Irish Anglican Literature and Drama: Hybridity and Discord

by David Clare

Overview

This book discusses key works by important writers from Church of Ireland backgrounds (from Farquhar and Swift to Beckett and Bardwell), in order to demonstrate that writers from this Irish subculture have a unique socio-political viewpoint which is imperfectly understood. The Anglican Ascendancy was historically referred to as a “middle nation” between Ireland and Britain, and this book is an examination of the various ways in which Irish Anglican writers have signalled their Irish/British hybridity. “British” elements in their work are pointed out, but so are manifestations of their proud Irishness and what Elizabeth Bowen called her community’s “subtle … anti-Englishness.” Crucially, this book discusses several writers often excluded from the “truly” Irish canon, including (among others) Laurence Sterne, Elizabeth Griffith, and C.S. Lewis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030683528
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	05/19/2021
Edition description:	1st ed. 2021
Pages:	153
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

David Clare is Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland. He previously held two IRC-funded postdoctoral fellowships at NUI Galway, Ireland. His books include the monograph Bernard Shaw’s Irish Outlook (2016) and the edited collection The Gate Theatre, Dublin: Inspiration and Craft (2018).

Table of Contents

1. ​Introduction.
2. Elizabeth Griffith: Celebrating and Extending the Irish Anglican Dramatic Tradition.
3. The Portraits of the English in the Work of Dion Boucicault, Bram Stoker, and Erskine Childers.
4. Charlotte Brooke’s Impact on Ascendancy Women Writers from Maria Edgeworth to Lady Gregory.
5. C.S. Lewis and the Irish Literary Canon.
6. Gradations of Class Among Irish Anglicans in Leland Bardwell’s Girl on a Bicycle.-

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This is both an authoritative handbook to the particular hybrid culture of Irish Anglicans, and an illuminating series of case studies of often overlooked Irish writers from the 18th to 20th centuries. With a refreshing emphasis on women writers, Clare examines the intertwined influences of nation and religion, and gives new insight into writers whose work is central to any canon of Irish literature.” (Emilie Pine, University College Dublin, Ireland)

“The introduction to David Clare’s lively and accessible study makes the case that a nuanced and sympathetic view of Irish Anglican writers such as Lady Gregory and Leland Bardwell (whose political and ethnic affiliations have often been suspiciously scrutinized from a nationalist perspective) can contribute to shaping an inclusive society increasingly made up of hybrid subjects. The book as a whole offers thought-provoking insights, for both general and specialist readers, into the work of a wide range of well-known writers (Gregory, C. S. Lewis, Shaw), as well as enabling readers to discover almost forgotten figures such as the 18th-century playwright Elizabeth Griffith.” (Clíona Ó Gallchoir, University College Cork, Ireland)

Editorial Reviews

The compact nature of this work is suitable for scholars and readers who already have a basis in Irish studies … . it is Clare’s research and cogent writing style that shine through, further solidifying this work as an important contribution to the ongoing scholarship concerning the necessary inclusion of Anglo-Irish writers in the canon, largely thanks to the ‘strength of the Irish identities of these same writers’ … .” (Aileen R. Ruane, SHAW The Journal of Bernard Shaw Studies, Vol. 42 (1), 2022)

“David Clare’s book on the Irish Anglican tradition in writing and theatre history is a concise, accessible, and effectively argued work … . this excellent and concise study equips us with an insightful account of the historical and cultural ambiguities that imbue our present.” (Mike Griffin, Estudios Irlandeses, Vol. 17, 2022)

From the Publisher