Objectives:
- Critical and creative engagement with reading and writing the Irish short story
- Exploration of historical, cultural, aesthetic, and sociopolitical contexts through key texts and authors
- Development of analytical skills through close reading and discussion
- Investigation of voice, style, and experimentation in Irish short fiction
- Creative or critical production: an original short story or an academic essay
Rationale:
The short story is one of the central forms of the Irish literary tradition. In recent years, criticism has begun to consider not only canonical authors but also the literary field, publishing contexts, and economic factors that have shaped the genre. Within this context, the course presents a methodological approach that brings together short story genre studies, Irish Studies, and short fiction studies.
Course Content:
- “Folklore and Literature”
- “The Literary Archipelago”
- The short story as a genre
- Discussion of short stories: “The Dead” by James Joyce; “Foster” by Claire Keegan; “Gold Watch” by John McGahern; and “The Coast of Wales”
- How to write a short story
- Éilís Ní Dhuibhne and Sebastian Mitchell in dialogue
- Closing session
Note:
- Classes will be taught in English by the guest professor, and the assigned readings will also be in English.
Bibliography:
JOYCE, James. The Dead. In: JOYCE, James. Dubliners. London: Grant Richards, 1914. KEEGAN, Claire. Foster. London: Faber and Faber, 2010. MCGAHERN, John. Gold watch. In: MCGAHERN, John. Collected stories. London: Faber and Faber, 1992. NÍ DHUIBHNE, Éilís. Berlin. The Irish Times, Dublin, 26 dez. 2016. Disponível em: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/berlin-a-short-story-by-eilis-… NÍ DHUIBHNE, Éilís. The coast of Wales. In: GLEESON, Sinéad (ed.). The long gaze back: an anthology of Irish women writers. Dublin: New Island Books, 2015