Summary
Jean Rousset: The Literature of the Baroque Age in France: The Kirk and the Peacock
The nineteenth century brought major changes to Irish society and culture, some of which gave birth to, and others established, its uniqueness. The book traces key turning points in Irish history: unification with Britain, the famine epidemic and the fall of the political champion, Charles Stewart Parnell. The social, demographic, cultural, linguistic and literary map of Ireland recorded these milestones. The eighteenth century ended with religious polarization, into Catholic and Protestant sides and a division between the Gaelic poor peasantry and the urban middle class, mostly English speakers. All this leads to a political crisis at the end of the seventies, heralding the turbulent 20th century. The literature of Ireland follows these fractures.
The contemporary Irish scene, from writer Frank McCourt, musician Bono, dance group Riverdance, to Van Morrison, actor Liam Neeson, businessman Tony O'Reilly, shows how Irish culture is rising again. Four Nobel Prizes should also be added to that. Their works are a particular response to the changing cultural map of Ireland in the modern era.
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