IRELAND AND ITALY: LITERARY ENCOUNTERS AND POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
IRELAND AND ITALY: LITERARY ENCOUNTERS AND POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the dynamic literary and political connections between Ireland and Italy during the nineteenth century, highlighting how Italian experiences, particularly the Risorgimento, and Romanticism influenced Irish literature and nationalist movements. It examines how figures such as Lady Morgan, James Clarence Mangan, and Thomas Moore drew parallels between the Italian and Irish struggles for independence, using Italy’s revolutionary fervor as a metaphor for Ireland’s quest for self-determination. The study also considers the impact of Italian nationalist movements and intellectual traditions on Irish writers like William Butler Yeats and John Millington Synge, showing how Italian Romantic ideals and mythmaking offered models for cultural and political unity. By analyzing these transnational influences, the article reveals the profound effect of Italy’s political and cultural experiences on Irish literary and nationalist development. It underscores shared themes of resistance and unity, illustrating how both nations utilized Romantic and mythological frameworks to articulate their aspirations and struggles. The article emphasizes the interconnectedness of Irish and Italian literary traditions and their mutual impact on shaping modern national identities, including the influence of Italian culture on the early seeds of Irish modernism and the founding of the Abbey Theatre. Ultimately, it demonstrates that the literary encounters between Ireland and Italy played a crucial role in fostering a cultural dialogue that transcended national boundaries and shaped modern Irish literature and thought.

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