History and Literature ~Stair agus Litríocht
The Passion of Parnell
Understanding Nineteenth Century Ireland. Widely considered the most important Irish political figure of the late nineteenth century, Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-91) brilliantly convulsed and transformed Irish and British politics in his tumultuous career. This short course will place the genius of Parnell within his social, political and cultural contexts while paying particular attention to his infamous love affair with Kitty O’Shea and his legacy as an inspirational figure for James Joyce and William Butler Yeats in the Irish Literary Revival. The course is ideal for anyone who always wished to understand one of the great figures responsible for the transformation of Ireland after the Famine of the 1840s and before the revolutionary period beginning in 1916.
2 sessions. Mon 8:00-9:30 p.m. January 20 and 27.
- $54 discounted rate when you pay online. Help with online payment will be available at the first class.
- $60 by cash or check (made out to 'Celtic Junction Arts Center') at the first class.
If you plan to pay at the first class (either online or by cash/check) please email the instructor, Dr. Patrick O’Donnell at Patrick.odonnell@normandale.edu
The Genius of James Joyce
Part One – Exploring the Labyrinth. Perhaps the greatest literary genius to emerge out of Ireland and arguably the greatest literary intelligence since Shakespeare, James Joyce (1882-1941) can be understood as creating an ever-widening labyrinth of innovation through his four masterpieces: Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), Ulysses (1922), and Finnegans Wake (1939). Yet the first two books in this sequence which are the initial turns of this labyrinth, Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist, are plain, simple, enjoyably witty and readily understood. This course will give a foundation to anybody wishing to understand the unfolding of Joyce’s genius by reading and discussing his two most accessible works: Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. We will read a selection of short stories from Dubliners culminating in his masterpiece, “The Dead.” Then we will read his autobiographical novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
[Any edition of Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man will work]. [Note: This is the first in a sequence of classes working through the four masterpieces. Part Two will appear in a later quarter.]
6 sessions. Mondays, 8:00-9:30 Feb 3 – March 9, 2020.
Class fee
- $108 discounted rate when you pay online. Help with online payment will be available at the first class.
- $120 by cash or check (made out to 'Celtic Junction Arts Center') at the first class.
If you plan to pay at the first class (either online or by cash/check) please email the instructor, Dr. Patrick O’Donnell at Patrick.odonnell@normandale.edu
Irish Poetry: John Montague
Discover the richness of the poetic achievement of John Montague by reading his work. The instructor will provide the text The Rough Field by John Montague which is INCLUDED in the class fee.
1 session. Saturday, February 29. 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Class fee
- $27 discounted rate when you pay online. Help with online payment will be available at the first class.
- $30 by cash or check (made out to 'Celtic Junction Arts Center') at the first class.
If you plan to pay at the first class (either online or by cash/check) please email the instructor, Dr. Thomas Dillon Redshaw at TDREDSHAW@stthomas.edu
Irish History
Expand your knowledge of Irish history with an accessible yet comprehensive survey course. About the text, "This edition of a perennial bestseller narrates and interprets Irish history as a whole. Designed and written to be popular and authoritative, critical and balanced, it has been the core text in both Irish and American universities for three decades."
[Course text: The Course of Irish History (5th edition) T. W. Moody and F. X. Martin (et. al.); New York: Rinehart, Roberts Publishers, 2012.]
7 sessions. Mondays. January 27, Feb 3, 10, 17, 24, and March 2, 9. 6:30-8 p.m.
Class fee
- $126 discounted rate when you pay online. Help with online payment will be available at the first class.
- $140 by cash or check (made out to 'Celtic Junction Arts Center') at the first class.
If you plan to pay at the first class (either online or by cash/check) please email the instructor, John Davenport at jbdave50@hotmail.com