Happiness in Nineteenth-Century Ireland

The MOPE thesis, which holds that the Irish were the Most Oppressed People Ever, is challenged in this book. It looks at the many different ways in which Irish people sought out, expressed, and wrote about happiness, bringing together an international group of established and emerging scholars. During the nineteenth century, happiness was associated with good fortune, moral life, wealth, fame, and political success. It was also expressed in personal correspondence, diaries, and novels, influenced by cultural ideas about what one could or should be happy about.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 13 February 2021
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

One of the most enduring tropes of modern Irish history is the MOPE thesis, which asserts that the Irish were the Most Oppressed People Ever. Political oppression, forced emigration, and endemic poverty have been central to the historiography of nineteenth-century Ireland. This volume challenges the assumption of generalized misery and explores the diverse and often surprising ways in which Irish people sought out, expressed, and wrote about happiness. Bringing together an international group of established and emerging scholars, this volume considers the emerging field of the history of emotion and what a history of happiness in Ireland might look like.

During the nineteenth century, happiness denoted a degree of luck or good fortune, but it was also associated with the positive feelings produced from living a good and moral life. Happiness could be found in achieving wealth, fame, or political success, but it could also be found in the simple pleasure of lulling a crying baby to sleep. Reading happiness in historical context reveals more than a simple expression of contentment. In personal correspondence, diaries, and novels, the expression of happiness was laden with the expectations of audience and author and informed by cultural ideas about what one could or should be happy about.

This volume explores how the idea of happiness shaped social, literary, architectural, and aesthetic aspirations across the century. The contributors to this volume include Ian d Alton, Shannon Devlin, Anne Dolan, Simon Gallaher, Paul Huddie, Kerron Ó Luain, David McCready, Ciara Thompson, Andrew Tierney, Kristina Varade, and Mai Yatani. Each contributor offers a unique perspective on the topic, drawing on a range of sources and methodologies to shed light on the complex and multifaceted nature of happiness in nineteenth-century Ireland.

In conclusion, this volume provides a valuable contribution to the field of the history of emotion and offers a fresh perspective on the history of nineteenth-century Ireland. By challenging the assumption of generalized misery and exploring the diverse and often surprising ways in which Irish people sought out, expressed, and wrote about happiness, it sheds light on the complex and multifaceted nature of emotion in historical context.

Weight: 514g
Dimension: 162 x 242 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800348257