IRISH EXILES AND THEIR VISION OF THE IRISH NATION: WILDE, SHAW, AND JOYCE
IRISH EXILES AND THEIR VISION OF THE IRISH NATION: WILDE, SHAW, AND JOYCE

Summary/Abstract: In this work we analyze how Wilde, Shaw, and Joyce saw and presented Ireland in their works. In the introductory part, the history of Ireland is examined. More precisely, we concentrate on events that happened in Ireland during the 19th and the begging of the 20th century when Ireland was under the English colonial rule. Then, the work takes into consideration England’s treatment of the Irish people and culture during the colonial era. The main part of the work deals with the works of the three exiles. First, Oscar Wilde’s view on Ireland is explored. We will analyze his play The Importance of Being Earnest and we will see how it discusses various topics, including the Irish question, Victorian society, and the concept of the Other. Next, the work examines George Bernard Shaw and his play John Bull’s Other Island. This chapter focuses on the play’s main characters, the Irish stereotypes, and England’s treatment of the Irish people. The last author which is analyzed is James Joyce. Both his critical and fictitious works will be taken into account. The latter encompasses Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man which reveal how Joyce managed to include his unique vision of Ireland into his works. The concluding chapter deals with some similarities and differences regarding Wilde’s, Shaw’s, and Joyce’s view on Ireland. In that way we will be able to see different perspectives assembled in one place.

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