Looking Back And Re-examining Irish History:Memory Writing In Colm Tóibín’s Early Works

The early works of Colm Tóibín(1955-),a well-known contemporary Irish writer and literary critic,show the characteristics of the intertwining of personal memory and historical memory,both in terms of the death and loss of characters and throughout the historical memory of Ireland,recreating an intricate social landscape and historical legacy.This thesis looks at Tóibín’s memory writing,examining the imprint of Irish history in his early works and exploring how the author reassesses his historical heritage and imagines himself in new ways.The first chapter begins with the memories of three major groups in Enniscorthy Town’s novels: Protestants,nationalists and homosexuals,linking them to Irish historical facts and integrating the memories of the different groups to restore the fractured aspects of Irish history.The second chapter looks at the spatial and temporal dimensions,showing the different ways in which the characters escape from their historical heritage,and analysing the subtle tension between the personal and the historical.The third chapter selects the town of Enniscorthy as a place of memory to illustrate the contradiction and reconciliation between individual and historical memory.The final chapter focuses on the author’s attitude towards Irish cultural memory.In the process of interpreting Tóibín’s nonfiction and other genre works,this paper reveals his ways to re-examine and settle the historical heritage,thus asking about Tóibín’s realistic intentions and the ways in which he constructs his own identity.In summary,this thesis seeks to interpret the historical significance of memory writing in Tóibín’s work,pointing out that Tóibín rejects tradition and imagines a new self between historical retrospection and re-examination.