
Irish Romanticism
A Literary History
Claire Connolly(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Will be published approx. on 11. December 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
254 pages
978-1-107-57953-8 (ISBN)
Description
What does 'Irish romanticism' mean and when did Ireland become romantic? How does Irish romanticism differ from the literary culture of late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain, and what qualities do they share? Claire Connolly proposes an understanding of romanticism as a temporally and aesthetically distinct period in Irish culture, during which literature flourished in new forms and styles, evidenced in the lives and writings of such authors as Thomas Dermody, Mary Tighe, Maria Edgeworth, Lady Morgan, Thomas Moore, Charles Maturin, John Banim, Gerald Griffin, William Carleton and James Clarence Mangan. Their books were written, sold, circulated and read in Ireland, Britain and America and as such were caught up in the shifting dramas of a changing print culture, itself shaped by asymmetries of language, power and population. Connolly meets that culture on its own terms and charts its history.
Reviews / Votes
'A tour de force of Irish literary and cultural history, this groundbreaking book boldly argues for the distinctiveness and coherence of Irish romanticism-a designation masterfully explained on its own terms and from within its own contested set of historical turning points.' Porscha Fermanis, Professor of Romantic Literature, University College Dublin 'Connolly's book does for Ireland what Marilyn Butler's Romantics, Rebels, and Reactionaries did for Britain, producing a narrative account of a major area of literary culture that is at once magisterial and granular. It is also grounded in tireless archival work, a firm command of historical contexts, a deep familiarity with the critical literature on its subjects, and fine appreciation of literary materials in many genres.' James Chandler, William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor, The University of Chicago 'This powerful and beautifully-written book establishes Claire Connolly as the prime authority on Irish Romanticism and radically extends the boundaries of the subject. An acute literary critic and a deeply insightful social and cultural historian, she subtly places a rich range of writers in the multiple contexts of Ireland's imperial dimensions, economic poverty, social networks, print culture, language shift, gender relations and perceived exoticism. A landmark.' R. F. Foster, Emeritus Professor of Irish History, University of OxfordMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
376 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-107-57953-8 (9781107579538)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
approx. 12/2025
Cambridge University Press
€98.30
Not yet published
Person
Claire Connolly is Professor of Modern English at University College Cork. She is the author of the award-winning A Cultural History of the Irish Novel, 1790-1829, as well as many essays and articles on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Irish culture.
Content
Introduction: people, places, pasts; 1. Bookish histories, 1780-1815; 2. Watery prospects, 1815-1830; Darkening skies, 1830-1850; Afterword: Frieze coats and the fabric of Irish Romanticism.