The comic tradition in Irish women writers
By: edited by Theresa O'Connor.
Contributors: O'Connor, Theresa.
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Gainesville
Language: eng
Number of pages: 188
Subjects: English literature -- Irish authors -- History and criticism; Humorous stories, English -- Irish authors -- History and criticism; English wit and humor -- Irish authors -- History and criticism; English literature -- Women authors -- History and criticism; Women and literature -- Ireland; Comic, The, in literature; Ireland -- In literature
Description: In an examination of the prose and poetry of Irish women writers from the late eighteenth century through the present, contributors to this collection argue that a hidden tradition of women's comedy has evolved side by side with the canonical comic tradition. They call for a revisionist reading of Ireland's comic intellectual heritage - a reading from the perspectives of two genders - and demand a new kind of double optic - an interpretive frame of reference capable of grappling with difference.

This collection will be of particular interest to Joyceans because it examines the influence of Joyce, who has been dismissed by many feminist critics as a pornographer and a champion of patriarchal privilege. It will also be of interest to students of African and African-American literature for its linking of Ireland's comic tradition to that of Africa's - a tradition noted for its use of ethical dialogue and for giving voice to the other.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.