Irish Orientalism: A Literary and Intellectual History

by Joseph Lennon

Overview

Centuries before W. B. Yeats wove Indian, Japanese, and Irish forms together in his poetry and plays, Irish writers found kinships in Asian and West Asian cultures. This book maps the unacknowledged discourse of Irish Orientalism within Ireland's complex colonial heritage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815630449
Publisher:	Syracuse University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2004
Series:	Irish Studies
Pages:	478
Product dimensions:	6.48(w) x 9.52(h) x 1.36(d)

About the Author

Joseph Lennon, associate professor of English at Manhattan College in New York City, has published poetry and essays on Irish, Indian, and British literature and culture.

Table of Contents

	Illustrations	ix
	Preface	xi
	Introduction	xv
Part 1	Continuity and Development	1
1.	Origin Legends and Pseudohistories	5
2.	Ogygia: Europe's Backyard Orient and the Rise of Antiquarianism	58
3.	Allegory and Critique: Irish Orientalism in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Literature	115
4.	Empire, Ireland, and India	167
Part 2	The Oriental and the Celt: The Syncretism of the Revival	205
5.	Uniting the Circumference: Cross-Colonialism	215
6.	W. B. Yeats's Celtic Orient	247
7.	Theosophy and the Nation: George Russell (AE) and James Stephens	290
8.	James, Seumas, and Jayaram Cousins	324
	Conclusion: Was Fu Manchu Celtic? and Other Scrutable Speculations	371
	Notes	381
	Bibliography	435
	Index	459

What People are Saying About This

Edward Said

A fascinating study of the parallels between Orientalism and Celticism.

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating read, inaugurating its subject with style and substance and opening a whole new critical conversation.

Irish University Review

The author's exhaustive research is evident and his manner of presentation . . . engages the reader.

Choice

Original, provocative, and compelling. Its central thesis-that a tradition of Irish contact. . . . existed with Asia and North . . . is startling.

New Hibernia Review

A fascinating study of the parallels between Orientalism and Celticism.

Edward Said