Communicative and written competence in English at C1 level or above

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Gain in-depth knowledge of Irish women’s contemporary writing in its historical, sociological, and literary contexts;
• Review and apply a selection of literary theories such as genre theories (the bildungsroman, the short story) and feminism and gender theory to Irish-specific writing;
• Critically discuss chosen texts and issues in class presentations with their peers;
• Write analytically about a chosen text in an academic essay.

Irish Women’s Contemporary Writing: Bildung, Borders, Margins

Irish women’s contemporary writing, especially fiction, is thriving in Ireland and on the international stage. Sally Rooney’s second novel Normal People (2018) rapidly became a global bestseller and was adapted into a successful TV series (2020). Claire Keegan’s short story Foster (2010) was recently rediscovered thanks to the 2022 Irish-language film adaptation An Cailín Cuín (The Quiet Girl) directed by Colm Bairéad, which was both nominated for and the recipient of numerous accolades at international film festivals. Similarly, Keegan’s latest story, Small Things Like These (2021), which addresses Ireland’s history of institutional abuse, has recently been made into a film (2024, dir. Tim Mielants) starring Academy Awards winner Cillian Murphy. Out of the cinematic spotlight, women writers from both the Republic and Northern Ireland engage readers with gripping and inventive coming-of-age narratives (Louise Nealon and Jan Carson) as well as powerful memoirs investigating motherhood, the body, and the legacy of older Irish literary traditions (Doireann Ní Ghríofa). In this course we will read a selection of Irish women’s writing and discuss the way these texts respond to Irish history and social change, reimagine genres, and foreground the female experience.

Primary Texts

1.        (A) Sally Rooney. Normal People. London: Faber and Faber, 2018.

2.        (A) Doireann Ní Ghríofa. A Ghost in the Throat. Dublin: Tramp Press, 2020.

3.        (A) Louise Nealon. Snowflake. London: Manila Press, 2021.

4.        (A) Claire Keegan. Foster. London: Faber and Faber, 2010.

5.        (A) Claire Keegan. Small Things Like These. London: Faber and Faber, 2021.

6.        (A) Jan Carson. The Raptures. Dublin: Doubleday, 2022.

7.        (A) A selection of additional primary texts (poems and short stories) will be made available on Teams.

Secondary Readings

8.        (A) A selection of criticism on the primary texts will be made available on Teams in due course.

A weekly schedule for the topics and readings will be illustrated at the beginning of the course and available on Teams along with the secondary readings. 

• Classes are partly lecture- and seminar-based and students will also be working in smaller groups for discussion tasks and presentations. Students are required to read assigned texts and/or extracts periodically and are expected to come to class prepared to actively discuss the texts with their peers and their teacher.

  
  

• Assessment 

  • Argumentative Essay 50%

  Students will select one text (1 to 6) and write an argumentative essay about it (approx. 2,500 words). The essay must be submitted via email to the teacher 10 working days prior to the oral exam session. 

   

  • Oral Exam: 50%

  The oral exam will consist of questions on three additional mandatory readings (other than the one chosen for the essay). 

   

  ***Further information on the structure and contents of these assessment components will be provided in due course.*** 

  
  

The course is taught entirely in English. 

English