This course is a general introduction to Irish literature. After a brief
survey of medieval and early modern works and authors, we'll focus on the
Irish Literary Revival and its aftermath (1880-1940). The reading list
includes works of visionary intensity, humor, and irreverence, exploring
the tangles of Irish history and politics. We'll be paying special
attention to the role of literature in forging a distinct national and
personal identity, and the unique contributions of Irish writers to
modern British literary culture. The course will be especially useful to
students who wish to study further the Irish masters of British modernism
(Yeats, Joyce, and Beckett) or contemporaries such as recent Nobel-prize
winner Seamus Heaney. Requirements include: memorizing one longer or
several shorter poems by Yeats; short written assignments on each
author/work, and a final.