Irish literary renaissance

Irish literary renaissance
Flowering of Irish literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century.

It was closely allied with a strong political nationalism and a revival of interest in Ireland's Gaelic heritage (see Gaelic revival). Other factors in the renaissance were the retelling of ancient heroic legends in books such as Standish O'Grady's History of Ireland (1878, 1880) and Douglas Hyde's A Literary History of Ireland (1899), and the Gaelic League, formed in 1893 to revive the Irish language and culture. It developed into a vigorous literary force centred on William Butler Yeats; other important figures were Augusta Gregory, John Millington Synge, and Sean O'Casey. See also Abbey Theatre.

* * *

      flowering of Irish literary talent at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century that was closely allied with a strong political nationalism and a revival of interest in Ireland's Gaelic literary heritage. The renaissance was inspired by the nationalistic pride of the Gaelic revival (q.v.); by the retelling of ancient heroic legends in books such as the History of Ireland (1880) by Standish O'Grady and A Literary History of Ireland (1899) by Douglas Hyde; and by the Gaelic League, which was formed in 1893 to revive the Irish language and culture. The early leaders of the renaissance wrote rich and passionate verse, filled with the grandeur of Ireland's past and the music and mysticism of Gaelic poetry. They were mainly members of the privileged class and were adept at English verse forms and familiar with lyric poetry that extolled the simple dignity of the Irish peasant and the natural beauty of Ireland.

      The movement developed into a vigorous literary force centred on the poet and playwright William Butler Yeats (Yeats, William Butler). Though he contributed to the foundation of the Abbey Theatre, the first Irish national theatre, he wrote only a few plays, which were beautiful but difficult to stage. His chief colleague was Lady Isabella Augusta Gregory (Gregory, Augusta, Lady), who took a leading part in the Abbey's management and wrote many plays. The Irish Literary Theatre, established in 1898, also excelled in the production of peasant plays. The greatest dramatist of the movement was John Millington Synge (Synge, John Millington), who wrote plays of great beauty and power in a stylized peasant dialect. Later, the theatre turned toward realism, mostly rural realism. Lennox Robinson (Robinson, Lennox), best known for his political play, The Lost Leader (1918), and his comedy, The Whiteheaded Boy (1916), and T.C. Murray, author of The Briary Gap (1917), were among the early realists. In reaction to peasant realism, Sean O'Casey (O'Casey, Sean) wrote three great dramas of the Dublin slums: The Shadow of a Gunman (1923), Juno and the Paycock (1924), and The Plough and the Stars (1926).

      In poetry, in addition to Yeats, the mystic George Russell (pseudonym AE) composed works of enduring interest. Notable among their younger contemporaries were Padraic Colum, Austin Clarke, Seumas O'Sullivan (James Sullivan Starkey), F.R. Higgins, and Oliver St. John Gogarty. The Irish Republican movement had its poets in Patrick Henry Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, and Joseph Plunkett, all executed in 1916 for their part in the Easter Rising.

      The noteworthy prose fiction of the renaissance includes the historical tales of Emily Lawless and Standish James O'Grady and, somewhat at a remove, the realist novels of George Moore. James Stephens also wrote stories and poetry.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Irish Literary Theatre — Abbey Theatre L’Abbey Theatre (« Théâtre de l’Abbaye » en français, parfois surnommé « l’Abbaye » et également désigné sous le nom de National Theatre of Ireland (Théâtre national d’Irlande), est une salle de théâtre située à… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • 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

  • Renaissance — /ren euh sahns , zahns , sahonns , ren euh sahns , zahns , sahonns /; esp. Brit. /ri nay seuhns/, n. 1. the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to… …   Universalium

  • literary — literarily, adv. literariness, n. /lit euh rer ee/, adj. 1. pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, esp. those classed as literature: literary history. 2. pertaining to authorship: literary style. 3. versed in or acquainted with… …   Universalium

  • Irish — Irishly, adv. /uy rish/, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Ireland, its inhabitants, or their language. n. 2. the inhabitants of Ireland and their descendants elsewhere. 3. the aboriginal Celtic speaking people of Ireland. 4. Also… …   Universalium

  • Irish Revival — Als Irische Renaissance (engl.: Irish Renaissance, auch Irish Revival oder fälschlich Celtic Revival, Celtic Dawn usw.) wird eine Vielzahl von Bestrebungen, Bewegungen und einzelnen Personen zusammengefasst, die Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Renaissance irlandaise — Celtic revival Le Celtic Revival (Renaissance irlandaise en français), également connu sous le nom d Irish Literary Revival (Renaissance littéraire irlandaise) est un mouvement littéraire lancé par Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn et William Butler… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Harlem Renaissance — a renewal and flourishing of black literary and musical culture during the years after World War I in the Harlem section of New York City. Also called Black Renaissance. * * * or New Negro Movement Period of outstanding vigour and creativity… …   Universalium

  • Irish Literature — • It is uncertain at what period and in what manner the Irish discovered the use of letters. It may have been through direct commerce with Gaul, but it is more probable, as McNeill has shown in his study of Irish oghams, that it was from the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Scottish Renaissance — The Scottish Renaissance was a mainly literary movement of the early to mid 20th century that can be seen as the Scottish version of modernism. It is sometimes referred to as the Scottish literary renaissance, although its influence went beyond… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

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