Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, so it seems appropriate to discuss a wee bit of Irish literature. Here are 10 works you should definitely check out this month:
** Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels: It's really long, but the tale of flawed humanity and ridiculous political beliefs is Swift at his height of satire.
** Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray: Wilde's only novel is a fun and creepy exploration of the role of art in society and the eternal battle of man's dual nature.
** Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest: One of the funniest pieces of literature around, Wilde's play pokes fun at high society and employs endlessly clever wordplay in a text that even my most stubbornly anti-literature students can't help but enjoy.
** James Joyce's Dubliners: A short story cycle that explores the underbelly of Dublin, Ireland, Joyce is both ironic and heartbreaking throughout, and everyone will recognize at least one or two pieces here.
** James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Not nearly as intimidating as his Ulysses, Joyce gives a glimpse into the life of a boy growing up Catholic in Ireland that shows us how modernism reflects the struggle of finding a place in a world mired in tradition.
** Frank O'Connor's short story collections: O'Connor is able to help us see the psychology of Irish life, with themes similar to Joyce, but not quite as dark, and in often hilariously poignant style.
** Samuel Beckett: Take your pick and roll the dice with Beckett--it's all weird.
** George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion: Many will recognize this as its more famously titled adaptation, My Fair Lady, but Shaw deftly pokes fun at both men and women, as well as the British class system, in this fun play.
** George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara: This play often gets mixed reviews, but I like it for its economic debate of how best to help society's impoverished.
** W.B. Yeats's poetry collections: Perhaps the greatest poet in Irish history, Yeats has a delicacy to his poems that seems only he can combine the beauty of the Irish countryside with violent political revolutions.
Try something new this month by reading an Irish author!
** Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels: It's really long, but the tale of flawed humanity and ridiculous political beliefs is Swift at his height of satire.
** Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray: Wilde's only novel is a fun and creepy exploration of the role of art in society and the eternal battle of man's dual nature.
** Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest: One of the funniest pieces of literature around, Wilde's play pokes fun at high society and employs endlessly clever wordplay in a text that even my most stubbornly anti-literature students can't help but enjoy.
** James Joyce's Dubliners: A short story cycle that explores the underbelly of Dublin, Ireland, Joyce is both ironic and heartbreaking throughout, and everyone will recognize at least one or two pieces here.
** James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Not nearly as intimidating as his Ulysses, Joyce gives a glimpse into the life of a boy growing up Catholic in Ireland that shows us how modernism reflects the struggle of finding a place in a world mired in tradition.
** Frank O'Connor's short story collections: O'Connor is able to help us see the psychology of Irish life, with themes similar to Joyce, but not quite as dark, and in often hilariously poignant style.
** Samuel Beckett: Take your pick and roll the dice with Beckett--it's all weird.
** George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion: Many will recognize this as its more famously titled adaptation, My Fair Lady, but Shaw deftly pokes fun at both men and women, as well as the British class system, in this fun play.
** George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara: This play often gets mixed reviews, but I like it for its economic debate of how best to help society's impoverished.
** W.B. Yeats's poetry collections: Perhaps the greatest poet in Irish history, Yeats has a delicacy to his poems that seems only he can combine the beauty of the Irish countryside with violent political revolutions.
Try something new this month by reading an Irish author!