This seminar is concerned with contemporary Irish fiction from both north and south of the Irish border. We will dive deep into current concerns on the island of Ireland and discuss how they are narrated in fiction. These concerns include the processing of trauma inflicted either through the Magdalene laundries or the conflict in the North, but also the impact of the economic crash(es) on the island of Ireland. The seminar will provide the opportunity to explore and discuss concepts, such as sites of memory, trauma fiction, humour, and masculinities by focusing on widely popular literature from the island of Ireland. We will also dicuss how partition impacts contemporary Irish fiction and concerns within Irish literature.
We will be discussing four novels over the course of the seminar with secondary literature aiding our reading. These novels are Small Things Like These (2021) by Claire Keegan, Normal People (2018) by Sally Rooney, Trespasses (2022) by Louise Kennedy and Big Girl Small Town (2020) by Michelle Gallen. We will be discussing the novels in this order, so please purchase them all and finish reading Small Things Like These by the second week (15 April). Secondary Literature will be uploaded on Moodle.
Students are expected to hand in one discussion paper on a session of their choice during the seminar.
Small Things Like These (Claire Keegan)
Normal People (Sally Rooney)
Trespasses (Louise Kennedy)
Big Girl Small Town (Michelle Gallen)
1500 words essay for 3 cps
3000 words essay for 6 cps
