Publisher's Synopsis
The first half of this book explores the relationship between colonialist and nationalist myths of Ireland and the Irish. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which the male/female relationships are structured in these myths, and their continuing influence on writing about the Irish representations of Irish women. The book also considers the varying influence of Catholic and Protestant iconography and ideology, as well as economic and social influences.;The second half of the book focuses on the way in which women activists and writers operated within the contexts detailed in Part 1. Chapters are devoted to Anna Parnell and the Ladies Land League, to Maud Gonne and the journals for which she wrote, Lady Gregory and Elizabeth Bowen. These women sometimes managed to use the established iconography of Ireland to great political effect, but they also challenged what they saw as a politics and a kind of writing which elevated individuals and symbols over and above the welfare of the community and group collaboration.
