Summary of Lectures

Professor Cooper explained how, until very recently, the realistic novel was regarded as the highest form of fiction and much superior to romance, its fictional predecessor. But realism is a literary newcomer; romance has much longer and deeper history, and is, in fact, the ‘default position’ of fiction. Her lecture considered what we mean by romance and included examples of the genre from the origins of ‘romanz’ through its high point in the Middle Ages and early modern period (including Shakespeare) to its later variations down to Harry Potter. A clear message was - dismiss the importance of imagination at your peril! The lecture’s subtitle could well have been ‘Real Life –With a happy ending’.

 

Though ‘Wuthering Heights’ is a recognised classic and part of the popular imagination, Dr Glen pointed out that it is strange and lies outside the High Victorian tradition of ironic, socially realistic, introspective and psychologically individualistic novels. It belongs rather to a different, less well-known literary tradition of cruel, uncanny, passionate and elemental folk ballads. From this thought-provoking presentation emerged two major issues for discussion. The first was how awareness of this different literary tradition illuminates the content and structure of ‘Wuthering Heights’. The second was whether this approach to ‘Wuthering Heights’ might also increase our understanding of the other Bronte novels.

 

The English national identity which emerges from Shakespeare’s History plays is complex and varied Dr Lyne argued. He illustrated this idea of identity with its many nuances by referring to several passages from ‘Richard III’, ‘Henry IV Part 1’, ‘Henry V’, ‘King John’ and ‘Henry VIII’. He then explained how Shakespeare explores the concept of national identity in a variety of genres – through epic, romance, tragedy, comedy and satire. The English identity which emerges from these plays is dynamic and varied but unstable, reflecting the many political, religious and social changes which were then occurring in England during the playwright’s lifetime.

Dr Rankin used Brian Friel and Seamus Heaney to reflect on the relationship between modern Irish literature and history. She explained how The Field Day Theatre Company was both a publisher as well as a theatre company. Founded by Brian Friel and Stephen Rea and supported by leading Irish writers including Seamus Heaney, it exemplifies the strong links between Irish writers and the Ireland’s troubled history. She then discussed three anthologies of Irish writing, noting that women authors were not included in the first and had to be published separately. She referred delegates to several extracts from Friel’s plays and also to Heaney’s ‘Act of Union’, arguing that history and literature cannot be separated into neat contextual boxes.