The Northern Irish Conflict in Literature

Dear all,

welcome to the seminar "The Northern Irish Conflict in Literature". In this seminar, we will have the opportunity to examine the ways in which the so-called Troubles, which took place in Northern Ireland between 1968-1998, are portrayed in literature from the region. We will deal both with poetry and prose written by some of the most renowned writers from the region and some newcomers. Our discussions will revolve around the different perspective displayed in literature and the many ways the conflict is represented. We will focus on how violence and trauma impacts the aesthetics and style of each writer and whether literature can be contextualised as a response to a political conflict.

We will start with poetry, as this was also the main form of art that was emerging from the region as the conflict began to escalate. I will provide the poetry on Open Moodle. We will then move on to prose and deal with the novels Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane, One by One in the Darkness by Deirdre Madden, Milkman by Anna Burns and Closer to Home by Michael Magee. I would kindly ask you to get hold of these novels as soon as you can and plan your reading schedule accordingly. You should make sure to finish each novel before we meet for the session in which we discuss it. Please take into consideration the shipping time of the novels as well. Should you access the texts digitally, please note that using an iPad or laptop in class is accepted, however, I would kindly ask you not to use your phones.

The secondary material will be gradually uploaded here on Open Moodle.

As you know our first three sessions in October will be remote sessions. We will not be meeting over Zoom, but you will be assigned texts to read and study before we meet in-person for the first time in November. I will open a Moodle discussion forum for each session (including for the introduction) and you can use it to share your views, comments and questions. You can also discuss contents with each other (of course, respectfully).

You will find the seminar outline, assessment guideline and the course material here on Open Moodle.

Should you have any questions, kindly reach out to me directly either via the message option on Open Moodle or via kubraozermis@zedat.fu-berlin.de

I look forward to meeting all of you in person very soon,

Kübra Özermis