site has a newsletter, a rather small but essential collection of links and information on forthcoming events in the field of Irish studies.
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American Conference for Irish Studies
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This association provides some information about Irish studies in America and a number of links concerning Irish studies.
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Irish Studies at Boston College
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This homepage has detailed information about Irish studies and the Burns Collection at Boston College. The most basic links concerning this field of studies are also provided.
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The Irish Renaissance