Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language Novels

It has been nearly 30 years since Teresa de Lauretis coined the term “Queer Theory” in a special edition of Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies (1991). Since then, Queer Theory has evolved and changed, becoming an interdisciplinary in-vogue “methodology” that questions the subversive...

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Main Author: Seán Mac Risteaird
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Firenze University Press 2020-06-01
Series:Studi Irlandesi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-sijis/article/view/11752
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author Seán Mac Risteaird
author_facet Seán Mac Risteaird
author_sort Seán Mac Risteaird
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description It has been nearly 30 years since Teresa de Lauretis coined the term “Queer Theory” in a special edition of Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies (1991). Since then, Queer Theory has evolved and changed, becoming an interdisciplinary in-vogue “methodology” that questions the subversive and the different.The social, cultural, and literary landscape of Ireland has also changed in those 30 years, a country that was once seen as a place where “homosexuality has occupied an uncomfortable place” (Conrad 2001, 124). This paper will discuss the literary texts of two Irish-language writers, Micheál Ó Conghaile and Pádraig Standún, who both reflect these shifts in attitudes in contemporary modern Ireland. Both writers unpack public and private expressions of identity, sex, and heteronormativity in their work. Bringing bold new themes to a language that was once perceived to be linked to nationalism and the Catholic Church, both Ó Conghaile and Standún engage with queer themes in their literary works, which have largely gone unnoticed by English language critics. This paper will seek to flesh out how these Irish-language writers spoke to, and for, a community within a community and for a minority within a minority. Discussing both Sna Fir (1999) (Amongst Men)1 and Cion Mná (1993) (A Woman’s Love), I will explore how queer identity has intersected with Irish-language literature and will question how these texts interact with broader cultural phenomena such as coming out, queer sex, and heteronormativity.
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spelling doaj.art-1dae7c1373c84cd78f731edb432d9e1c2022-12-22T02:26:57ZengFirenze University PressStudi Irlandesi2239-39782020-06-011010Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language NovelsSeán Mac Risteaird0Dublin City UniversityIt has been nearly 30 years since Teresa de Lauretis coined the term “Queer Theory” in a special edition of Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies (1991). Since then, Queer Theory has evolved and changed, becoming an interdisciplinary in-vogue “methodology” that questions the subversive and the different.The social, cultural, and literary landscape of Ireland has also changed in those 30 years, a country that was once seen as a place where “homosexuality has occupied an uncomfortable place” (Conrad 2001, 124). This paper will discuss the literary texts of two Irish-language writers, Micheál Ó Conghaile and Pádraig Standún, who both reflect these shifts in attitudes in contemporary modern Ireland. Both writers unpack public and private expressions of identity, sex, and heteronormativity in their work. Bringing bold new themes to a language that was once perceived to be linked to nationalism and the Catholic Church, both Ó Conghaile and Standún engage with queer themes in their literary works, which have largely gone unnoticed by English language critics. This paper will seek to flesh out how these Irish-language writers spoke to, and for, a community within a community and for a minority within a minority. Discussing both Sna Fir (1999) (Amongst Men)1 and Cion Mná (1993) (A Woman’s Love), I will explore how queer identity has intersected with Irish-language literature and will question how these texts interact with broader cultural phenomena such as coming out, queer sex, and heteronormativity.https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-sijis/article/view/11752GaeilgeGender and LiteratureIrish Queer FictionMicheál Ó ConghailePádraig Standún
spellingShingle Seán Mac Risteaird
Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language Novels
Studi Irlandesi
Gaeilge
Gender and Literature
Irish Queer Fiction
Micheál Ó Conghaile
Pádraig Standún
title Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language Novels
title_full Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language Novels
title_fullStr Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language Novels
title_full_unstemmed Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language Novels
title_short Coming Out, Queer Sex, and Heteronormativity in two Irish-language Novels
title_sort coming out queer sex and heteronormativity in two irish language novels
topic Gaeilge
Gender and Literature
Irish Queer Fiction
Micheál Ó Conghaile
Pádraig Standún
url https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-sijis/article/view/11752
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