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    The poetics of irony in Middle Irish literature


    Boyle, Elizabeth (2021) The poetics of irony in Middle Irish literature. North American Journal of Celtic Studies, 5 (2). pp. 194-213. ISSN 2472-7482

    Abstract

    This article seeks to establish a poetics of irony in Early Middle Irish literature centring on anticlerical irreverence, misogyny, and ethnic stereotyping. Using a cluster of tenth-century narratives in the Book of Leinster, this study reads within and between texts to attempt to delineate conventions of genre and style which can be used to make the case for ironic readings of these and other texts. It is tentatively suggested that such anecdote-length humorous texts may have been used for pedagogical purposes, and the relationship between anticlerical texts and those which critique poets is briefly explored.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Book of Leinster; humour; irony; Middle Irish; narrative; satire; tenth century;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > School of Celtic Studies > Early Irish (Sean Ghaeilge)
    Item ID: 19969
    Identification Number: 10.1353/cel.2021.0013
    Depositing User: Elizabeth Boyle
    Date Deposited: 09 Jun 2025 14:32
    Journal or Publication Title: North American Journal of Celtic Studies
    Publisher: The Ohio State University Press
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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