A Companion to Irish Literature

The two-volume Companion to Irish Literature covers an unprecedented historical range of Irish literature from the Middle Ages to the present day. Featuring nearly 60 original essays written by a distinguished cast of literary scholars, the Companion explores poetry, drama, and fiction in both English- and Irish-language traditions. Volume One, dedicated to Irish literature from the medieval period to 1900, features essays on topics such as early modern annalists and nineteenth-century Famine writing, together with essays on canonical writers including Swift, Morgan, Carleton, LeFanu, and Wilde. The second volume follows the development of Irish literature through the twentieth century, covering key figures such as Joyce, Yeats, Synge, Beckett, Bowen, Friel, Heaney, Ní Dhomhnaill, McDonagh, and many more. The collection introduces readers to a range of contemporary approaches to Irish studies, from formalism to feminism, from biographical criticism to queer theory, and from new historicism to postcolonial theory. A Companion to Irish Literature is an invaluable and long-awaited resource to the sweeping scope of Ireland's rich literary history.