The Northern Irish Conflict in Literature - Einzelansicht

From 1968 – 1998 Northern Ireland was shaken by a conflict between Irish Nationalists who were adamant to attain civil rights for their community, Protestant Unionist who defended the status-quo and the British army who were initially meant to restore peace between the two communities but became quickly involved in the conflict. This seminar seeks to provide an overview how this conflict, often referred to as the ‘Troubles’, is written about in fiction from the affected region. Students will gain an insight into how authors from Northern Ireland grapple with writing about the trauma and violence of the conflict and the lasting impact of it. Through a closer look at literature, we will explore questions of identity, politics, myth, and memory.

Please note that the first three sessions of this seminar will be taught remotely and we will meet in-person from November onwards. Also note that this material for this class will be uploaded on Open Moodle at

https://openup.uni-potsdam.de/course/view.php?id=532

Over the semester we will read and discuss the following novels:

Seamus Deane, Reading in the Dark (1996)

Deirdre Madden, One by One in the Darkness (1996)

Anna Burns, Milkman (2018) 

Michael Magee, Closer to Home (2023).

Additional material will be made available on Moodle.