TWENTIETH CENTURY IRISH LITERATURE

Professor Malcolm Sen 266 Bartlett Hall [email protected] Office Hours: Mon. / Wed. 2 - 3pm or by appointment

Description:

Every reader and scholar of Irish literature is familiar with its extensive genealogy of nature writing, and a ‘sense of place’ found across a great variety of texts. While not unique to Ireland such a rich heritage has produced some of the most enduring and exciting literary and cultural narratives and criticisms. However, given our contemporary concerns with environmental issues, of which climate change is one, literary and cultural narratives need to be re-read and re-energized to help us find a language that speaks to current existential anxieties. This course offers an opportunity to read influential Irish authors from the 20th century through the lens of the environmental humanities. While we will learn of the socio- political conditions which have shaped Irish literature we will also be attentive to environmental questions that such literature often provoke and respond to.

We require active participation in classroom Marine Phytoplankton Bloom off the coast of Ireland discussions and close Copyright: MODIS image from readings of texts and NASA's Aqua satellite documents for the course to be successful. As part of the Blended Learning Initiative of the Five Colleges this course utilises digital resources (such as podcasts and documentaries) as well as traditional lectures, classroom discussions and literary criticism. Assignments are similarly ‘blended’, in that students will have an opportunity to write critical assessments and essays, and publish digital reflections and record podcasts. (Students will receive guidance on such assignments.) An exciting aspect of these digital assignments is that they give students the opportunity to be a part of a growing digital resource on the environmental humanities at UMass.

There are class presentation assignments for this course. At the start of the semester each student will be assigned to a team which will research a particular topic. These findings have to be presented to the class. You will be marked individually and as a group for this assignment on a 50:50 ratio. Presentations may range from close scrutiny of texts (literary or otherwise), films and documentaries etc., or may also be creative. (Do not let either yourself or your team down!)

You must submit all assignments to pass this course.

Attendance:

You may miss two classes without excuse. Use these wisely!

Three unexcused absences will result in lowering of the final grade by one letter grade. Four unexcused absences will result in lowering of the final grade by two letter grades. Five or more unexcused Achill, County Mayo, Ireland absences will result in a failing grade for Copyright: Malcolm Sen the course.

Texts:

To keep costs down for students a course book with most of the primary readings will be supplied to the class. You are required to only buy 2 novels (see schedule below) for this course. In addition, all suggested critical readings for this course will be supplied via a shared folder using a UMass Box account. However, you are encouraged to actively and personally research your written and verbal assignments. If unsure please feel free to meet with Professor Sen during his office hours or schedule an alternative appointment. *** Grading Scale:

A 4.0 100-94 Excellent A- 3.7 93-90 B+ 3.3 89-87 B 3.0 86-83 Good B- 2.7 82-80 C+ 2.3 79-77 C 2.0 76-73 Fair C- 1.7 72-70 D+ 1.3 69-67 D 1.0 66-60 Poor F 0.0 59-0 Failure

Grading Rubric:

Criteria Explanation Needs Work Good Excellent

Little or no digressions, language Coherent Argument is clear. Argument progresses well

Grammar, Spelling, Demonstrates diligent Punctuation editing

Quotations are relevant, and are Close Textual analyzed. Displays command of Analysis material.

Citation / Demonstrates Bibliography / Word- seriousness and effort Count

*** Schedule:

7th Sept Irish Literature and the Environment

No text assigned.

12th Sept Narrative and Catastrophe

Kevin Barry, “Fjord of Killary" Declan Kiberd, "Literature and Politics in Ireland"

14th Sept Kevin Barry, “Fjord of Killary” Michael Hulme, “Climate”, Environmental Humanities, vol. 6, 2015, pp. 175-178 Greg Garrard, “Ecocriticism” in Joni Adamson, William A. Gleason, David N. Pellow, Eds., Keywords for Environmental Studies, 2016

19th Sept The Irish Short Story

Mary Lavin, “Lilacs” Heather Ingman, “Introduction" in The History of the Irish Short Story

21st Sept Climate Change and the Humanities

John Feehan, "Attitudes to Nature in Ireland” Graham Huggan, “Greening Postcolonialism: Ecocritical Perspectives”, Modern Fiction Studies) Elizabeth DeLoughrey and Bob Handley, “Introduction” in DeLoughrey and Handley, Eds., Postcolonial Ecologies.

26th Sept Colonialism, Cartography and Irish History

Brian Friel, Translations Lionel Pilkington, "Language and Politics in Translations"; Declan Kiberd, "Literature and Politics" 28th Sept Translations and the Irish Famine

Brian Friel, Translations Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5-Mj6RMB2E Rob Nixon, “Introduction”, in Rob Nixon, Slow Violence: Environmentalism of the Poor Team A Presentation: Ecology and the Environment

3rd Oct Joyce, Literary Modernism and Urban Ecologies

James Joyce, “The Dead” Desmond Harding, “"The dead" : Joyce's Epitaph for Dublin” in Michael Begnal, Ed., Joyce and the City: The Significance of Place

5th Oct “The Dead” and the Irish Famine

James Joyce, “The Dead” Kevin Whelan, “The Memories of the Dead”, Yale Journal of Criticism, 2002.

Mid-Semester Writing Assignment Announced

10th Oct NO CLASS (COLUMBUS DAY)

11th Oct MONDAY CLASS SCHEDULE

Writing Workshop on Mid-Semester Assignment

12th Oct Gender and Landscape

Eavan Boland, Lady Wilde, Paula Meehan, Sinead Morrisey: Poems John Goodby, "From Stillness into History" in Irish Poetry Since 1950

Team B Presentation: Nature and the Urban

17th Oct Irish Women’s Poetry: The Irish Famine Eavan Boland, Lady Wilde, Paula Meehan, Sinead Morrisey: Poems http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/famine_01.shtml

19th Oct Poetry 20th of Oct Poetry Mid-Semester Writing Assignment Due

24th Oct Poetry In-Class Quiz on texts read so far

26th Oct Poetic Archeologies: Literature of Place

Seamus Heaney's Poems Neil Corcoran, "On Roots and Reading", from The Poetry of Seamus Heaney

31st Oct Poetic Archeologies: Literature of Place

Seamus Heaney's Poems Donna Potts, "Seamus Heaney and the Pastoral Tradition"

2nd Nov The Irish Revival and the West of Ireland John Millington Synge, Riders to the Sea

Team C Presentation: Gender and the Environment

MAP Consultation (first 20 minutes or so of class)

7th Nov The Irish Revival and the West of Ireland John Millington Synge, Riders to the Sea John Wilson Foster, “Revisiting the Aran Islands”

9th Nov Contemporary Novel Sara Baume, Spill Simmer Falter Wither Team D Presentation: Place and Poetry

14th Nov Contemporary Novel Sara Baume, Spill Simmer Falter Wither Digital Reflections Due

16th Nov No Class: Friday Schedule

Digital Reflections Due

20-27th Nov Thanksgiving Recess

28th Nov The Anthropocene Tim Robinson, Extracts from Connemara Patrick Jackson, "Three Hundred Years of Irish Geology”

Team Writing for Podcasts Begin

30th Nov In-Class Team Research

Team E Presentation: Climate Change and Justice

5th Dec Big Oil, Small Nation Pipe Down Sharae Deckard, "World Ecology and Ireland: The Neo-Liberal Ecological Regime"

Team Writing Reviews in Class

7th Dec Podcast Recordings No Texts Assigned

Podcast Recordings:- Keywords: Nature; Culture; Environmental Humanities

12th Dec Podcast Recordings No Texts Assigned

Podcast Recording:- Keywords: Climate Change; Anthropocene

14th Dec No Texts Assigned Edited Digital Reflections Due

*** Assignments:

See the marks allocated for each assignment below:

Team Presentations 20% (Individual + Team = 10 +10)

Mid-Semester Assignment 20%

Class Quiz 20%

Digital Reflections 20%

Team Writing Assignment 20% (Individual + Team = 10 +10)