Sympathetic Ink
Intertextual Relations in Northern Irish Poetry
Distributed for Liverpool University Press
224 pages
|
6 x 9
Northern Irish poets have been notably reticent when addressing political issues in their work. In Sympathetic Ink, Shane Alcobia-Murphy traces that tendency through the works of Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, and Medbh McGuckian.
Using collections of the poets’ papers made only recently available, Alcobia-Murphy focuses on the oblique, subtle strategies they apply to critique contemporary political issues. He employs the concept of sympathetic ink, or invisible ink, arguing that rather than avoiding politics, these poets have, via complex intertextual references and resonances, woven them deeply into the formal construction of their works.
Acute and learned, Sympathetic Ink will serve as a perfect introduction to these crucial figures of Irish poetry.
Using collections of the poets’ papers made only recently available, Alcobia-Murphy focuses on the oblique, subtle strategies they apply to critique contemporary political issues. He employs the concept of sympathetic ink, or invisible ink, arguing that rather than avoiding politics, these poets have, via complex intertextual references and resonances, woven them deeply into the formal construction of their works.
Acute and learned, Sympathetic Ink will serve as a perfect introduction to these crucial figures of Irish poetry.
Contents
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I
1. 'As If He's Swallowed a Dictionary': The Oblique Poetry of Paul Muldoon
2. Medbh McGuckian: A Threader of Double-Stranded Words
Part II
3. 'Something A Little Nearer Home': The Intersection of Art and Politics
4. Writing in the Shit: The Northern Irish Poet and Authority
5. 'The Eye That Scanned It': The Art of Looking in Northern Irish Poetry
6. 'Roaming Root of Multiple Meanings': Irish Language and Identity
Conclusion
Select Bibliography
Index
For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu
Google preview here
Literature and Literary Criticism: British and Irish Literature
You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.
