Construction Of Irishness In Colm Toibin's House Of Names

Colm Toibin is one of the most important contemporary Irish writers.Over three decades,Toibin has produced both popular and critically acclaimed novels such as Brooklyn,The Master,and Nora Webster.The themes of his novels are often related to subjects which are associated with Irishness — emigration,identity in terms of Catholicism and Protestantism,a focus on familial relationships,and struggles with sexuality,especially homosexuality.Toibin believes that the best way to highlight Irishness in a writer is being involved with the Irish situation.True to this belief,in his latest novel House of Names published in 2017,he expresses his deep concerns over problems confronting contemporary Ireland by rewriting the ancient Greek family tragedy of Agamemnon.This thesis aims to reveal the Irishness Toibin constructed in House of Names.It consists of six chapters.The first chapter introduces Colm Toibin briefly and provides literature reviews on House of Names.The second chapter systematically combs the evolution of Irishness since Irish Literary Renaissance and expounds upon Colm Toibin's conception of it.Chapters three to five are the main part of the thesis.They focus on Toibin's construction of Irishness in the novel from three aspects.Chapter three analyzes the living predicament of the two groups that are considered to be “others” — gays and women in Ireland.Both try to resist and at the same time rebuild their identity,yet cannot break free from the bondage of the social environment in the end.Chapter four reveals the author's expectation to end the violence in Ireland and the novel's reference to the peace process in Northern Ireland.Chapter five examines the two legends in the novel,seeing them as an interpretation of the Irish history,especially allusion to the Irish famine and immigration.Chapter six is the conclusion.As a contemporary Irish writer,Colm Toibin has always been devoted to writing about problems in Ireland.This has made him a unique voice in contemporary Irish cultural and intellectual discourse.And his reshaping of Irishness in House of Names will surely leave an enduring mark on our conception of Ireland and its people.