ENG32810

To what extent might we think of the poet as a diplomat? What use is a poet diplomat in times of global crises? Do poets help define diplomacy, go beyond, or break the rules of the construct? This module tests these questions in the work of key Irish poets who have forged strong international engagements during key historical and political moments. Each poet demonstrates skills of diplomacy in their writing, particularly through collaboration and innovation, and in the face of major world problems (colonialism, war, gender inequality and climate crisis). This course will analyse the processes of diplomacy as they interact with the development of form (poetry and prose). Key questions: How does the poet utilise partiality to move towards resolution? How does form offer freedom from ideological stalemate? Does poetry matter today in the Anthropocene?

This module will examine the writings of key modern Irish poets specifically in terms of how their work is part of a web of international engagement that guides readers towards solutions. In historical order we will explore a selection individual poets’ works within their historical and geographical context. The first half of the course will focus on close readings of individual poems in their geopolitical time. In the second part of the course we will look at key themes relating to diplomacy, across different poets works, identifying their global connectedness more than their nation-centred focus.