Out of What Began: A History of Irish Poetry in English - Hardcover

Schirmer, Gregory A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080143498X ISBN 13: 9780801434983

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 1998

Synopsis

The first book of its kind, Out of What Began traces the development of a distinctive tradition of Irish poetry over the course of three centuries. Beginning with Jonathan Swift in the early eighteenth century and concluding with such contemporary poets as Seamus Heaney and Eavan Boland, Gregory A. Schirmer looks at the work of nearly a hundred poets. Considering the evolving political and social environments in which they lived and wrote, Schirmer shows how Irish poetry and culture have come to be shaped by the struggle to define Irish identity.

Schirmer includes a large number of accomplished poets who have been unjustly neglected in standard accounts of Irish literature; many of these writers are women, whose work has been kept in the shadows cast by that of well-known male poets. He also emphasizes the importance of political poetry in a country that continues to be torn by sectarian violence. With its rich selection of poetic voices, Out of What Began reveals the political, social, and religious diversity of Irish culture.

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Reviews

In this first book of its kind, Schirmer (English, Univ. of Mississippi) focuses on poetry composed in English by a broad range of Irish writers from the 18th through 20th centuries. The title is a quotation from Yeats, who figures prominently here. Arranged chronologically, the work covers the expected "stars"?Swift, Goldsmith, Mangan, Synge, Colum, Stephens, Montague, and Heaney (but, surprisingly, not Joyce)?as well as numerous lesser-known but worthy writers, including Ireland's many women poets. Given the complexity of the Irish situation, the book fittingly addresses history, politics, culture, and religion as the backdrop for literature, and Schirmer is sensitive to the tension between the English and Irish languages and poetic styles. Stressing common themes like exile and national identity, he concludes that a "sense of ambiguity and discontinuity" characterizes the poetry. Highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.?Denise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080143498X
• ISBN 13: 9780801434983
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 426