Aims

Acquainting the students with aspects of the debates about identity in the British Isles. Emphasis will be laid on the ways in which literary texts negotiate specific national/cultural/geographical identities, and on the roles that literature plays in the creation, consolidation and/or questioning of those identities. Special attention will also be paid to the links between identity formation and literary canonization or categorization.     

Previous knowledge

- proficiency in the English language
- some degree of familiarity with both British history and English literary history, as reflected in e.g. the objectives of Bachelor modules like 'English Literature I & II' or equivalents thereof.    
- some degree of familiarity with key concepts and procedures of literary criticism, as reflected in e.g. Bachelor modules like 'Algemene Literatuurwetenschap' (General Literary Theory) or the equivalent thereof.   

Content

In 2012-13, the module will examine the often ambivalent uses to which the works and figure of William Shakespeare have been put in modern (viz. 19th- and 20th-century) Irish writing.
After brief general introductions to the history of Ireland and Irish literature, as well as to the state of the art concerning the reception of Shakespeare in Ireland, the module will investigate specific case studies centred on Shakespearean rewritings in Irish literature and/or on Irish essayistic writings about Shakespeare. The general aim is to shed light on the cultural dynamics that are at work in Irish appropriations of the central figure of the English literary canon. The case studies will be the object of student presentations and discussion in seminars.        
Students will also be invited to further reflect on the theme by reading related material in the English, Irish and/or European literary tradition, which they can select on an individual basis. This individual reading will be discussed at the oral exam. 
The theme of this course for 2012-13 ties in with an ongoing research project on 'Shakespeare and Irish Romanticism' (more details at
http://www.kuleuven.be/research/researchdatabase/project/3H11/3H110720.htm  )

Course material

Articles and literature
Manual
Toledo / e-platform

Is also included in other courses

• Study Abroad Programme in European Culture and Society (PECS)
• Master in de westerse literatuur 60 ects.
• Master in de taal- en letterkunde (Language Module English) 60 ects.
• Master of Linguistics and Literature: English 60 ects.
• Master of Western Literature 60 ects.