Terror and Irish Modernism: The Gothic Tradition from Burke to Beckett

223 Pages·2009·1.998 MB·English

by  Hansen, Jim

Terror and
Irish Modernism
SUNY series, Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century
Pamela K. Gilbert, editor
Terror and
Irish Modernism
The Gothic Tradition from Burke to Beckett
Jim Hansen
Published by
State University of New York Press
Albany
© 2009 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may
be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the
prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production by Eileen Meehan
Marketing by Michael Campochiaro
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hansen, Jim, 1968–
Terror and Irish modernism : the Gothic tradition from Burke to Beckett / Jim
Hansen.
p. cm. — (Suny series, studies in the long nineteenth century)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-2821-5 (alk. paper)
1. Gothic fi ction (Literary genre), English—Ireland—History and criticism.
2. English fi ction—Irish authors—History and criticism. 3. Terror in
literature. 4. Gothic revival (Literature)—Ireland. 5.Modernism (Literature)—
Ireland. I. Title.
PR8807.G67H36 2009
823'.087290989162—dc22 2008054531
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
CHAPTER 1
Gothic Double Binds, Or, Irish Terrorists
Confront an Unholy Union 1
CHAPTER 2
The Wrong Marriage: Maturin and the
Double Logic of Masculinity in the Unionist Gothic 27
CHAPTER 3
The Revolution Within: Wilde’s Gothic and the
Confi nes of Convention 59
CHAPTER 4
Overcoming Allegory: Joyce’s Ulysses and the
Limits of the Irish Gothic 87
CHAPTER 5
Engendering a Cartesian Gothic:
Generic Form as History in Beckett’s Fiction 125
EPILOGUE
The Poetics of Fear: Gothic Inheritance
at the End of Modernity 169
Notes 175
Bibliography 193
Index 205

Acknowledgments
I’ve learned that no book is actually written by a single author. This is
not a theoretical insight akin to something that Roland Barthes might
say. Rather, it’s an insight that I’ve acquired through the very practical
experience of writing. Very few of the ideas in any book are purely the
author’s, and this book is certainly no exception. In fact, this book is
really the result of the constant intellectual and emotional encourage-
ment that I received over the years from many colleagues, comrades, and
mentors, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank those who offered
me both their support and their ideas.
I was extraordinarily lucky to run into three professors at the Uni-
versity of Notre Dame who helped me to formulate an intellectual proj-
ect. About a decade ago, I walked into Jerry Bruns’s offi ce, and I told
him that I wanted to write a book about philosophical hermeneutics,
politics, and Irish modernism. He looked at me in complete silence for a
few moments, and then he walked over to his bookshelf. He picked up
a copy of Theodor Adorno’s Aesthetic Theory and said, “I don’t think
you can do that, but why don’t you read Adorno for a while and then
we’ll talk.” The result of that conversation—and of the many, many con-
versations that followed—is the book that you now hold in your hands.
Jerry is certainly the godfather of this study, and I am indebted to him
for teaching me one of the most important lessons of my life, to think
slowly. Professional academics in the humanities tend to pride themselves
on being quick and on responding to inquiries and aesthetic problems
with immediacy. Jerry taught me to slow down and think about the texts
and contexts that I encountered, and I am eternally grateful to him. The
readings in this book also refl ect the way that Seamus Deane helped me
to think through, understand, and interpret James Joyce. In fact, much
of what I have to say about Joyce in this book has been culled from the
notes I took when Seamus read the entire text of Ulysses to a graduate
seminar in the fall of 1996. Seamus taught me about Ireland, and his
viii Acknowledgments
readings of Ulysses and his comments on the historical and theoretical
implications of Joycean modernism provided the foundation for much of
what I have to say about Irish literary history. Ewa Plonowska Ziarek
was quite simply the fi nest and most demanding teacher that I’ve ever
had. She was never satisfi ed with writing that was merely clever, nor was
she satisfi ed with writing that merely refl ected hard work. She demanded
that I produce pieces that were both clever and rigorous, and I am glad
that she did. She has continually provided me with sound advice over the
years, and I owe much of my success in the profession to her guidance
and assistance.
During the last fi ve years, I have been fortunate enough to fi nd myself
surrounded by a dynamic group of provocative, genial, and sympathetic
scholars and critics at the University of Illinois. Joseph Valente has been
a particular inspiration to me. I remember talking to him while I was
having a bit of trouble fi nishing the Joyce chapter of this book. I told him
about the various incommensurable ideas that I had about Joyce and the
Gothic, and after a few seconds he said, in his own very emphatic way,
“OK, get a pen. Write this down.” Joe has an intellect as fecund as it is
dazzling, and he’s always proved capable of challenging my old-fashioned
Marxist dogmatism. Jed Esty is a model of the professional intellectual.
He offered careful, thoughtful, and generous criticism of this manuscript
at every stage of its production. He’s also one of the most rigorous dia-
lectical thinkers that I’ve ever encountered, and I envy his capacity to
think through social and intellectual contradictions. I can only hope
that I’ve picked up at least a few of his skills. Most importantly, Jed has
always been an extraordinarily refl ective and supportive friend and col-
league throughout my time here at Illinois. The debt that I owe to Joe
and to Jed is a nearly incalculable one, and I imagine that it will take
me the rest of my career to repay it. Michael Rothberg has also been a
markedly circumspect and helpful reader of these pages. He has always
offered thoughtful professional and intellectual advice, and he’s always
reminded me to keep reading new material. Julia Walker commented
on nearly every chapter, and she offered constant encouragement and
insight throughout the process. Jim Hurt has corrected many of my over-
sights, and he has always been an amiable friend and mentor. Peter Gar-
ret, Lauren M. E. Goodlad, and Ted Underwood provided much-needed
commentary on the early chapters on C. R. Maturin and the Gothic. A
number of other colleagues here at Illinois, including Rob Barrett, Anna
Ivy, Gordon Hutner, Bill Maxwell, Stephanie Foote, Curtis Perry, Tim
Newcomb, Lori Humphry Newcomb, Mark Christian Thompson, Dale
Bauer, Matt Hart, and Bob Parker, helped me through this process with
my sanity intact. I thank them for their help, their oversight, and their
friendship. I’m particularly indebted to the Wednesday Winos discussion
group that included Brett Kaplan, Rob Rushing, and Lilya Kaganovsky