Irish Literature I: Irish-Language Literature from the Middle Ages to the 18th Century - AAALC035AE

• Title: Irish Literature I: Irish-Language Literature from the Middle Ages to the 18th Century
• Guaranteed by: Department of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures (21-UALK)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2023
• Semester: winter
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 5
• Examination process: winter s.:
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:0/2, C [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / unknown (5)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Is provided by: AAALC035A
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Radvan Markus, Ph.D.
• Class: Exchange - 09.2 General and Comparative Literature

Annotation

Last update: Mgr. Radvan Markus, Ph.D. (20.09.2023)

The course gives an overview of the most remarkable Irish-literary works and narrative traditions since the beginning of literacy in Ireland until the 18th century. It highlights the productive dynamics between native pagan influences and Christianity, very prominent in early Irish writing, and takes into account literary, cultural and political resonances of the works in later periods. The originals of the works are in various forms of Irish from Old to Modern. Knowledge of any of these forms is welcome, but not necessary for the course as translations to English will be available. In the discussion of the individual texts, salient linguistic and formal features of the original will be highlighted, followed by a discussion of the social, historical and literary contexts of the works.

MOODLE LINK: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=15277

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
1. Regular attendance and active participation in debates. A maximum of 2 unexplained absences is allowed.
2. Adding responses or questions to moodle based on the assigned reading.
3. A final essay (2500-3000 words) submitted by e-mail in MS Word format (or compatible). Deadline for essays: 31 January. Students wishing to be awarded an additional exam grade (písemná práce) in the course are required to submit, instead of the essay, a graded research paper (min. 4500-5000 words). Unless students are able to deal with originals, they are advised to focus on modern English-language reflections of the Irish texts (history of translations, literary or political use etc.).

PLEASE NOTE: Essays must include full bibliographical references and footnotes for all works cited or paraphrased (in accordance with the Chicago “notes and bibliography” style – consult “essay guidelines” on the department website). Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a fail grade.


SCHEDULE

5 Oct – No class

12 Oct – Introduction: Historical, Linguistic and Literary background

19 Oct – Early Irish Lyrics
Read: Early Irish Lyrics (selection)

26 Oct – Táin Bó Cuailnge and the Ulster Cycle
Read: Táin Bó Cuailnge (selection) in Ciaran Carson’s translation

2 Nov – Cath Maige Tuired and the Mythological Cycle
Read: Cath Maige Tuired (trans.)

9 Nov – Guest lecture: Peter Mackay

16 Nov – The Fenian Cycle
Read: Acallamh na Senórach (selection), Bodach in Chóta Lachtna, Agallamh Oisín agus Phádraig

23 Nov – Buile Shuibhne (The Frenzy of Suibhne)
Read: Buile Shuibhne (trans. Seamus Heaney – Sweeney Astray)

30 Nov – Irish Adventure and Voyage Tales
Read: Immram Brain (text and translation on Irish Sagas Online, or Czech translation in Bájné plavby do jiných světů)

7 Dec – The Sovereignty Myth in Irish-language literature
Read: Mis agus Dubh Ruis (trans. Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill), Echtra Mac nEchan Muigmedóin (Irish Sagas Online), a selection of poems

14 Dec – Early Irish parody
Read: Aislinge Meic Conglinne / The Vision of Meic Conglinne (trans. Lahney Preston-Matto)

21 Dec – The Irish Keening Tradition
Read: A selection of Irish keens in translation (Angela Bourke, Doireann Ní Ghríofa)

4 Jan – Cúirt an Mheán-Oíche (The Midnight Court)
Read: Brian Merriman: Cúirt an Mheán-Oíche (Ciaran Carson’s translation)

11 Jan – On reserve

Literature

Last update: Mgr. Radvan Markus, Ph.D. (15.09.2023)

Online Sources

CELT. Corpus of Electronic Texts. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/

Internet Sacred Texts Archive. Section Ireland. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/index.htm#ireland

Irish Script on Screen. http://www.isos.dias.ie/english/index.html

Léamh. https://xn--lamh-bpa.org/

Irish Sagas Online: https://iso.ucc.ie/Irish-sagas-list.html

eDIL: http://dil.ie/

 

 

Bibliography

Carson, Ciaran, trans. The Táin. London: Penguin Books, 2008.

Edel, Doris. Inside the Táin. Berlin: Curach Bhán Publications, 2015.

Fisher, Samuel K. and Brian Ó Conchubhair. Cnámh agus Smior / Bone and Marrow: An Anthology of Irish Poetry from Medieval to Modern. Winston-Salem: Wake Forest University Press.

Flahive, Joseph J. The Fenian Cycle in Irish and Scots-Gaelic Literature. Cork: Cork Studies in Irish Literature 2017.

Kelly, Fergus, A Guide to Early Irish Law (Dublin: Institute for Advanced Studies, 1988).

McCone, Kim, Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish Literature. Maynooth: An Sagart, 1990.

Murphy, Gerard, ed. Early Irish Lyrics. Oxford: Oxford UP 1956.

Murray, Kevin. The Early Finn Cycle. Dublin: Four Courts Press: 2017.

Ní Bhrolcháin, Muireann. An Introduction to Early Irish Literature. Dublin: Four Courts Press 2009.

Ó Conchubhair, Brian. The Midnight Court / Cúirt an Mheán Oíche: A Critical Edition. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2011.

Ó Tuama, Seán and Thomas Kinsella. An Duanaire 1600-1900: Poems of the Disposessed. Mountrath, Portlaoise: The Dolmen Press, 1985.

Samek, Daniel, trans. Triadické výnosy irské/Trecheng Breth Féni. Praha: Triáda, 1999.
Samek, Daniel and Jaroslav Tulka, trans.. Krása i jed. Čtyřverší irského středověku. Praha: Arbor Vitae, 2006.
Samek, Daniel and Eva Hladká, trans. Bájné plavby do jiných světů. Praha: Argo, 2010.

Williams, J.E. Caerwyn and Patrick K. Ford, The Irish Literary Tradition. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992.

 

Thurneysen, Rudolf. A Grammar of Old Irish. Trans. D.A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin (1946). Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1993.

McCone, Kim. A First Old Irish Grammar and Reader. Maynooth: Department of Old and Middle Irish, National University of Ireland, 2005.

Teaching methods

Last update: Mgr. Helena Znojemská, Ph.D. (21.04.2023)

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