Tara Stubbs
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780719084331
- eISBN:
- 9781781705841
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719084331.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
It is easy, particularly within contemporary critical circles, to dismiss Celticism as a fanciful, archaic construction. But for some American modernist writers, the enchantment of Celticism – as ...
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It is easy, particularly within contemporary critical circles, to dismiss Celticism as a fanciful, archaic construction. But for some American modernist writers, the enchantment of Celticism – as conveyed and celebrated by the Revivalists – offered a certain promise despite, or even because of, its unreality. The efforts of W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, Douglas Hyde and J. M. Synge from the late 1880s onwards had done much to revive American writers’ interest in Celtic culture – and to establish a Celtic ideal that influenced different social groups. This chapter therefore discusses the cultural interpretation of Celticism that was pervasive in American modernist circles, as writers like Moore, Steinbeck and Stevens became inspired by the folklore and history surrounding the Revival.Less
It is easy, particularly within contemporary critical circles, to dismiss Celticism as a fanciful, archaic construction. But for some American modernist writers, the enchantment of Celticism – as conveyed and celebrated by the Revivalists – offered a certain promise despite, or even because of, its unreality. The efforts of W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, Douglas Hyde and J. M. Synge from the late 1880s onwards had done much to revive American writers’ interest in Celtic culture – and to establish a Celtic ideal that influenced different social groups. This chapter therefore discusses the cultural interpretation of Celticism that was pervasive in American modernist circles, as writers like Moore, Steinbeck and Stevens became inspired by the folklore and history surrounding the Revival.
Nicola Gordon Bowe
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199609888
- eISBN:
- 9780191731778
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199609888.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
The aim of this chapter is to reflect the aspirations and achievements of early twentieth century Ireland through the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, fuelled as it was by 19th century antiquarian ...
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The aim of this chapter is to reflect the aspirations and achievements of early twentieth century Ireland through the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, fuelled as it was by 19th century antiquarian discoveries and a growing awareness of the need to preserve what remained of the relics of what was perceived as heroic time. The aim of the Guild of Irish Art-Workers was to find visual expression in a distinctively national yet modern idiom. John Millington Synge, W.B. Yeats and George 'AE' Russell were among those who sought out and treasured the ancient Celtic ‘soul of the world’ preserved in legends, traditions and places untainted by material and industrial progress. Their writings, inspired by current preoccupations with reviving neglected skills while being true to surviving native traditions, were instrumental in providing a rich visual vocabulary of design for a new generation of artists and craftsmen and women in Ireland.Less
The aim of this chapter is to reflect the aspirations and achievements of early twentieth century Ireland through the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, fuelled as it was by 19th century antiquarian discoveries and a growing awareness of the need to preserve what remained of the relics of what was perceived as heroic time. The aim of the Guild of Irish Art-Workers was to find visual expression in a distinctively national yet modern idiom. John Millington Synge, W.B. Yeats and George 'AE' Russell were among those who sought out and treasured the ancient Celtic ‘soul of the world’ preserved in legends, traditions and places untainted by material and industrial progress. Their writings, inspired by current preoccupations with reviving neglected skills while being true to surviving native traditions, were instrumental in providing a rich visual vocabulary of design for a new generation of artists and craftsmen and women in Ireland.
Tara Stubbs
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780719084331
- eISBN:
- 9781781705841
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719084331.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
American literature and Irish culture, 1910-1955: the politics of enchantment discusses how and why American modernist writers turned to Ireland at various stages during their careers. By placing ...
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American literature and Irish culture, 1910-1955: the politics of enchantment discusses how and why American modernist writers turned to Ireland at various stages during their careers. By placing events such as the Celtic Revival and the Easter Rising at the centre of the discussion, it shows how Irishness became a cultural determinant in the work of American modernists. Each chapter deals with a different source of influence, considering the impact of family, the Celtic Revival, rural mythmaking, nationalist politics and the work of W. B. Yeats on American modernists’ writings. It is the first study to extend the analysis of Irish influence on American literature beyond racial, ethnic or national frameworks. Through close readings, a sustained focus on individual writers, and in-depth archival research, American literature and Irish culture, 1910-1955 provides a balanced and structured approach to the study of the complexities of American modernist writers’ responses to Ireland. Offering new readings of familiar literary figures – including Fitzgerald, Moore, O’Neill, Steinbeck and Stevens – it makes for essential reading for students and academics working on twentieth-century American and Irish literature and culture, and transatlantic studies.Less
American literature and Irish culture, 1910-1955: the politics of enchantment discusses how and why American modernist writers turned to Ireland at various stages during their careers. By placing events such as the Celtic Revival and the Easter Rising at the centre of the discussion, it shows how Irishness became a cultural determinant in the work of American modernists. Each chapter deals with a different source of influence, considering the impact of family, the Celtic Revival, rural mythmaking, nationalist politics and the work of W. B. Yeats on American modernists’ writings. It is the first study to extend the analysis of Irish influence on American literature beyond racial, ethnic or national frameworks. Through close readings, a sustained focus on individual writers, and in-depth archival research, American literature and Irish culture, 1910-1955 provides a balanced and structured approach to the study of the complexities of American modernist writers’ responses to Ireland. Offering new readings of familiar literary figures – including Fitzgerald, Moore, O’Neill, Steinbeck and Stevens – it makes for essential reading for students and academics working on twentieth-century American and Irish literature and culture, and transatlantic studies.
Justin D. Livingstone
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780719095320
- eISBN:
- 9781781707951
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719095320.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
A considerable amount of Livingstone scholarship has been devoted to his Scottish identity and his position within the nation’s social and intellectual history. In keeping with this critical ...
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A considerable amount of Livingstone scholarship has been devoted to his Scottish identity and his position within the nation’s social and intellectual history. In keeping with this critical trajectory, the fifth chapter takes up Livingstone’s Scottish legacy. The aim, however, is not to discuss the formative influence of his cultural background or the Scottish bent of his ideas. Rather, the purpose is to ask both how his Scottishness has been represented, and more specifically, how he has been represented by Scots. The chapter begins by considering those biographies that were not particularly interested in his Alban roots at all. To them, Livingstone embodied an ‘English’ national character and decidedly ‘Anglo-Saxon’ qualities. Yet despite such anglocentric representations, the explorer’s national identity has functioned in a variety of contexts and been of vital importance for his Northern biographers. For some, under the Celtic Revival, Livingstone provided a way to increase the prestige of the Gàidhealtachd, while for others he symbolised the union of Highland and Lowland. For most, however, Livingstone served an even broader purpose: to assert Scottish national consciousness within the parameters of the Union and empire.Less
A considerable amount of Livingstone scholarship has been devoted to his Scottish identity and his position within the nation’s social and intellectual history. In keeping with this critical trajectory, the fifth chapter takes up Livingstone’s Scottish legacy. The aim, however, is not to discuss the formative influence of his cultural background or the Scottish bent of his ideas. Rather, the purpose is to ask both how his Scottishness has been represented, and more specifically, how he has been represented by Scots. The chapter begins by considering those biographies that were not particularly interested in his Alban roots at all. To them, Livingstone embodied an ‘English’ national character and decidedly ‘Anglo-Saxon’ qualities. Yet despite such anglocentric representations, the explorer’s national identity has functioned in a variety of contexts and been of vital importance for his Northern biographers. For some, under the Celtic Revival, Livingstone provided a way to increase the prestige of the Gàidhealtachd, while for others he symbolised the union of Highland and Lowland. For most, however, Livingstone served an even broader purpose: to assert Scottish national consciousness within the parameters of the Union and empire.
Michael J. Franklin
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199532001
- eISBN:
- 9780191730900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199532001.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Asian History, British and Irish Modern History
This chapter moves back eight years to August 1775 with the 28-year-old barrister Jones looking out to ‘Anglesey, the ancient Mona, where my ancestors presided over a free but uncivilized people’. It ...
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This chapter moves back eight years to August 1775 with the 28-year-old barrister Jones looking out to ‘Anglesey, the ancient Mona, where my ancestors presided over a free but uncivilized people’. It was a crystallizing moment as he recalls his father and his relation, the celebrated polymath Lewis Morris. As he considers his family and achievements, the chapter illustrates his Celtic cultural inheritance; early academic prowess at Harrow and Oxford; his tutorship of young Althorp; his driving ambition and lust for fame. The key Orientalist influences, especial the mixture of scholarly and popular Orientalism in Antoine Galland, and Madame de Vaucluse, and his early experience of collaborating with native informants are examined together with his first four publications to show how Jones had become the greatest Oriental scholar in Europe. Poems (1772) introduces sophisticated ideas concerning comparative literature and cultural translation, creating a public taste for the genuine ethnic commodity.Less
This chapter moves back eight years to August 1775 with the 28-year-old barrister Jones looking out to ‘Anglesey, the ancient Mona, where my ancestors presided over a free but uncivilized people’. It was a crystallizing moment as he recalls his father and his relation, the celebrated polymath Lewis Morris. As he considers his family and achievements, the chapter illustrates his Celtic cultural inheritance; early academic prowess at Harrow and Oxford; his tutorship of young Althorp; his driving ambition and lust for fame. The key Orientalist influences, especial the mixture of scholarly and popular Orientalism in Antoine Galland, and Madame de Vaucluse, and his early experience of collaborating with native informants are examined together with his first four publications to show how Jones had become the greatest Oriental scholar in Europe. Poems (1772) introduces sophisticated ideas concerning comparative literature and cultural translation, creating a public taste for the genuine ethnic commodity.
