Read more
The Irish Classical Self considers the role of classical languages and learning in the construction of cultural identities in eighteenth and nineteenth century Ireland. Focusing in particular on the "lower ranks" of society, it explores this unusual phenomenon through analysis of contemporary writings and records of classical hedge schools.
List of contents
- Frontmatter
- List of Illustrations
- 0: Introduction
- 1: The Stage is Set
- 2: Books in Their Hands
- 3: Esteem, Seriousness, and Folly
- 4: Eighteenth-Century Views and Evaluations of Schools
- 5: Narratives of Scholars and Schools
- 6: The Educational Tide Turns
- 7: Talent and Genius in the Humbler Walks of Life
- 8: Conclusion
- Appendices
- A. Extract from "Archbishop Butler's Visitation Book" Volume II
- B. "Amicus amico." Poem by Newby
- C. 1824 Returns to the Second or Royal Commission on Education in Ireland
- D. 1834 Returns Connected to the Second Report of the Commissioners of Public Instruction
- Endmatter
- Bibliography
- Index
About the author
Laurie O'Higgins was educated at Trinity College Dublin, and received her PhD in Classics from Cornell University. She teaches at Bates College in Maine, where she holds the position of Euterpe B. Dukakis Professor of Classical and Medieval Studies, and her research focuses particularly on the question of "hearing" the voices of non-elite men and women in the context of classical studies.
Summary
The Irish Classical Self considers the role of classical languages and learning in the construction of cultural identities in eighteenth and nineteenth century Ireland. Focusing in particular on the "lower ranks" of society, it explores this unusual phenomenon through analysis of contemporary writings and records of classical hedge schools.
Additional text
This book deserves a wide readership. Students of classical reception will value its total familiarity with the receiving context, its combination of élite and non-élite views, and its understanding of how Greek and Latin classics interacted with native Irish traditions. Historians of Ireland too should recognize O'Higgins' important contribution: beyond classical reception studies, she brings to light aspects of social and cultural history that historians who are not classically trained might have overlooked, or examined in less depth
