Teaching the Twentieth-Century Irish Short Story in the Sixth-Form Classroom in Northern Ireland: A Literary-Critical Exploration

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper is predicated on an argument for presenting the Irish short story as a statutory recommendation within the A Level English syllabus in Northern Ireland (and also, perhaps, in syllabi set by Examination Boards in other parts of the United Kingdom). Employing a carefully considered literary-critical perspective, the paper offers a detailed evaluation of a representative selection of twentieth-century Irish short stories. The first part, sub-divided into two sections, provides, firstly, some observations about form in the Irish short story and, secondly, it offers some historical and social contexts which provide a backcloth to the evolution of the short story as the twentieth century progressed. The second part, in exploring a carefully selected range of stories, seeks to highlight both their thematic richness and their well-honed craftsmanship. Some of the themes which emerge, and which arguably have universal resonances, include the trauma of emigration, the changing role of women in a society beginning to loosen the shackles of patriarchy, and the inhumanity of war.