View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OTHES DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „Irishness vs. Scottishness as Reflected in Éilís Ní Dhuibhne's The Dancers Dancing and James Kelman's Kieron Smith, Boy“ Verfasserin Maria Kienesberger angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, 2012 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuer: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Franz Wöhrer DECLARATION OF AUTHENTICITY I confirm to have conceived and written this Diploma Thesis in English all by myself. Quotations from other authors are all clearly marked and acknowledged in the bibliographical references, either in the footnotes or within the text. Any ideas borrowed and/or passages paraphrased from the works of other authors have been truthfully acknowledged and identified in the footnotes. Maria Kienesberger HINWEIS Diese Diplomarbeit hat nachgewiesen, dass die betreffende Kandidatin befähigt ist, wissenschaftliche Themen selbstständig sowie inhaltlich und methodisch vertretbar zu bearbeiten. Da die Korrekturen der Beurteilenden nicht eingetragen sind und das Gutachten nicht beiliegt, ist daher nicht erkenntlich mit welcher Note diese Arbeit abgeschlossen wurde. Das Spektrum reicht von sehr gut bis genügend. Die Habilitierten des Instituts für Anglistik und Amerikanistik bitten diesen Hinweis bei der Lektüre zu beachten. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Franz Wöhrer, who let me work independently during the making of my thesis. However, he provided valuable advice and constructive criticism when I needed it most. I had the opportunity to attend Dr Shane Alcobia-Murphy’s and Dr Tim Baker’s course ‘States of mind – Contemporary Irish and Scottish Writing’ at the University of Aberdeen which was essentially my starting point and the main inspiration for the writing of my thesis. Furthermore, I am indebted to my family. Their constant support, generosity and unconditional love were invaluable throughout my years at university. My very special thanks goes to my parents who are always there for me and who are always able to put a smile on my face. Finally, I wish to thank Johanna and Ben for proofreading parts of my thesis. I am also very grateful to all of my friends – those who I see often and those who are scattered to the four winds. They all have been very encouraging, understanding and most importantly great fun during the course of my studies. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 2. IRISH-SCOTTISH RELATION(SHIP)S .......................................................... 4 2.1. Historical Perspective .................................................................................................................. 4 2.1.1. Pre-Reformation ..................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.2. Post-Reformation ................................................................................................................. 11 2.2. Present Perspective .................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.1. Anglocentrism and the Decline of Britishness ..................................................................... 17 2.2.2. Political Developments ........................................................................................................ 22 2.3. Irish and Scottish Studies .......................................................................................................... 24 3. ENGLISH, IRISH AND SCOTTISH LITERATURE .................................... 29 3.1. ‘Devolving English Literature’ ................................................................................................. 29 3.2. Irish Literature and the Irish Novel ......................................................................................... 32 3.3. Scottish Literature and the Scottish Novel .............................................................................. 36 4. IMAGOLOGY .................................................................................................... 40 5. NOVELS SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS ......................................................... 47 5.1. Authors ....................................................................................................................................... 47 5.1.1. James Kelman ...................................................................................................................... 47 5.1.2. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne ................................................................................................................ 50 5.2. Plot Summaries .......................................................................................................................... 51 5.2.1. Kieron Smith, Boy (2008) ..................................................................................................... 51 5.2.2. The Dancers Dancing (1999) ............................................................................................... 52 6. FEATURES OF IRISHNESS AND SCOTTISHNESS ................................... 53 6.1. Features of Irishness in The Dancers Dancing ........................................................................ 55 6.1.1. Language .............................................................................................................................. 55 6.1.2. Religion ................................................................................................................................ 60 6.1.3. Politics – The Northern Ireland Conflict .............................................................................. 62 6.1.4. Geography – Dichotomy between the Rural and the Urban ................................................. 67 6.1.5. Emigration and Immigration ................................................................................................ 69 6.1.6. Family, Gender Roles and the ‘Male Breadwinner Model’ ................................................. 71 6.1.7. Aspects of Irish Culture: the Céilí ........................................................................................ 74 6.2. Features of Scottishness in Kieron Smith, Boy ......................................................................... 75 6.2.1. Language .............................................................................................................................. 75 6.2.2. Religion ................................................................................................................................ 78 6.2.3. Politics ................................................................................................................................. 81 6.2.4. Emigration and Immigration ................................................................................................ 83 6.2.5. Geography – Dichotomy between the Rural and the Urban ................................................. 85 6.2.6. Family, Gender Roles and the ‘Male Breadwinner Model’ ................................................. 87 6.2.7. Aspects of Scottish Culture: the Céilidh .............................................................................. 88 6.2.8. Professions ........................................................................................................................... 89 6.2.9. Attitude to Englishness ........................................................................................................ 91 7. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 93 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 99 Primary Texts ....................................................................................................................................... 99 Secondary Literature ........................................................................................................................... 99 INDEX ....................................................................................................................... 105 ABSTRACT IN GERMAN / DEUTSCHE ZUSAMMENFASSUNG ................ 108 CURRICULUM VITAE .......................................................................................... 110 1 1. Introduction Why Scotland and Ireland? What is marginal, one might ask, about cultures that have produced writers like Burns, Boswell, Stevenson, and Scott, on the one hand, and Wilde, Shaw, Yeats, and Joyce, on the other? (Reizbaum, 168) When Ireland and Scotland are discussed in a diploma thesis, the first question which arises for a scholar from central Europe is why the two nations should be dealt with in combination. For Ray Ryan the historical and cultural reasons for an Irish-Scottish relationship are easily listed. First of all, both have the same linguistic tradition as they spoke a Gaelic language and English only later; they share the sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics as well as similar political and cultural concerns; on the one hand, both Ireland and Scotland have urbanised centres while, on the other hand, they have the rural countryside; connected to this is the aura of mystery surrounding Irish and