Building (in) the Promised Land

This book offers new readings of recent Irish plays. Following C. Morash's historiographic metaphor of Babel, it combines this and other appropriations of the Biblical theme of building found in the plays by such authors as M. McKenna, D. Bolger, S. Gregg, R. Dormer or S. Barry.

This book offers new close readings of contemporary Irish drama in the context of postcolonial Biblical studies. Developing Christopher Morash's historiographical metaphor of Babel, it combines appropriations of this and other selected Biblical themes of building found in plays by such authors as Malachy McKenna (Tillsonburg), Dermot Bolger (Ballymun Trilogy), Stacey Gregg (Shibboleth), Richard Dormer (Drum Belly) or Sebastian Barry (Tales of Ballycumber). The monograph explores the stances contributed by key scholars specialising in Irish drama and theatre (Christopher Morash, Shaun Richards, Helen Heusner Lojek), draws on the most recent findings within postcolonial Biblical criticism and touches upon the assumptions of subcreation studies (Mark J. P. Wolf).

Autorentext

Grzegorz Koneczniak is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anglophone Literature, Culture and Comparative Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruñ, Poland. He specialises in Irish literature and textual as well as editorial aspects of literary works.

Inhalt

Cultural appropriations of the Bible - symbolism of building - Christopher Morash's histriographic metaphor of Babel - postcolonial Biblical criticism - Irish drama - Abbey Theatre - Ballymun Trilogy - Dermot Bolger - Drum Belly - Richard Dormer - Shibboleth - Stacey Gregg - Tales of Ballycumber - Sebastian Barry - Tillsonburg - Malachy McKenna