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James Stephens's Diminutive National Narratives: Imagining an Irish Nation Based on the "Orient"

James Stephens's Diminutive National Narratives: Imagining an Irish Nation Based on the... James Stephens's Diminutive National Narratives: Imagining an Irish Nation Based on the "Orient" Joseph Lennon The Comparatist, Volume 20, May 1996, pp. 62-81 (Article) Published by The University of North Carolina Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/com.1996.0000 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/415111/summary Access provided at 18 Feb 2020 11:14 GMT from JHU Libraries JAMES STEPHENS'S DIMINUTIVE NATIONAL NARRATIVES: IMAGINING AN IRISH NATION BASED ON THE "ORIENT" Joseph Lennon Critics usually regard James Stephens as one of the most whimsical and entertaining of the modernist Irish writers. Consequently, his writings are rarely read for their social and national impUcations. While whimsy certainly comprises much of his poetry and prose writings,1 a good portion of Stephens's work, particularly his later short stories, por- trays social reaUties of early twentieth-century Ireland. In these stories Stephens's characters struggle against poverty, unemployment and class subjugation amidst tropes of Indian and Irish mythology. Throughout his career, Stephens wove myth into reahstic stories seeking to construct narratives ofthe emerging Irish nation. These narratives borrow heavily not only from versions of Irish myth, but also from OrientaUst versions of "Eastern" philosophy and mythology. Stephens used these mythologi- cal and philosophical tropes to represent Ireland's present in hopes of http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Comparatist University of North Carolina Press

James Stephens's Diminutive National Narratives: Imagining an Irish Nation Based on the "Orient"

Lennon, Joseph (Joseph Allen)
The Comparatist , Volume 20 – Oct 3, 2012
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Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Comparative Literature Association.
ISSN
1559-0887

Abstract

James Stephens's Diminutive National Narratives: Imagining an Irish Nation Based on the "Orient" Joseph Lennon The Comparatist, Volume 20, May 1996, pp. 62-81 (Article) Published by The University of North Carolina Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/com.1996.0000 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/415111/summary Access provided at 18 Feb 2020 11:14 GMT from JHU Libraries JAMES STEPHENS'S DIMINUTIVE NATIONAL NARRATIVES: IMAGINING AN IRISH NATION BASED ON THE "ORIENT" Joseph Lennon Critics usually regard James Stephens as one of the most whimsical and entertaining of the modernist Irish writers. Consequently, his writings are rarely read for their social and national impUcations. While whimsy certainly comprises much of his poetry and prose writings,1 a good portion of Stephens's work, particularly his later short stories, por- trays social reaUties of early twentieth-century Ireland. In these stories Stephens's characters struggle against poverty, unemployment and class subjugation amidst tropes of Indian and Irish mythology. Throughout his career, Stephens wove myth into reahstic stories seeking to construct narratives ofthe emerging Irish nation. These narratives borrow heavily not only from versions of Irish myth, but also from OrientaUst versions of "Eastern" philosophy and mythology. Stephens used these mythologi- cal and philosophical tropes to represent Ireland's present in hopes of

Journal

The Comparatist – University of North Carolina Press

Published: Oct 3, 2012

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