The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature

The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature

Edited by Robert Welch (author) and completed in 1996. The literature of Ireland displays an exceptional richness and diversity - whether in Irish or English, by native Irish and Anglo-Irish writers or by outsiders like Edmund Spenser whose works were deeply imbued with the country in which he lived and wrote. In over 2,000 entries, the Companion to Irish Literature surveys the Irish literary landscape across some sixteen centuries, describing its features and landmarks. Entries range from ogam writing, developed in the 4th century, to the fiction, poetry, and drama of the l990s; and from Cú Chulainn to James Joyce. There are accounts of authors as early as Adomnán, 7th century Abbot of Iona, up to contemporary writers such as Roddy Doyle, Brian Friel, Seamus Heaney, and Edna O'Brien. Individual entries are provided for all major works, from Táin Bó Cuailnge - the Ulster saga reflecting the Celtic Iron Age - to Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent, Ó Cadhain's Cré na Cille, and Banville's The Book of Evidence. The Companion also illuminates the historical contexts of these writers, and the events which sometimes directly inspired them - the [Irish Famine of 1845-8, which provided a theme for novelists, poets, and memoirists from William Carleton to Patrick Kavanagh and Peadar Ó Laoghaire; the founding of the Abbey Theatre and its impact on playwrights such as J. M. Synge and Padraic Colum; the Easter Rising that stirred Yeats to the `terrible beauty' of `Easter 1916'. It offers a wealth of information on general topics, ranging from the stage Irishman to Catholicism, Protestantism, the Irish language, and university education in Ireland; and on genres such as annals, bardic poetry, and folksong. The majority of entries include a succinct bibliography, and the volume also provides a chronology and maps.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Irish literature — For a comparatively small island, Ireland has made a disproportionate contribution to world literature in all its branches. Irish Literature encompasses the Irish and English languages. The island s most widely known literary works are… …   Wikipedia

  • Irish literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced by the Irish. This article discusses Irish literature written in English from about 1690; its history is closely linked with that of English literature. Irish language literature is treated… …   Universalium

  • Oxford Companions — is a book series published by Oxford University Press. This series provides general knowledge of a specific area, and has included (in alphabetical order): The New Oxford Companion to Law The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French The New… …   Wikipedia

  • Irish language — This article is about the modern Goidelic language. For the form of English as it is spoken in Ireland, see Hiberno English. For the cant based partly on English and partly on Irish, see Shelta. Irish Gaeilge Pronunciation [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] …   Wikipedia

  • Niall of the Nine Hostages — Niall Noígíallach (Irish pronunciation: [ˈniːəl noɪˈɣiːələx], Old Irish having nine hostages ),[1] or in English, Niall of the Nine Hostages, son of Eochaid Mugmedón, was an Irish king, the eponymous ancestor of the Uí Néill kindred who… …   Wikipedia

  • Duffy’s Irish Catholic Magazine — Ankündigung der ersten Ausgabe des Magazins Duffy’s Irish Catholic Magazine war ein von dem irischen Publizisten James Duffy herausgegebenes Magazin mit einer monatlichen Erscheinungsweise, das in den Jahren 1846 und 1847 mit insgesamt 23… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy in popular culture — The life and works of Dante Alighieri, especially his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, have been a source of inspiration for many artists for seven centuries. Some notable examples are listed below. Dante of Erminio Blotta, at Bd. Oroño, Rosario… …   Wikipedia

  • The Holocaust — Holocaust and Shoah redirect here. For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation) and Shoah (disambiguation). Selection on …   Wikipedia

  • English literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the English language by inhabitants of the British Isles (including Ireland) from the 7th century to the present day. The major literatures written in English outside the British Isles are… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”