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Module Specifications..

Current Academic Year 2023 - 2024

Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title Anglo-Irish Lit: The Novel and Short Story
Module Code EN332
School SALIS
Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Barra Oseaghdha
Semester 2: Barra Oseaghdha
Autumn: Barra Oseaghdha
Module TeachersAine McGillicuddy
Barra Oseaghdha
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
Coursework Only
Students will be required to resubmit an essay on a topic agreed with the lecturer.
Description

This course offers an introduction to Anglo-Irish literature, starting with English-language versions of Irish folklore or mythology and moving swiftly to 20th-century examples of short stories and novels. The carefully selected works provide students with insights into key Irish cultural and historical issues and events that have helped shape contemporary Irish society.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the novel and short story as important literary genres in modern Ireland.
2. Relate in an informed and sensitive manner to the social, political and cultural contexts of the works studied.
3. Construct an informed vision of life in Ireland through the reading of fiction and secondary literature.
4. Evaluate critically the effectiveness of the main narrative techniques and devices employed in the novels and short stories discussed.
5. Write a critical essay which demonstrates a personal response to the work, along with an ability to analyse, and compare and contrast, the works studied, in an insightful way.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture12formal presentation
Seminars12group work and discussions
Independent Study50further reading of novels and short stories plus background reading on literary criticism
Assignment Completion12preparation of critical essay with bibliography
Directed learning39focused background reading on literary movements and leading authors
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

This is an approximate account of the material to be be read and discussed in class.
This is an approximate account of the material to be read and discussed in class. Some variation is possible and will be flagged on Loop. NB The material below is indicative. Changes and new selections may be made and these will be indicated on EN332 Loop. WEEK 1 INTRODUCTION WEEK 2 FOLK STORIES AND MYTHOLOGY The oral and written tradition. TEXT: Over Nine Waves ed. Marie Heaney and/or other published sources. SUBSEQUENT WEEKS (a) SHORT STORIES Writers of the 20th century such as James Joyce, Sean O’ Faolain, Frank O’Connor, Mary Lavin and Edna O'Brien. The stories to be discussed may include Joyce’s ‘The Dead’, O'Faolain's ‘The Trout’, O’Connor’s ‘Guests of the Nation’, and Edna O'Brien's ‘Sister Imelda’. TEXT: Classic Irish Short Stories ed. F. O’Connor, OUP. NB Some texts will be available on Moodle. (b) SHORT STORIES Writers of the 20th century. These may include a selection from Claire Keegan’s second collection Walk the Blue Fields (2007). (c) A SAMPLING OF SHORT NOVELS (such as Jennifer Johnston’s How many miles to Babylon (A 'Big House' novel set in 1914 that examines the friendship between an officer and soldier who grew up on the same Anglo-Irish estate) and/or EXTRACTS from significant longer works. WEEK 12 Review and revision of module. Discussion of issues relating to essay preparation.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
EssayStudents will prepare an individual essay based on one of a number of topics agreed in class with the lecturer after reading week.100%Sem 2 End
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin: 0, An Introduction to Early Irish Literature, 1-4, Four Courts Press, Dublin,
  • ed. Robert Welch: 1996, The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature, OUP, Oxford,
  • Ingman Heather: 2009, A history of the Irish short story, CUP,
  • Jeffers, Jennifer: 2002, The Irish novel at the end of the twentieth century, Palgrave, New York,
  • Ingman Heather: 2007, Twentieth century fiction by Irish women: nation and gender,
  • Cullingford, Elizabeth Butler: 2001, Ireland's others: ethnicity and gender in Irish literature and popular culture, Cork, Cork UP,
  • Ellman, Richard: 1987, Four Dubliners : Wilde, Yeats, Joyce, and Beckett, London, Hamilton,,
  • Jeffares, A. Norman: 1982, Anglo-Irish literature, Gill and Macmillan, Dublin,
  • Martin, Augustine: 1996, Bearing witness: essays on Anglo-Irish literature, University College Dublin Press, Dublin,
Other Resources

None
Indicative Content and Learning Activities This is an approximate account of the material to be read and discussed in class. Some variation is possible and will be flagged on Loop. NB The material below is indicative. Changes and new selections may be made and these will be indicated on EN332 Loop. WEEK 1 INTRODUCTION WEEK 2 FOLK STORIES AND MYTHOLOGY The oral and written tradition. TEXT: Over Nine Waves ed. Marie Heaney and/or other published sources. SUBSEQUENT WEEKS (a) SHORT STORIES Writers of the 20th century such as James Joyce, Sean O’ Faolain, Frank O’Connor, Mary Lavin and Edna O'Brien. The stories to be discussed may include Joyce’s ‘The Dead’, O'Faolain's ‘The Trout’, O’Connor’s ‘Guests of the Nation’, and Edna O'Brien's ‘Sister Imelda’. TEXT: Classic Irish Short Stories ed. F. O’Connor, OUP. NB Some texts will be available on Moodle. (b) SHORT STORIES Writers of the 20th century. These may include a selection from Claire Keegan’s second collection Walk the Blue Fields (2007). (c) A SAMPLING OF SHORT NOVELS (such as Jennifer Johnston’s How many miles to Babylon (A 'Big House' novel set in 1914 that examines the friendship between an officer and soldier who grew up on the same Anglo-Irish estate) and/or EXTRACTS from significant longer works. WEEK 12 Review and revision of module. Discussion of issues relating to essay preparation.
Programme or List of Programmes
AFUAge Friendly University Programme
BSSAStudy Abroad (DCU Business School)
BSSAOStudy Abroad (DCU Business School)
BSSCIBA Social Sciences & Cultural Innovation
BSSCIIBA Social Sciences & Cultural Innovation
BSSCINBA Social Sciences & Cultural Innovation
HMSAStudy Abroad (Humanities & Soc Science)
HMSAOStudy Abroad (Humanities & Soc Science)
IESAOStudy Abroad (Institute of Education)
SHSAStudy Abroad (Science & Health)
SHSAOStudy Abroad (Science & Health)
Date of Last Revision10-NOV-10
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