Overview
A History of Irish Autobiography is the first ever critical survey of autobiographical self-representation in Ireland from its recoverable beginnings to the twenty-first century. The book draws on a wealth of original scholarship by leading experts to provide an authoritative examination of autobiographical writing in the English and Irish languages. Beginning with a comprehensive overview of autobiography theory and criticism in Ireland, the History guides the reader through seventeen centuries of Irish achievement in autobiography, a category that incorporates diverse literary forms, from religious tracts and travelogues to letters, diaries, and online journals. This ambitious book is rich in insight. Chapters are structured around key subgenres, themes, texts, and practitioners, each featuring a guide to recommended further reading. The volume's extensive coverage is complemented by a detailed chronology of Irish autobiography from the fifth century to the contemporary era, the first of its kind to be published.
Full Product Details
Author: Liam Harte (University of Manchester)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 16.20cm
, Height: 2.60cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 0.750kg
ISBN: 9781107131446
ISBN 10: 1107131448
Pages: 434
Publication Date: 01 March 2018
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
'The Irish genius for life-writing, anguished, resilient and invariably eloquent, is captured here in all its stunning variety. Ranging from St Patrick's Confessio to contemporary travel, abuse and celebrity memoirs and the fictional self-portraits that revolutionized modern literature, this absorbing History traces the indelible features of the Irish autobiographical imaginary: the religious, political and emotional turmoil; the defiant humour; the struggle against entrenched forces that oppress or mock the self, including Irishness itself.' Maria DiBattista, Charles Barnwell Straut Class of 1923 Professor of English, Princeton University 'Liam Harte, in his lucid introduction to A History of Irish Autobiography, points out that this genre has been underexplored and undervalued by scholars despite its pervasive influence on Irish literature, most notably on James Joyce's Ulysses. Harte's multi-authored volume more than makes up for this critical neglect. Reaching back to St Patrick and forward to the recent torrent of Irish memoirs about child abuse, this History offers the most comprehensive and readable overview to date of autobiographical writing in Ireland, making a compelling case for the intrinsic value of the genre and its multiple ramifications.' Maud Ellmann, Randy L. and Melvin R. Berlin Professor of the Development of the Novel in English, University of Chicago
Advance praise: 'The Irish genius for life-writing, anguished, resilient and invariably eloquent, is captured here in all its stunning variety. Ranging from St Patrick's Confessio to contemporary travel, abuse and celebrity memoirs and the fictional self-portraits that revolutionized modern literature, this absorbing History traces the indelible features of the Irish autobiographical imaginary: the religious, political and emotional turmoil; the defiant humour; the struggle against entrenched forces that oppress or mock the self, including Irishness itself.' Maria DiBattista, Charles Barnwell Straut Class of 1923 Professor of English, Princeton University Advance praise: 'Liam Harte, in his lucid introduction to A History of Irish Autobiography, points out that this genre has been 'underexplored and undervalued' by scholars despite its pervasive influence on Irish literature, most notably on James Joyce's Ulysses. Harte's multi-authored volume more than makes up for this critical neglect. Reaching back to St Patrick and forward to the recent torrent of Irish memoirs about child abuse, this History offers the most comprehensive and readable overview to date of autobiographical writing in Ireland, making a compelling case for the intrinsic value of the genre and its multiple ramifications in fiction, cinema, and the internet.' Maud Ellmann, Randy L. and Melvin R. Berlin Professor of the Development of the Novel in English, University of Chicago
Author Information
Liam Harte is the author or editor of ten books, among them Reading the Contemporary Irish Novel 1987–2007 (2014), The Literature of the Irish in Britain: Autobiography and Memoir, 1725–2001 (2009), and Modern Irish Autobiography: Self, Nation and Society (2007), the last two of which are widely recognized as pioneering publications in the field of modern Irish life-writing. He is Senior Lecturer in Irish and Modern Literature at the University of Manchester.
