IRISH FICTION
Where is it Today?

What impact have recent events in Ireland, and particularly the rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger, had on its storytellers and their creativity? Colm Tóibin, known as the author of The Master and Brooklyn, has suggested in the Guardian (Oct. 2010) that the distressed economy may deflect the long-standing aesthetic sensibility to which Ireland lays claim. Anne Enright, winner of the 2007 Booker Prize for The Gathering, has maintained in a recent BBC interview (Nov. 2010) that Irish literature has a certain indigenous tradition which carries on in spite of adversities.

This course will look for signs of change and continuity—and possibly hope—in selected current works by writers of both short stories and novels. Authors will include Colm Tóibin and Anne Enright, as well as Edna O’Brien, Roddy Doyle, and Joseph O’Connor.

COURSE LENGTH: 12 weeks
FIRST SESSION: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 6:15 pm
DISCUSSION TEAM: Moira Carley, Anne Fitzpatrick, Diane Moreau