Farming in Modern Irish Literature

This innovative study analyzes the range of representation of farming in Irish literature in the period since independence/partition in 1922, as Ireland moved from a largely agricultural to a developed urban society. The first five chapters examine key themes such as inheritance, survival, childhood memories, and communities, while the final three chapters focus on three major writers whose work farming is central: Patrick Kavanagh, John McGahern, and Seamus Heaney. The study offers original insights into the literary iconography of rural Ireland and its interplay with social and cultural history, opening up fresh vistas on the achievements of Irish writers in different genres, styles, and historical eras.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 05 August 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

This groundbreaking study delves into the diverse representation of farming in Irish literature since the independence/partition in 1922, as Ireland transitioned from a predominantly agricultural to a developed urban society. Through various forms such as poetry, drama, fiction, and autobiography, writers have capitalized on their rural backgrounds, even if those experiences occurred generations ago. The first five chapters explore crucial themes, including the impact of inheritance on family within the patriarchal system, the struggles for survival in the impoverished regions of the West of Ireland, the significance of childhood farming memories, whether idyllic or traumatic, and the challenge to homogeneous idealizing images of the Literary Revival. The subsequent three chapters focus on three prominent writers whose work revolves around farming: Patrick Kavanagh, the small farmer who sought to express his unique experience; John McGahern, whose fiction portrays the farm as an alternative to a rootless urban milieu; and Seamus Heaney, who re-imagined his farming childhood in various modes throughout his career. Farming in Modern Irish Literature offers original insights into the literary iconography of rural Ireland and its interplay with social and cultural history, unveiling new perspectives on the achievements of Irish writers across different genres, styles, and historical eras.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 162 x 240 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198861294