This module replaces and re-situates in second year an earlier first year module (EH4111-- The Irish Literary Revival). It is a revised and updated module which covers the period of the Revival but also broadens the canon. It will introduce students to a range of Irish literary work and cultural movements in the period 1880-1930. It aims to introduce students to selected literature from this revolutionary period in Irish culture, attending to innovations in style, structure, and genre in the period, and concentrating on formal as well as cultural experimentation. Background: from the 1880s on, the 'Irish Question' was a central site of struggle in British and Irish public discourse, and in this turbulent period a new generation of writers began to interact with this and other questions in their literary work. Writers such as W. B. Yeats, J. M. Synge, Lady Gregory, George Moore, and Eva Gore-Booth identified (temporarily, in some cases) with cultural nationalism, and became associated with the Irish Literary Revival and cultural arenas including the Abbey Theatre and the Gaelic League. Decadent and 'New Woman' writers Oscar Wilde, George Egerton, and Sarah Grand, resisted hegemonies of a different kind, subverting gender and sexual identities and challenging prescribed roles in the family. Against the backdrop of an emerging socialist movement, writers such as G. B. Shaw and Seán O'Casey, tackled class activism; while others, including Anna Parnell, Roger Casement, Ernie O'Malley, and Maud Gonne began to write autobiographical accounts of their involvement in Irish national struggles. Over the course of this period, the work of James Joyce began to draw on these radical discourses and other transnational literary movements in the production of his important literary experiments.

Exploring selected Irish writers and literary movements 1880-1930, this module aims to introduce learners to one of the most radical periods in Irish culture. Attending to formal and cultural experimentation, and drawing on a range of literary genres, the module will explore the local and transnational dynamics of the Irish literary world. By developing a "thick description" of the period, the module aims to enable students to become better critical thinkers and literary researchers by focusing on close reading, on comparative studies of different writers and (sometimes intersecting) literary movements, and on the reception and critical analysis of this material at the time and since.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to •Identify key texts and themes in Irish literary movements in the period 1880-1930; •Demonstrate a clear comprehension of the social, cultural, and political contexts that shaped Irish literary production in the same period; •Carry out close readings of selected literary texts, analysing their formal and generic aspects, and their cultural meanings; •Synthesise and critique critical assessments of these literatures; •Assess ways in which these texts contribute to and/or disrupt received ideas about Irish literature; •Select relevant primary and secondary readings to produce well-written and well-documented research papers and essays, appropriate to second-year level.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: Demonstrate a greater knowledge of Ireland's literary and cultural heritage; Relate that knowledge to contemporary concerns and cultural activity; Demonstrate in writing and in oral presentations a critical appreciation of the aesthetic, ethical, political, and national questions raised in literary history and critical debates thereupon.

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This module is taught by a combination of lectures -- which will situate late nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish literature in English in its historical and generic contexts -- and tutorials which will facilitate close readings of individual texts and discursive exchanges on issues of theme, form, and critical reception. Together, these lectures and tutorials will equip students with a deeper knowledge of Ireland's creative and artistic heritage. the module will be examined by essay and presentation work which will enhance students' literary, critical, and historical vocabulary.