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The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature
1902: Yeats’s play Cathleen ni-Houlihan debuts in Dublin, spreading a mythic story that inspires Irish nationalists.
1916: A group of rebels takes over key landmarks throughout Dublin in a failed attempt to spark a revolution across the country.
1916: James Joyce publishes A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, a deeply personal reflection of his own exploration of identity, mirroring Ireland’s struggle to define its national identity.
1921: Michael Collins returns from England with a treaty by which the transition to an independent Ireland can finally begin, but back home, nationalists are extremely displeased.
These are just a few of the monumental occurrences and artistic events that rocked the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Ireland gradually shook off the shackles of British rule. Alongside a long and painful political process arose one of the greatest flourishings of literature in modern times—a spirited discourse among those who sought to shape their nation’s future, finding the significance of their bloody present intimately entwined with their legendary past. As nationalists including Charles Stewart Parnell, Patrick Pearse, and Michael Collins studied their political situation and sought a road to independence, writers such as W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, J. M. Synge, Lady Gregory, and many others took a close look at the emerging Irish identity and captured the spirit of the nation’s ongoing history in their works.
The Irish Renaissance—or Irish Revival—that occurred around the turn of the 20th century fused and elevated aesthetic and civic ambitions, fueling a cultural climate of masterful artistic creation and resolute political self-determination reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance. Delve into this remarkable period with The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature. Over the course of 36 enthralling lectures, Professor Marc Conner of Washington and Lee University reveals the multifaceted story of the Irish Renaissance through an exploration of its complex history and remarkable literature.
After laying the groundwork of ancient Irish history and centuries of British rule—from the Norman invasion in the 12th century through the brutal Penal Laws and the Great Famine—Professor Conner brings you inside the Irish Revival, when a group of writers began taking a keen interest in the uniquely Irish culture, from its language to its art to its mythology. This fascination fed into the growing demand for Irish nationhood, for the arts, culture, and politics of the time are inextricable.
Uncovering Ireland’s mythic cultural history worked in tandem with promoting the power of a nationalist political movement. As a consequence of British rule, the Protestant Ascendancy had become the dominant land-owning and political class, leaving Catholics and Irish country folk to nurture their identity, history, and myths under strong—often brutal—oppression. As you’ll discover in these lectures, the formation of the Irish identity in the early 20th century was a fierce struggle—a story clearly captured in the literature of the era.
1916: A group of rebels takes over key landmarks throughout Dublin in a failed attempt to spark a revolution across the country.
1916: James Joyce publishes A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, a deeply personal reflection of his own exploration of identity, mirroring Ireland’s struggle to define its national identity.
1921: Michael Collins returns from England with a treaty by which the transition to an independent Ireland can finally begin, but back home, nationalists are extremely displeased.
These are just a few of the monumental occurrences and artistic events that rocked the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Ireland gradually shook off the shackles of British rule. Alongside a long and painful political process arose one of the greatest flourishings of literature in modern times—a spirited discourse among those who sought to shape their nation’s future, finding the significance of their bloody present intimately entwined with their legendary past. As nationalists including Charles Stewart Parnell, Patrick Pearse, and Michael Collins studied their political situation and sought a road to independence, writers such as W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, J. M. Synge, Lady Gregory, and many others took a close look at the emerging Irish identity and captured the spirit of the nation’s ongoing history in their works.
The Irish Renaissance—or Irish Revival—that occurred around the turn of the 20th century fused and elevated aesthetic and civic ambitions, fueling a cultural climate of masterful artistic creation and resolute political self-determination reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance. Delve into this remarkable period with The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature. Over the course of 36 enthralling lectures, Professor Marc Conner of Washington and Lee University reveals the multifaceted story of the Irish Renaissance through an exploration of its complex history and remarkable literature.
After laying the groundwork of ancient Irish history and centuries of British rule—from the Norman invasion in the 12th century through the brutal Penal Laws and the Great Famine—Professor Conner brings you inside the Irish Revival, when a group of writers began taking a keen interest in the uniquely Irish culture, from its language to its art to its mythology. This fascination fed into the growing demand for Irish nationhood, for the arts, culture, and politics of the time are inextricable.
Uncovering Ireland’s mythic cultural history worked in tandem with promoting the power of a nationalist political movement. As a consequence of British rule, the Protestant Ascendancy had become the dominant land-owning and political class, leaving Catholics and Irish country folk to nurture their identity, history, and myths under strong—often brutal—oppression. As you’ll discover in these lectures, the formation of the Irish identity in the early 20th century was a fierce struggle—a story clearly captured in the literature of the era.
Audio CD
Published July 22, 2016
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About the author
Marc C. Conner
15 books9 followersDr. Marc C. Conner is the Jo M. and James M. Ballengee Professor of English at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Professor Conner earned his bachelor's degrees in English and philosophy at the University of Washington and his master's and doctoral degrees in English literature at Princeton University.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 24, 2021
Very well done. Tracking history with literature as the guide or history reflected in literature.
April 11, 2022
The is an 18-hour audio course from the Great Courses, with an accompanying PDF.
This course was exactly what I wanted it to be: a summary of some major events in Irish history, along with a lot of details of some major written and dramatic works, especially works from the late 19th through early 20th centuries. I was hoping the course would give me some idea of how the ideas in great works of literature reflect the background of their authors and what they would have meant to their Irish audiences, and that's just what it did.
Professor Conner goes into detail about several plays and all of Joyce's major works, explaining some important allusions and ideas that would have otherwise been lost on me. I now feel well prepared to read the originals... I'll have to report back on whether I actually make it through Ulysses.
I can see how the deep-dives into the works might be frustrating, as some reviewers have noted. I found them a bit tedious at times, but I was rarely bored and learned a lot.
My biggest complaint is that the course ended with only a brief mention of The Troubles, given as background to Seamus Heaney. I would have appreciated more coverage of the 70s-90s, perhaps with some artists who came after Heaney.
The 18 hours of recordings came with a 300+ page PDF with summaries of all the lectures, suggested additional reading, and an extensive bibliography for further reading: that alone would make up a great introductory text on this subject.
This course was exactly what I wanted it to be: a summary of some major events in Irish history, along with a lot of details of some major written and dramatic works, especially works from the late 19th through early 20th centuries. I was hoping the course would give me some idea of how the ideas in great works of literature reflect the background of their authors and what they would have meant to their Irish audiences, and that's just what it did.
Professor Conner goes into detail about several plays and all of Joyce's major works, explaining some important allusions and ideas that would have otherwise been lost on me. I now feel well prepared to read the originals... I'll have to report back on whether I actually make it through Ulysses.
I can see how the deep-dives into the works might be frustrating, as some reviewers have noted. I found them a bit tedious at times, but I was rarely bored and learned a lot.
My biggest complaint is that the course ended with only a brief mention of The Troubles, given as background to Seamus Heaney. I would have appreciated more coverage of the 70s-90s, perhaps with some artists who came after Heaney.
The 18 hours of recordings came with a 300+ page PDF with summaries of all the lectures, suggested additional reading, and an extensive bibliography for further reading: that alone would make up a great introductory text on this subject.
November 21, 2021
Join Professor Marc Conner as he takes us on a tour of the Irish psyche in this history lesson of what it means to be Irish, somewhat warts and all. He gives us sketchy history, as if it can be known, going all the way back to pre-Roman times in that part of the world and then gets ever more detailed as the British call the shots until recent times. Always interesting and informative, you will come away with a new sense of what it means to experience the emerald isle.
April 21, 2023
I did enjoy the course, although I wish there was a lot more of the history of Ireland rather than the history of Irish literature and theater. I would not recommend this to people looking to learn more about Irish heritage, but I would recommend it to those interested in learning more about Irish literature.
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March 5, 2025I am settling down in Ireland, so I wanted to learn more about it. I learned about its history, including the Vikings, Scottish monasteries connection, British colonization, and more. I saw parallels with India. For example, the British made it derogatory to speak in Irish or follow Irish traditions. They trained a class of Irish people to rule over others.
October 19, 2022
An engaging survey of Irish history through the lens of poets, poetry, playwrights and novelists.
The outlines of war and rebellion along with the conflict of language are all sketched with clarity to give an overarching picture of Ireland and “the Irish”
The outlines of war and rebellion along with the conflict of language are all sketched with clarity to give an overarching picture of Ireland and “the Irish”
December 13, 2022
This history is fascinating and has me looking for more Irish history to uncover. This course is highly academic and is more focused on particular literature than overall Irish history. It is presented well.
October 12, 2020
Informative, interesting and relevant.
May 11, 2023
Very interesting. Learned a lot about Irish history and literature - including that I have absolutely no interest in ever reading anything by Joyce...
April 13, 2024
I could listen to him reading Yeats forever. Fascinating history lesson.
July 10, 2020
literature too
March 13, 2022
(3.5 stars) A solid combination of history and literary criticism about Ireland and Irish history/identity. It doesn't capture everything, and when it leaves Yeats and Joyce, there is precious little beyond that. Granted, they are two pretty significant poetic and literary influences, but there was much more that could and should have been mentioned. When it got into art and music, it left off the contributions of the later 20th century, and only touched on the turbulent history briefly. Much left on the table, even if this is an older recording. Still, you will learn enough to have a good sense of things Irish, especially with St. Patrick's Day coming up. It does inspire me to read Joyce in the near future, so there is that.
February 29, 2024
Very good, literature is central
I really enjoyed this lecture series! This was a great way to learn about the Irish. I was mostly expecting history with a few literature references, but literature was at the core, and it was exceptionally well done.
To the reviewer who said there needs to be a reading list: just look in the accompanying PDF! In addition to a list of the major works that were thoroughly discussed, there is supplementary reading for each lecture. Also, there are great photos in the PDF.
I really enjoyed this lecture series! This was a great way to learn about the Irish. I was mostly expecting history with a few literature references, but literature was at the core, and it was exceptionally well done.
To the reviewer who said there needs to be a reading list: just look in the accompanying PDF! In addition to a list of the major works that were thoroughly discussed, there is supplementary reading for each lecture. Also, there are great photos in the PDF.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews