Writing the nation: Irish literature

Writers have felt compelled to define national identity in response to crises, from international conflicts to changes in the status of religion, and the effects of globalisation. With reference to such contexts, this unit explores the relationship between writing and belonging. Does literature produced in a particular nation affirm or challenge what we see as a unique national identity? How do creative works contribute to formations and interrogations of identity, ideology, gender, ethnicity and sexuality in a national context? This unit considers the search for national identity in literary forms such as poetry, drama, and the short story. There will be an emphasis on twentieth- and twenty-first century texts, across a range of genres.