HUMS 639
A Terrible Beauty: How Irish Writers Transformed Modern Literature and Change the Way We See the World
Daniel Burt
Modern Irish Literature is an ideal subject for an immersion. Rich in subject matter, modern Irish literature is crucially important for an understanding of the shape and method of drama, poetry, and fiction. We will begin by establishing the historical imperatives that formed the modern Irish literary response and follow it be day-long sessions on each of the four literary genres: drama, poetry, short story, and the novel. Lecture and discussion will be supplemented by screening of various films. |
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Reading List | |
Yeats, Cathleen ni Houlihan, Selected Poems |
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Course Calendar | |
Day 1 |
History, Consciousness, Landscape, and the Creation of Modern Irish Literature Am: A Survey of Irish History and the background of the Irish Literary Revival Screenings: The Field and The Wind that Shakes the Barley |
Day 2 |
Modern Irish Drama Am: The Abbey Theatre Dramatists: Yeats, Lady Gregory, Synge, and O’Casey Screenings: Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Brian Friel’s Philadelphia, Here I Come |
Day 3 |
Modern Irish Poetry Am: Yeats Screenings: Poetry Reading by Seamus Heaney and Bloody Sunday |
Day 4 |
Modern Irish Short Story Am: Joyce’s Dubliners Screenings: The Dead and Joyce to the World |
Day 5 |
Modern Irish Novel Am: Portrait of the Artist and Ulysses and the creation of the Modern Novel Screenings: Bloom and The Commitments |