THE WOOING OF CHOICE: Prosimetric Reconstruction of the Female Journey in Irish mythology by Roxanne Bodsworth 2020 This thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Institute of Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University. i Abstract: In “The Wooing of Choice: prosimetric reconstruction of the female journey in Irish mythology”, I examine the representation of female characters in Irish mythological tales where the woman chooses her lover in contravention of social expectations. In the traditional versions, the woman recedes into the background as the narrative develops around the male hero. I ask what happens to the discourse of the narrative when it is subverted so that the focus is placed upon the female experience. This is explored through a creative component, called ‘Meet Me in My World’, a prosimetric reconstruction of three Irish tales in which the woman chooses her lover and compels him to follow her. The three tales are: Aislinge Óengusso (The Dream of Óengus); Tóruigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne (The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne); and Longes mac nUislenn (The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu). The exegetical component, comprising 50% of the thesis, is composed of two sections. In the first, I examine theories of feminist writing and remythologizing, and develop a new model for feminist reconstruction, which I apply to the creative product. In the second section, I explore the relationship between narrative and poetry, from medieval prosimetric translations to contemporary hybrid texts, and consider which form provides the best framework for my female-centred narrative and the verse. This exploration includes consideration of the traditions of Irish poetics and Irish women’s poetry, the principles of which are then incorporated into the poetic mythography that is ‘Meet Me in My World’. ii Student Declaration I, Roxanne Bodsworth, declare that the PhD thesis entitled ‘The wooing of choice: When a Woman Chooses her Lover in Irish mythology’ is no more than 100,000 words in length including quotes and exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, bibliography, references and footnotes. This thesis contains no material that has been submitted previously, in whole or in part, for the award of any other academic degree or diploma. Except where otherwise indicated, this thesis is my own work. Signature: Date: 3 June 2020 iii Acknowledgments There are very many people to thank for their support in the development of my ideas, encouragement of my creative experimentation, and guidance in my research. First and foremost, my thanks to Dianne Hall who has been my constant and very patient mentor and supervisor. Without her broad scope of knowledge of Irish history, literature and language I would have been floundering and the quality of my work would have been considerably diminished. Also, to each of those who have, at different times, been my creative supervisors: John McClaren (RIP), Rose Lucas, Natalie Kon-Yu, Paola Bilbrough, Ian Syson, and Earl Livings. You each brought something unique which helped me expand my creative repertoire and consider the work from all different angles. Thank you also to Tom Clark who was always ready to offer advice and who helped me in the preparation of conference papers. To the library staff of VU who have often gone above and beyond their usual roles with their assistance. To Mark Brendel for rescuing me from computer mishaps. I am grateful also for the support and feedback of other post-grad students in the creative writing groups, especially the extraordinary poet, Kylie Brusaschi, and the wise woman, Samah Sabawi. Thank you also for your friendship. I have been warmed by the generosity of all those in the academic world who I approached with questions on their work and mine. To John Carey who not only supplied his unpublished translation of Tochmarc Ailbe but also read my reconstruction and whose comments greatly encouraged me. To Nicola Tannion who read my chapter on the journey of the female hero and provided thorough and helpful feedback. To Kate Mathis who responded to my queries with a very kind email, shared her articles and her thoughts. To Miriam O’Donovan who pointed me towards relevant articles. To Máirín Ní Dhonnchadha, who has several times responded to my queries and always with pointers towards more research material. To Helen Dell, who shared her research on nostalgia. To Pamaladh Uí Neill who has been my consultant on the ambiguities of Old Irish translation and Modern Irish. To Francis Devenney, my consultant in Modern Irish, his native tongue. To Lisa Bitel – I was privileged to have the opportunity to discuss my ideas with her on her visit to Australia. As was the case with Ruari Ó Hogain, who also assisted with later email enquiries. And to my husband, Danny Carey, who has supported me in following my dreams even when I have been tired, cranky, frustrated, generally worn out and making no sense. You are my rock. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS THE WOOING OF CHOICE: ........................................................................................... i Abstract: ........................................................................................................................... ii Student Declaration ......................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................... iv Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. vi Prefatory Style Guide ..................................................................................................... vii Glossary: Select List of Irish Terms ............................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION: THE JOURNEY BEGINS ............................................................... 1 SECTION ONE: FEMINIST RECONSTRUCTION .................................................... 15 Chapter One: The Language of Feminist Reconstruction .......................................... 21 Chapter Two: The Female Hero’s Journey in Irish Mythology ................................. 41 Chapter Three: Placing the Woman at the Centre ...................................................... 69 SECTION TWO: NARRATIVE AND POETRY .......................................................... 93 Chapter Four: The Relationship Between Narrative and Poetry ................................ 94 Chapter Five: Poetry ................................................................................................. 111 CONCLUSION OF EXEGESIS: THE JOURNEY ENDS .......................................... 138 SECTION THREE: MEET ME IN MY WORLD ....................................................... 143 Preface: Location In-Between .................................................................................. 144 Chapter Six: The Dream Lover ................................................................................ 146 Chapter Seven: The Wilful Princess ......................................................................... 166 Chapter Eight: The Woman of Fate .......................................................................... 264 Appendix One: Examples of the Woman’s Choice in Wooing .................................... 350 Bibliography A: Primary Sources ................................................................................ 354 Bibliography B: Secondary Resources ......................................................................... 359 v Abbreviations eDIL – electronic Dictionary of Irish Language DF I, II, III – Duanaire Finn: The Book of the Lays of Fionn FDA I, II, III, IV and V – Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing LMU – Longes mac n-Uislenn OCU – Oidheadh Chloinne hUisneach TDAG – Tóruigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne Shortened Forms The Tóruigheacht – Tóruigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne The Aislinge – Aislinge Óengusso The Táin – Táin Bó Cúailgne The Ectra – Ectra Condla vi Prefatory Style Guide The exegesis is written in a primarily academic style with some creative writing. The creative writing is formatted in italics and indented to clearly distinguish it from the general text. This is always my own writing. The titles of poems are placed in single quotation marks even if they have been published as a complete book. Otherwise, the titles of books, manuscripts, and collections are placed in italics. Where there is an Irish title with an English translation, the Irish title is given first and italicized; the English translation is provided in parenthesis and is also italicized indicating that it has been published as such. After the first use in each chapter, the shortened version of the Irish title is given. The titles of the Irish myths are first given in Irish and English, but where the titles are drawn from manuscripts in Old and Middle Irish, the Irish language title is then used in deference to Irish literary convention. The same rule is applied to the titles of the tales contained in the manuscripts, which are given in Irish and English initially, and thereafter in Irish as the correct title. Where the title comes from a translation, the title used is the same one as provided by the translation. The names of characters from the Irish myths have variant spellings used by commentators and translators, and sometimes individual commentators and translators use different spellings