This reference provides alphabetically arranged entries for more than 70 modern Irish writers. Each entry includes a brief biography, a discussion of the author's major works and themes, an overview of the writer's critical reception, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. An opening...

This reference provides alphabetically arranged entries for more than 70 modern Irish writers. Each entry includes a brief biography, a discussion of the author's major works and themes, an overview of the writer's critical reception, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. An opening essay surveys the critical response to Irish literature after 1885, and an extensive bibliography concludes the volume.

"From demographics to politics to very private memory making, this volume covers the 'grounds' of Irishness as no other I have seen. Considering the variety of topics and the different interests among the contributors, it is remarkable that (the book) is so consistently accessible, jargon-free, and...

"From demographics to politics to very private memory making, this volume covers the 'grounds' of Irishness as no other I have seen. Considering the variety of topics and the different interests among the contributors, it is remarkable that (the book) is so consistently accessible, jargon-free, and graceful". -- Mary Lowe-Evans, University of West Florida

"A wide-ranging and important collection of essays on the intersections of social class, gender, national identity, and aesthetics in Irish literature and culture. It is a timely and significant contribution to Irish studies". -- Jonathan Allison, University of Kentucky

In one of the first books to bring contemporary critical theory to bear on Irish studies, contributors -- eminent Irish and American scholars -- provide insightful and timely essays on Ireland's changing identity by looking at representations of Ireland in history, film, literature, and political science.

Contributors explore the role of language in identity construction, modern efforts to reconstruct Irish identity after the Great Famine, and the impact of gender and class on nationality Ultimately, the Ireland that emerges from these theoretical, multidisciplinary snapshots is complex, diverse, and largely unmapped. Long defined by others, it is also an Ireland ready and eager to define itself.

Irish playwrights such as Sean O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw, and John Millington Synge have made enormous contributions to world drama. This reference provides detailed entries for 32 Irish playwrights active from 1880 to 1995. Each entry includes a biographical sketch, a summary of productions, a...

Irish playwrights such as Sean O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw, and John Millington Synge have made enormous contributions to world drama. This reference provides detailed entries for 32 Irish playwrights active from 1880 to 1995. Each entry includes a biographical sketch, a summary of productions, a critical assessment of the dramatist's work, and extensive bibliographical information. The volume concludes with a selected, general bibliography.