The Irish Gothic Tradition

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

During the nineteenth-century, Irish authors crafted some of the most iconic novels of the Gothic genre: Melmoth the Wanderer, Uncle Silas, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Dracula. That authors from Ireland – with its atrocity-haunted past and rich folk culture – produced such works should come as no surprise. What is surprising is that the most famous of these novels do not even mention Ireland. Did these authors find escape from Irish problems by setting their fiction abroad or did they conceal their native land in the subtexts and allegories of their transplanted works? This course will explore the variety of ways Irish authors utilized the grotesque, the fantastic, and the otherworldly as vehicles for exploring culture, identity, and history. Works of Irish Gothic fiction not only profoundly impacted popular culture but also influenced the critical tradition, challenging scholars to develop new methods to engage with the narrative strategies of these strange creations. Examining world-famous novels alongside lesser-known works that more overtly engage with Irish culture and society, we will evaluate how Irish authors utilized the Gothic genre to explore both regional and universal fears, anxieties, and trauma.