The Construction of Irish Identity in American Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American
Cover of the book The Construction of Irish Identity in American Literature by Christopher Dowd, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christopher Dowd ISBN: 9781136902406
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: September 13, 2010
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Christopher Dowd
ISBN: 9781136902406
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: September 13, 2010
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

This book examines the development of literary constructions of Irish-American identity from the mid-nineteenth century arrival of the Famine generation through the Great Depression. It goes beyond an analysis of negative Irish stereotypes and shows how Irish characters became the site of intense cultural debate regarding American identity, with some writers imagining Irishness to be the antithesis of Americanness, but others suggesting Irishness to be a path to Americanization.

This study emphasizes the importance of considering how a sense of Irishness was imagined by both Irish-American writers conscious of the process of self-definition as well as non-Irish writers responsive to shifting cultural concerns regarding ethnic others. It analyzes specific iconic Irish-American characters including Mark Twain’s Huck Finn and Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlet O’Hara, as well as lesser-known Irish monsters who lurked in the American imagination such as T.S. Eliot’s Sweeney and Frank Norris’ McTeague.

As Dowd argues, in contemporary American society, Irishness has been largely absorbed into a homogenous white culture, and as a result, it has become a largely invisible ethnicity to many modern literary critics. Too often, they simply do not see Irishness or do not think it relevant, and as a result, many Irish-American characters have been de-ethnicized in the critical literature of the past century. This volume reestablishes the importance of Irish ethnicity to many characters that have come to be misread as generically white and shows how Irishness is integral to their stories.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book examines the development of literary constructions of Irish-American identity from the mid-nineteenth century arrival of the Famine generation through the Great Depression. It goes beyond an analysis of negative Irish stereotypes and shows how Irish characters became the site of intense cultural debate regarding American identity, with some writers imagining Irishness to be the antithesis of Americanness, but others suggesting Irishness to be a path to Americanization.

This study emphasizes the importance of considering how a sense of Irishness was imagined by both Irish-American writers conscious of the process of self-definition as well as non-Irish writers responsive to shifting cultural concerns regarding ethnic others. It analyzes specific iconic Irish-American characters including Mark Twain’s Huck Finn and Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlet O’Hara, as well as lesser-known Irish monsters who lurked in the American imagination such as T.S. Eliot’s Sweeney and Frank Norris’ McTeague.

As Dowd argues, in contemporary American society, Irishness has been largely absorbed into a homogenous white culture, and as a result, it has become a largely invisible ethnicity to many modern literary critics. Too often, they simply do not see Irishness or do not think it relevant, and as a result, many Irish-American characters have been de-ethnicized in the critical literature of the past century. This volume reestablishes the importance of Irish ethnicity to many characters that have come to be misread as generically white and shows how Irishness is integral to their stories.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Routledge Handbook of the Chinese Economy by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Ordinary Cities by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Debating – and Creating – Authority by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book The Routledge Handbook of Energy Security by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Everyday SEL in Middle School by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book The First Emperor of China by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Building the Rule of Law in China by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Plural Medicine, Tradition and Modernity, 1800-2000 by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Alcohol and Pleasure by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book The Seagull by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Precedents in Zero-Energy Design by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Scoring for Britain by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Women, Reading, and the Cultural Politics of Early Modern England by Christopher Dowd
Cover of the book Reading Freud by Christopher Dowd
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy