A critical survey of the fiction and non-fiction written in Ireland during the key years between 1880 and 1920, or what has become known as the Irish Literary Renaissance.

"Another fine volume in the Syracuse Irish Studies series. . . . Foster is exhaustive in examining every conceivable type of fiction produced in this artistically rich period—a valuable contribution."—The Irish Literary Supplement

"A work of intelligent criticism. . . . Fills more gaps in our sources than most commentators have ever cared to acknowledge."—Books Ireland

"Anyone who deals with the Irish Revival in the future is going to have to come to terms with this vast, cogent, and important work."—Journal of Modern Literature

"This superb work, which deals with the seriously neglected body of Irish prose written from approximately 1880 to 1920, exhibits massive research presented in a charming prose style. Not merely a chronological study, the work places this "changeling art" in context by providing an overview of Irish literature that ranges from the early Irish sagas to recent modern Irish writing. The work can be read on many levels; accessible to the student, it also introduces many original and important themes that scholars will want to consider. Highly recommended as the definitive book on the subject."—Library Journal

About the Author

John Wilson Foster is professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Among his publications are The Achievement of Seamus Heaney (Lilliput Press, 1995); Nature in Ireland: A Scientific and Cultural History (senior editor, Lilliput Press, 1997); The Titanic Reader (Penguin Putnam, 2000); Pilgrims of the Air: The Passing of the Passenger Pigeons (Notting Hill Editions, 2014; New York Review Books, 2017). He lives in Portaferry, Northern Ireland, and is a Visiting Research Professor, Queen’s University Belfast.

Series: Irish Studies

6 x 9, 428 pages

April 1993