English 590: 20th-century Irish Literature and Culture

Introduction. Students should begin to read Moody and Martin for background.

Cultural Revolution. Manifesto for Irish Literary Theatre (MID, 378-9); Yeats, Cathleen ni Houlihan (MID); "Red Hanrahan's Song About Ireland" (Yeats poetry).

Lady Gregory, The Rising of the Moon (MID); John Keegan Casey, "The Rising of the Moon." (handout).

Synge, The Playboy of the Western World (MID). Bring in your guess at why there were riots at the first performances of Playboy.

7 pm (or as announced in class): Screening of The Playboys.

Rose poems and discussion of movie. Yeats: "To the Rose Upon the Rood of Time," "To Ireland in the Coming Times." Owen Roe MacWard: Three versions of Dark Rosaleen"; Joseph Mary Plunkett: "I See Blood Upon the Rose" (handout).

( movie continued)

Political Revolution. (Poetry continued).  The 1916 Easter Rising.  Patrick Pearse:  poems, speech, The Singer. (reserve).

Pearse and Rising reserve materials cont.  Yeats, "Easter, 1916," "Sixteen Dead Men," "The Rose Tree," "The Leaders of the Crowd."

O'Casey, Juno and the Paycock (MID) and Plough and the Stars (handout).

(O'Casey plays cont.  Yeats, "Meditations in a Time of Civil War," "The Coat," "Man and the Echo," "The Circus Animals Desertion," "In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markievicz," "A Stick of Incense," "Crazy Jane Talks With the Bishop" (not discussed)

O'Casey, Juno continued.

FIELD TRIP to Spencer Research Library.  Meet in classroom first.

Joyce, continued. "An Encounter," "Araby," "Two Gallants."

"The Boarding House," "A Little Cloud."

Undergraduates:  1st paper due (note date change).  "Counterparts," "A Mother."

"Ivy Day in the Commitee Room," "The Dead."

Ulysses, Chs. 1 and 3.

Sinead O'Connor, "A Short, Sharp Shock." (handout) Sinead O'Connor, "I am stretched on your grave," "Three babies," "Black boys on mopeds," "Famine" (handout).

CLASS CANCELLED for family emergency.

reading day--no class.

TOV: "In the Middle of the Fields," "Housekeeper's Cut,""The Day of the Christening,."

"Midwife to the Fairies." Poem: Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, "An Bhatrail/The Battering."

TOV: "The Wall-reader," "Naming the Names."

Poetry: Siobhan Campbell, Linda Anderson, Kathleen O'Driscoll  (POH).

Screening, Hush-a-Bye Baby.

Discussion of movie.  Stories:  "Shepherd's Bush," "The Dove of Peace." (TOV). Poetry: Eithne Strong, Paula Meehan (POH).

Brien Friel, Translations (MID).

Thanksgiving.

Poetry:  Muldoon:  Hedgehog, Identities; The Weepies, Cuba, The Boundary Commission, Anseo, Why Brownlee Left, Truce; The Sightseers, Quoof, The Frog, Aisling; The Coney, Meeting the British, Louis.

Ni Dhomhnaill:  An Traein Dubh/The Black Train, Caitlin/Cathleen, An Sceach Cheal/The Whitethorn Bush, and poems from The Voyage section:  1.  Cathair De Chi/The City of God,  2. An Turas Farraige d'Oiche/Night-Crossing, 3. An Bhreasail/Hy-Breasil, 5. An tOilean/The Island, 7. Poibliocht/Publicity.

The Crying Game screening.

Discussion, The Crying Game and "Guests of the Nation."

last day:  summary and review.  Final papers due; take-home examinations (for undergraduates) handed out.

Take-home final examination due on Dec. 17, 12 noon.  You may turn in your exam to my office (2035 Wescoe) or to the English Department office (the staff will put the exam in my mailbox).