English 150: Anglo-Irish Literature

 

Instructor: James H. Donelan

Email: donelan@english.ucsb.edu

Phone: 893-2291
Class Meetings: TR 12:30-1:45, South Hall 1430

Enroll No.: 47480

Office Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 11:00-12:00 or by appointment.

Office Location: 2702 South Hall
Home Page: http://english.ucsb.edu/people-detail.asp?PersonID=12
Texts:

Heaney, Opened Ground: Selected Poems
Yeats, Selected Poems and Four Plays
Joyce, Ulysses

Beckett, Waiting for Godot

O’Casey, Three Dublin Plays

Synge, The Complete Plays

A course reader available at Grafikart in Isla Vista


Course Description: We will be reading novels, plays and poems, by a diverse group of Irish writers, representing the extraordinary burst of experimentation and intensity in literary production prompted by Irish independence, the World Wars, and a growing national consciousness.


Requirements: The course requires regular attendance, active participation in class discussion and activities, and timely completion of all assignments, including, a short essay (5-6 pages), a midterm, a longer essay (8-10 pages), and a final examination.

 

In addition, please do your best to observe the following rules:

  • Papers should be no longer or shorter than the length assigned and submitted on time. Late papers will result in grade reductions.
  • Never submit a paper without proofreading it carefully. Students are expected to adhere to MLA citation style.
  • Your classmates and your instructor depend on your presence in class and your full participation. Do not miss class unless you must.
  • All university regulations regarding academic dishonesty will be enforced.
  • We will have a series of workshops at the end of the quarter to help you develop and improve the final project. I will ask you to submit a prospectus and a working title and discuss the progress of your work with me and your fellow students. Timely submission of materials to be used in the workshop is extremely important.
  • Please read the assignment for a particular day before class. Reading assignments vary in length and difficulty, so please plan ahead.

 

Syllabus

 

I: Irish Poetry


9/25     Introduction and logistics; Seamus Heaney, “Glanmore Sonnet 1” (handout)

9/30     Seamus Heaney, from Opened Ground, pp. 3, 22, 58, 84, 115, 250.
10/2     W. B. Yeats, Selected Poems, pp. "When You Are Old," 14, "A Dream of Death," 15, "Who Goes with Fergus?" 22, "The Song of Wandering Aengus," "He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead" 27, "September, 1913" and "To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing"' 39, "Easter, 1916" 83, "The Tower" 103, "Death" and "A Dialogue of Self and Soul" 130, "An Acre of Grass" 171, "Under Ben Bulben" 185, "News for the Delphic Oracle" 192
10/7     Poetry by Kavanaugh and Muldoon (reader)

 

II: Irish Drama

10/9     J. M. Synge, The Playboy of the Western World

10/13   First essay due in my English Department mailbox by 3:00PM. Suggested Topics

10/14   Sean O’Casey, The Plough and the Stars 

10/16  Midterm. Questions are here.

 

III: Joyce’s Ulysses


10/21  Ulysses schema and critical materials (handout); Episode 1

10/23   Ulysses, Episodes 2-4

10/28   Ulysses, Episodes 5-8

10/30  Ulysses, Episodes 12-13

11/4     Ulysses, Episodes 15, 18

 

IV: Molly’s Sisters: Women and Gender in Ireland

 

11/6     Poems by Boland, Ni Dhomnhnaill, and Meehan (reader)

11/11 Veterans’ Day. No class.

11/13   Short Stories by O’Brien, Kelly, and Enright (reader)

 

V: High Modernism and the Death of Romanticism

11/18   O’Casey, Juno and the Paycock

11/20   Beckett, Waiting for Godot

11/24   Showing of The Commitments, 7PM

11/25   Synge, Riders to the Sea; final paper workshop: prospectus and working title due.

11/27 Happy Thanksgiving!

 

VI: Contemporary Ireland in Film

12/1     Showing of The Snapper, 7PM

12/2     The Snapper and The Commitments: second workshop.

12/4     Conclusions

12/5     Second essay due in my mailbox by 3:00PM.

12/9 Final Examination: 12-2PM. Please bring a blue book with you.