This course is primarily concerned with the ways in which the revolutionary events of two decades, from the outbreak of the French Revolution to the defeat of Napoleon, were represented in the fiction and historical writing of the period in Ireland and in Britain. The representation of the traditional Old World and of the enlightened or revolutionary New World will be examined in the early poetry of Wordsworth, in Maria Edgeworth's 'Irish' novels, and in Walter Scott's Waverly. The underlying theme will be the transformation of the concepts and representations of revolution, tradition, history and the 'new'. Focusing on that crucial period in Irish history, this course will explore the complex and contested cultural, political, and ideological identities of a group we have come to call the Anglo-Irish. We will move onto works by key figures who have dominated our understanding of this period, ,including selections from Sir John Davies, Jonathan Swift, George Berkeley, Maria Edgeworth and Edmund Burke.
Students can expect two papers, a midterm, and a final.
This seminar will examine the Irish affinity for politics. It will look at the rise of the political machine and the emergence of Boss Politics. We will then focus on some memorable Irish politicians such as George Washington Plunkitt, Al Smith, James M. Curley, and Richard Daley. Students will be expected to write a research paper on some aspect of Irish American politics. Emphasis is placed on the application of these principles in every-day situations.