ENGL 340 A: Irish Literature

Irish Literature in English

ENGL 340                         Autumn 2026

Course description:

A small island nation in the Atlantic, on the Northwest edge of Europe, Ireland has long been associated with its literature and “The Troubles,” a lingering conflict over British possession of its northern six counties. Ireland was a British Colony until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 and officially became an independent republic, untethered to the British Commonwealth, in 1949. Over the twentieth and into the 21^st century, Irish writers have depicted complex sensibilities of place that reflect indigenous views of the land along with colonized perspectives.  Whether the landscapes are rural landscapes, as in Seamus Heaney’s poetry, or urban, as in James Joyce’s Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man, Irish writers wrangle with what WB Yeats called “the terribly beauty” of this place.

Casting off the colonial rule of the British empire, which was largely Protestant, left a power vacuum for the Catholic Church to position itself with the republic and have an enormous influence in Ireland. In combination with earlier Pagan Celtic traditions, Catholic religious practices took hold. In this course, we will focus on themes of place and landscape in Irish Literature since the Easter Uprising of 1916, when Ireland began its contemporary journey towards becoming an independent republic, and view how Pagan, Celtic and Catholic images arise.

We’ll read poems, stories, plays and novels that detail place and landscape and reflect notions of colonialism vs. Celtic storytelling traditions. We’ll begin with WB Yeats’ poetry and later consider poems by another Nobel laureate, Seamus Heaney, a poet who was born in the year Yeats died, 1939. (Heaney died in 2013). How did each poet describe the “terrible beauty” of Ireland while using old traditions in experimental ways? We’ll move to James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and contemporary poets Paula Meehan and Eavan Boland and novelist Sara Baume, seeing how language about place surfaces visions of gender, colonial power, urban and rural landscapes and religious contexts, particularly through the lens of power and difference.

Structure and Course Assignments:

The course will be a balance of a traditional reading-lecture-quiz-writing-papers structure (eight quizzes, a midterm paper--written as an exam in class without access to notes or the internet-- and a final 5-7 original paper).  

Our seminar-style discussions will happen in class. We will also write together. Our writing studios will offer us low- stakes ways to practice creating responses and enhance our conversations about the literature. We’ll also test out drafts of papers.

Expectations of Students: 

1. Participation. Participation matters to everyone. Because we’re involved in intense small and large group discussions and writing studios, active participation is crucial. Read your assignments BEFORE the due date, take substantial notes in class, jot ideas outside of class, talk to your classmates, work well in a group. Do the assignments that aren't graded; these will count towards your participation mark. 
2. Midterm Exam Paper. This exam will ask you to form connections between the texts we've read and the in-class discussions to shape your response into a paper. You will not have access to the internet or to notes and will write the paper in a blue book exam notebook in class. 
3. Eight quizzes. These quizzes will be in a multiple choice format and assure that you are up to date with your reading and class discussions. 
4. Final Paper. This is a first person reflection on your reading and understanding of Irish Literature. You'll rely on your own origin story and experience to describe what you've learned. 

Grade Breakdown:

Participation: 15%

Midterm Exam Paper: 20%

Eight Quizzes: 40%

Final paper: 25%

Some guidelines:

If you miss class, do not email me. Please do not ask what you "missed." Consult your classmates instead.

Quizzes may not be made up. They are taken in class. 

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Read works of literature in their entirety.
• Show an ability to use texts, quotations, and detailed examples to reveal an appreciation of complexity and awareness of nuance

• Develop familiarity with major works, authors, genres, and movements in Irish literature since 1922
• Demonstrate an understanding of the aesthetic, cultural, political, and historical contexts of literary texts
• Demonstrate familiarity with historical and cultural contexts and how they affect the creation and understanding of literary texts 

• Write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Demonstrate a deeper/more refined ability to perform close readings of literary prose and poems, paying special attention to the ways in which various techniques generate meaning and/or emotion

Course Texts:

Baume, Sara. A Line Made By Walking, Mariner Books; Reprint edition (April 24, 2018). Available as an ebook as well. 

Joyce, James. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man,  (Penguin Classics) Paperback – 1992 or March 25, 2003 Seamus Deane (Editor, Introduction)

Additional readings available as PDFs throughout the course.

You should bring both the books and the supplemental readings to class with you so that you can consult them during discussion.

Grade Scale:

Computers and Electronics: Because a number of the readings will be posted to the course website, you are permitted to bring a computer or other device to class if you prefer to read them in electronic form rather than printing. However, please don't use your device for other purposes while you are in class. 

Disability Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course. If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at https://disability.uw.eduLinks to an external site..

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The UW English Department aims to help students become more incisive thinkers, effective communicators, and imaginative writers by acknowledging that language and its use are powerful and hold the potential to empower individuals and communities; to provide the means to engage in meaningful conversation and collaboration across differences and with those with whom we disagree; and to offer methods for exploring, understanding, problem solving, and responding to the many pressing collective issues we face in our world--skills that align with and support the University of Washington’s mission to educate “a diverse student body to become responsible global citizens and future leaders through a challenging learning environment informed by cutting-edge scholarship.”

As a department, we begin with the conviction that language and texts play crucial roles in the constitution of cultures and communities, past, present, and future.  Our disciplinary commitments to the study of English (its history, multiplicity, and development; its literary and artistic uses; and its global role in shaping and changing cultures) require of us a willingness to engage openly and critically with questions of power and difference. As such, in our teaching, service, and scholarship we frequently initiate and encourage conversations about topics such as race and racism, immigration, gender, sexuality, class, indigeneity, and colonialisms. These topics are fundamental to the inquiry we pursue.  We are proud of this fact, and we are committed to creating an environment in which our faculty and students can do so confidently and securely, knowing that they have the backing of the department.

Religious Accommodation: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/)Links to an external site.. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/)Links to an external site..

Academic Integrity:  When quoting, paraphrasing, or referring to another writer’s words or ideas (including any you might find on the Internet), you must cite the source properly using MLA citation guidelines, which I will explain before the first essay assignment is due.  Don’t hesitate to ask me if you have questions about proper attribution.  I will hand over any plagiarized work to the Dean’s Committee on Academic Conduct, and plagiarism may result in a failing grade on the assignment or the course.  For further information on what constitutes plagiarism, see http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm#misconductLinks to an external site..

Schedule will appear in assignments.

Evaluation Details:

The course is based on 100 points.

• Midterm exam paper (20 points)
• Eight reading quizzes (5 points each, for a total of 40 points)
• Participation (15 points)
• Final Paper (25 points)