Irish Modernism and the Global Primitive - (New Directions in Irish and Irish American Literature) by C Culleton (Paperback)

About the Book

"Through essays written by established and younger scholars, Irish Modernism and the Global Primitive examines the ways a variety of modern Irish writers exploited or surrendered to primitivism and examines the intersection of Irish Modernism and the global rhetoric of the primitive encounter. The twelve essays in this collection focus critical attention on the broader study of global primitive alterities, especially from Africa, from the East, and on extreme representations of "indigenous others" from the New World. Contributors demonstrate how primitivism functions variously as an idealized nostalgia for the past, as a threat of the foreign, or as a potential representation of difference and connection. This collection addresses the ways Ireland's past primitive heritage regularly, though ironically, moves into the Irish present."--BOOK JACKET.

Book Synopsis

This book scrutinizes the way modern Irish writers exploited or surrendered to primitivism, and how primitivism functions as an idealized nostalgia for the past as a potential representation of difference and connection.

Review Quotes

" Irish Modernism and the Global Primitive is a very timely intervention in the new Irish studies.The topic of primitivism is everywhere in Irish and post-colonial studies, but only sporadically has it been given sustained attention; the strength of this collection is that it returns our attention to this fundamental topic at what is perhaps a key moment in the development of the new Irish studies. It is, overall, a wonderful and exciting collection." - Enda Duffy, Professor and Graduate Advisor, Department of English, University of California, Santa Barbara

About the Author

CLAIRE A. CULLETON is Professor of Modern British and Irish Literature, Kent State University, USA.
MARIA MCGARRITY is Associate Professor of English, Long Island University, USA.