English 403: Contemporary Northern Irish Poetry TTh: 12:30-2:10 Welles 134
Dr. Rob Doggett Office: Welles 226 Office Hours: By appointment (see below) Phone: X5221 Email: [email protected]
Course Overview
This course will examine Northern Irish poetry, focusing partly, though not exclusively, on the different ways that poets have responded to the political, social, economic, and cultural issues attending the sectarian violence that engulfed Northern Ireland from the 1960s to the late 1990s. We will analyze these poets within the context of Irish history, focusing in particular on key events from 1969 to the present (e.g., the “Bloody Sunday” shootings, Bobby Sands’ hunger strike, the IRA bombing at Enniskillen). Issues to be explored will include: the longstanding material, social, and psychological impacts of Northern Ireland’s connection with the United Kingdom; the attempt to “reclaim” Irish identities; the role of terrorism; the advantages and dangers of creating a “national” literature; gender and its relationship to Irish identities; the impact of the Catholic and Protestant Churches; poverty, emigration, and the problems of writing “outside” of Ireland.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
Identify major themes, ideas, and issues in contemporary Northern Irish poetry. Apply foundational techniques of literary criticism in order to analyze contemporary Northern Irish poetry. Connect major events in Irish history with contemporary Northern Irish poetry. Come to see themselves as global citizens as they recognize connections with and differences from the experiences of contemporary Northern Irish poets. Value peace and reconciliation as a response to sectarian violence. Formulate useful questions about nationhood in light of gender, sexuality, religious identify, social class, and ethnic differences.
Office Hours
Because I am department chair and have lots of meetings throughout the semester, I do not have designated office hours. I am, however, on campus every day and will be glad to meet with you. Please email the department secretary, Michele Feeley [[email protected]], to make an appointment; you can also email me directly. Books
Flynn, Leontia. Drives. London: Cape Poetry, 2008.
Heaney, Seamus. Opened Ground: Selected Poems, 1966-1996. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1998.
Laird, Nick. Go Giants. New York: Faber and Faber, 2013.
Longley, Michael. Collected Poems. Winston-Salem: Wake Forest University Press, 2007.
McGuckian, Medbh. The Unfixed Horizon. Winston-Salem: Wake Forest University Press, 2015.
Morrissey, Sinead. Parallax and Selected Poems. New York: Farrar, 2015
Grading:
Participation: 20% Pre-Class Write Up 15% Essay one: 15% Annotated Bibliography 10% Essay two: 20% Final Exam: 20%
Participation
Since this is an upper-level, discussion-based class, active participation is expected. Please come to class having read the poems and prepared to talk intelligently about the poems. Some of the poetry we will be reading is quite difficult, so be sure to allow time for extensive rereading and reflection.
Attendance (Read this carefully)
Every study on education in the humanities shows a strong connection between attendance and student performance, development of critical thinking skills, and overall satisfaction with the course. Put simply, students who attend class do better, learn more, and enjoy the class more than those who do not. In this class, your top participation grade is connected with attendance.
You can miss two classes, no questions asked. These absences are for illnesses, emergencies, or those points in the semester when you’re overwhelmed with other class work. There is no need to email me and explain why you have missed.
If you miss three classes, your participation grade will be negatively impacted. If you miss four classes, the highest participation grade you can receive for the course is a C.
If you miss five classes, the highest participation grade you can receive for the course is a D.
If you miss six classes, the highest participation grade you can receive for the course is an F.
If you miss over six classes, your participation grade is zero, which means that you will probably fail the course.
Please note that I make no distinction between excused and unexcused absences because I’ve already built in 2-3 excused absences. If you are sick or have other (even legitimate) reasons for missing numerous classes, I will advise you to drop the course. Please do not assume any flexibility in this policy.
Laptops
Unless I say otherwise, please keep your laptops and all other electronic devices stowed away during class. Please use physical copies of the books for discussion.
Pre-Class Write Up [Includes Film Write Up]
Please create a Google doc titled: “Engl 403 (Your Last Name).” Share the document with me. Then, prior to each class, please complete a short reflection on the poetry you have read for class that day. In the write-up, please talk about anything that you found interesting about the poems, including questions that you have. You can focus in detail on one or two poems, or you can reflect on a larger group. The goal of this assignment is to demonstrate that you have read and thought about the poetry before class. Your reflection should be a minimum of 1 paragraph.
I will periodically read and comment on your pre-class write up during the semester.
You will find below a set of links to a series of films that provide historical context on sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. The films are grouped into three categories: Provos, Loyalists, and Brits. When you have watched all of the films in a category, please complete a short write up (on the same Google doc) in which you respond to the poems, noting main issues and ideas that you felt were important. Your write up should be about 1-2 pages. Please do a write-up for each category (3 total). This assignment is due on January 29.
Provos
Part I: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xui95e
Part II: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ndfp3 Part III: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ndfqo
Part IV: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ndisn
Loyalists
Part I: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ndblf
Part II: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ndbn5
Part III: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ndbz0
Brits
Part I: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1nda5j
Part II: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1nda7b
Part III: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ndau2
Essays
You will write two essays for this course. The first will be a short (3-4 pages) close-reading essay. You should, without using external sources, make an argument about one or more of the poems we’ll be reading during the first half of the semester. You should support your argument / interpretation with close reading from the text. The second essay will be a research paper (10-12 pages) focusing on one author from this semester. Using outside research, as well as any theoretical, historical, or biographical materials that you find useful, you should offer an extended interpretation that contributes to the current scholarship about your author. I will provide more details about each essay in class and in separate handouts.
Late Papers
Papers turned in late will receive a one grade penalty (e.g., a B paper would receive a grade of C) for each class day after the due date. I am, however, willing to listen to any reasonable excuses, provided you speak to me prior to the due date. If you feel that you might have a problem completing the essay on time—whether because of illness, personal crisis, or for any other legitimate reason—please see me in advance and we can work out a new date. Again, though, you must see me in advance. I will not accept any excuses on the day the paper is due.
Annotated Bibliography
For this assignment, provide a list of the source you’re consulting as you prepare for the research paper. Place each entry in proper MLA format and then provide a brief summary of the central argument in each essay. I will provide more details about the annotated bibliography in a separate handout.
Exams
There will be a comprehensive final exam.
Other Concerns
If you have a disability that might impact your classroom performance, please see me. If you will be required to miss class (for a religious holiday or school activity), let me know in advance. I will assume that all of the work you turn in for this class is your own. Taking language or ideas from any outside source without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism. If you do engage in plagiarism, you will fail the assignment, may very well fail the course, and will be referred to the college for disciplinary action. If you’re having trouble with your essay or have concerns about correct citation format, see me and I will help you.
Course Readings
Please do the readings for the day listed.
January
16 T Introduction: a brief overview of Irish history
18 Th Nick Laird: from Go Giants (pp. 3 – 42)
23 T Nick Laird: from Go Giants (pp. 45 – 69)
25 Th Nick Laird: continue discussion of poems from Go Giants (pp. 45 – 69) Seamus Heaney (all poems are from Opened Ground): from Death of Naturalist: “Digging,” “Death of a Naturalist,” “Blackberry-Picking,” “Follower,” “Mid-Term Break,” “Personal Helicon,” and “Antaeus.”
29 M Complete Film Responses
30 T Seamus Heaney: from Door into the Dark: “The Outlaw,” “The Forge,” “Requiem for the Croppies,” “A Lough Neagh Sequence,” and “Bogland”; from Wintering Out: “Bog Oak,” “The Tollund Man,” “Mother of the Groom,” and “Westering”; from The Stations: “England’s Difficulty”; from North: ““Mossbawn: Sunlight and the Seed Cutters.”
February 1 Th Seamus Heaney: from North: “Funeral Rights,” “North,” “Viking Dublin,” “Bone Dreams,” “Bog Queen,” “The Grauballe Man,” “Punishment,” “Strange Fruit,” “Kinship,” “Act of Union,” “Hercules and Anteus,” from “Whatever You Say Say Nothing.”
6 T Seamus Heaney: from North: “Singing School: The Ministry of Fear, A Constable Calls, Orange Drums, Summer 1969, Fosterage, Exposure”; from Field Work: “Oysters,” “Triptych,” “The Stand at Lough Beg,” “Casualty,” “Field Work,” “Leavings,” “The Harvest Bow,” “In Memoriam Francis Ledwidge,” “Ugolino”; from Station Island: “A Hazel Stick for Catherine Ann,” “A Kite for Michael and Christopher,” and “Aye.”
8 Th Seamus Heaney: from Station Island: “Station Island.”
13 T Seamus Heaney: from The Haw Lantern: “Alphabets,” “Terminus,” “The Frontier of Writing,” “The Haw Lantern,” “The Republic of Conscience,” “Hailstones,” “The Stone Verdict,” “The Spoonbait,” “Clearances,” “The Milk Factory,” “The Wishing Tree,” “Grotus and Coventina,” “Wolfe Tone,” “The Canton of Expectation,” The Mud Vision,” “The Disappearing Island,” “The Riddle.”
15 Th Seamus Heaney: from Seeing Things: “The Golden Bough,” “Markings,” “Man and Boy,” “Seeing Things,” “An August Night,” “A Pillowed Head,” “A Royal Prospect”; from The Spirit Level: “The Rain Stick,” “A Sofa in the Forties,” “Two Lorries,” “St Kevin and the Blackbird,” “Poet’s Chair,” “The Swing,” “A Call,” “The Errand,” “A Dog was Crying Tonight in Wicklow Also,” “The Strand,” “The Walk,” “Tollund,” “Postscript.”
20 T Medbh McGuckian: “Eavesdropper,” “Mr McGregor’s Garden,” “The Soil Map,” “The “Flitting,” “Ode to a Poetess,” “Aviary,” “Isba Song,” “Venus and the Rain,” “The Rising Out,” “Hotel,” “Lime Trees in Winter, Retouched,” “What does ‘Early’ Mean?” “The Dream Language of Fergus,” “On Ballycastle Beach.”
22 Th Class Cancelled
27 T Medbh McGuckian: “To Call Paula Paul,” “A Small Piece of Wood,” “Gigot Sleeves,” “The Most Emily of All,” “No Streets, No Numbers,” “The Unplayed Rosalind,” “Oval of a Girl,” “Marconi’s Cottage,” “On Her Second Birthday,” “Elegy for an Irish Speaker,” “The Aisling Hat,” “Flirting with Saviours,” “The Over Mother,” “Captain Lavender,” “Script for an Unchanging Voice,” “The Feastday of Peace,” Self-Portrait in the Act of Painting a Self-Portrait,” “Stone with Potent Figure,” “The Society of the Bomb.”
March
1 Th Medbh McGuckian: “Helen’s War,” “Life as a Literary Convict,” “Love Affair with Firearms,” “The Chimney Boys,” “Filming the Famine,” “A Religion of Writing,” “At Mullaghmore,” “Drawing Ballerinas,” “The Brood-Bird,” “The Face of the Earth,” “The Worship of the Plough,” “High Altitude Lavender,” “Valentine Not To Be Opened,” Christmas Eve Sky,” “She is in the Past, She Has this Grace.”
6 T Medbh McGuckian: “Reading in a Library,” “The Deadest Deaths Are the Best,” “The Sleep Cure,” “The Publisher of Inwardness,” “The Dream Theatre,” “Four Voices without an Instrument,” “Hand Reliquary, Ave Maria Lane,” “Fallen God of Bone,” Poem Rhyming in J,” “Consecrated Wafer,” “A Book of Rains,” “Kaddish,” “House without Eyebrows,” “The Currach Requires No Harbours,” “Lemon with White Jug,” “Regaining Control of the Night.”
8 Th Due: Essay One [Please bring a copy of essay one to class with you] Medbh McGuckian: “Painting by Moonlight,” “Painting a Verb Half Golden,” “The Realm of Nothing Whatever,” “The Cliff of Thought of Renunciation,” “Shot Angel,” “The Sin Eater,” “My Love Has Fared Inland,” “South of Mars,” “A Supplement to the Withering,” “The Mercyseat,” “The High Caul Cap,” “Master of the Female Half-Lengths,” “Dark Lips, Jade Pillow,” “The Flower of the Moment of What Comes Easily.”
Spring Break
20 T Michael Longley: “Epithalamion,” “Emily Dickinson,” “A Personal Statement,” “No Continuing City,” “The Hebrides,” “In Memoriam,” “The Freemartin,” “Gathering Mushrooms,” “Leaving Inishmore,” “Love Poem,” “The Adulterer,” “Swans Mating,” “Casualty,” “Letters,” “Wounds,” “Carrigskeewaun,” “The West,” “Skara Brae,” “Alibis.”
22 Th Michael Longley: “Check-up,” “The Lodger,” “In Mayo,” “Stilts,” “Mole,” “Man Lying on a Wall,” “Ars Poetica,” “Company,” “Last Rites,” “Oliver Plunkett,” “Wreaths,” “The Echo Gate,” “The War Poets,” “Bog Cotton,” “Light Behind the Rain,” “Love Poem,” “Love Poet,” “No Man’s Land,” “On Slieve Gullion,” “A Last One.”
27 T Michael Longley: “Sea Shanty,” “Insomnia,” “In Aillwee Cave,” “Remembering Carrigskeewaun,” “Gorse Fires,” “Homecoming,” “Mercury,” “Laertes,” “Anticleia,” “Eurycleia,” “Eva Braun,” “Terezin,” “Ghetto,” “Argos,” “The Ice- cream Man,” “The Butchers.”
29 Th Michael Longley: “Form,” “Autumn Lady’s Tresses,” “The Mad Poet,” “According to Pythagoras,” “Sheela-na-gig,” “A Flowering,” “Spiderwoman,” “Baucis & Philemon,” “The Scissors Ceremony,” “The Dry Cleaners,” “Ceasefire,” “Poppies,” “Buchenwald Museum,” “The Pleiades,” “The Rules of Baseball,” “The Ghost Orchid,” “The Oar,” “Duach,” “Sandpiper,” “Out There.” April
3 T Michael Longley: “The Seal,” “The Weather in Japan,” “Burren Prayer,” “A Bunch of Asparagus,” “The War Graves,” “Death of a Horse,” “The Horses,” “An Elegy,” “The Daffodils,” “Maureen Murphy’s Window,” “The Quilt,” “The Rabbit,” “The Fox,” “The Hare,” “Snow Water,” “Moon Cakes,” “Ceilidh,” “The Last Field,” “Old Poets,” “Interview,” “Sleep & Death,” “Up There,” “Heron,” “Leaves”
5 Th Due: Annotated Bibliography [Please bring a copy of your annotated bibliography to class with you] Sinead Morrissey: “In Belfast,” “And Forgive Us Our Trespasses,” “In Need of a Funeral,” “Rock Pool,” “Stitches,” “Jo Gravis in His Metal Garden,” “The Century, the Next, the Last,” “An Anatomy of Smell,” “On Waitakere Dam,” “Goldfish,” “Between Here and There,” “Festivals,” “To Imagine an Alphabet”
10 T Sinead Morrissey: “Flight,” “Genetics,” “Pilots,” “From China,” “Reading the Greats,” “Clocks,” “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic,” “Zero,” “Stepfather,” “The State of the Prisons.”
12 Th Sinead Morrissey: “Storm,” “Matter,” “Returning from Arizona,” “Found Architecture,” “Vanity Fair,” Apocrypha,” “Ice,” “Love, the nightwatch,” “Augustine Sleeping Before He Can Talk,” “Through the Square Window,” “York,” History,” “Flu,” “Fairground Music,” “Telegraph,” “The Hanging Hare,” “Cathedral,” “Dash,” “Electric Edwardians,” “Shadows in Siberia According to Kapuscinkski”
17 T No Class: Great Day
19 Th Sinead Morrissey: “1801,” “Baltimore,” “Shadows,” “Shostakovich,” “Photographs of Belfast by Alexander Robert Hogg,” “Home Birth,” “A Day’s Blindness,” “Display,” “Fur,” “Fool’s God,” “Jigsaw,” “Puzzle,” “Photographing Lowry’s House,” “Migraine,” “Daughter,” “V is for Veteran,” “Last Winter,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Signatures,” “Through the Eye of a Needle,” “The Doctors,” “The Evil Key,” “Yard Poem,” “Lighthouse.”
24 T Sinead Morrissey: “The Coal Jerry,” “Ladies in Spring,” “The Mutoscope,” “The House of Osiris in the Field of Reeds,” “The Party Bazaar,” “The High Window,” “Peacocks and Butterflies,” “A Lie,” “Blog.” Leontia Flynn: Drives (pp. 1-10).
26 Th Leontia Flynn: Drives (pp. 11-44)
May
1 T Due: Essay Two [Please bring a copy of essay two with you to class] Leontia Flynn: Drives (pp. 45-58)
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 9, from 8:00 – 11:20