Author Description
Modern Irish and Scottish Literature: Connections, Contrasts, Celticisms explores the ways Irish and Scottish literatures have influenced each other from the 1760s onwards. Although an early form of Celticism disappeared with the demise of the Celtic Revivals of Ireland and Scotland, the 'Celtic world' and the 'Celtic temperament' remained key themes in central texts of Irish and Scottish literature well into the twentieth century. Richard Barlow examines the emergence, development, and transformation of Celticism within Irish and Scottish writing and identifies key connections between modern Irish and Scottish authors and texts. By reading works from figures such as James Macpherson, Walter Scott, Sydney Owenson, Augusta Gregory, W. B. Yeats, Fiona Macleod, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Hugh MacDiarmid, Sorley MacLean, and Seamus Heaney in their political and cultural contexts, Barlow provides a new account of the characteristics and phases of literary Celticism within Romanticism, Modernism, and beyond.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How did the concept of 'Celticism' shape the development and cross-pollination of Irish and Scottish literature from the eighteenth century through the twentieth century? Richard Alan Barlow, an academic specializing in Irish and Scottish literary history, utilizes a comparative framework to analyze how these two national traditions engaged with the 'Celtic temperament' as both a creative catalyst and a political construct. The book argues that despite the decline of formal Celtic Revivals, the thematic influence of Celtic identity persisted as a vital force in the works of major canonical authors.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Comparative analysis of Irish and Scottish literary movements from the 1760s to the late twentieth century.
- Examination of the evolution of 'Celticism' within Romanticism and Modernism.
- Close readings of authors including James Macpherson, Walter Scott, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Seamus Heaney.
- Contextualization of literary texts within their specific political and cultural environments.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the intersection of Irish and Scottish traditions rather than a comprehensive history of either literature in isolation.
- The analysis does not extend significantly into contemporary twenty-first-century literary developments.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and students of Celtic studies frequently cite this work for its rigorous comparative approach to national literatures that are often studied separately. The text is noted for its academic density and its ability to synthesize complex cultural shifts into a coherent narrative of literary influence.
Page Count:
188
Publication Date:
2022-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0192675257
ISBN-13:
9780192675255
Literary Criticism
Cultural History
Irish literature
English literature
English & College Success
Scottish literature
Modernism
English
Romanticism
Celtic Studies
Community Tags
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