Irish Life and Character in Anglo-Irish and English Fiction During the Career of Maria Edgeworth
Graduation Date
Spring 1938
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Degree Granting Institution
Catholic University of America
Program Name
Humanities
Abstract
In the Introduction to this work I have already set forth its scope and purpose. By examining in the light of Ireland's history the Irish characters and scenes in the Anglo-Irish and English fiction of the early nineteenth century, I have found that the abnormal times were productive of many of the strange types portrayed by the novelists. Reference to the traditions, social customs, and well-known characteristics of the Irish people reveals that a certain number of the portraits are truly representative of Irish life and character. A large percentage, however, are mere caricatures—the creations of those writers who wished to satisfy a British public that only wanted to be amused.