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| Project Details |
| Funding Scheme : | General Research Fund | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Number : | 18602415 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(English) : | The Invisible Women: Re-evaluating Lady Gregory and Her Works in Modern Irish Literature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(Chinese) : | 看不見的女人：重新評估現代愛爾蘭文學中的格雷戈里夫人及其作品 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(English) : | Dr Chang, Tsung Chi Hawk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(Chinese) : | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Department : | Department of Literature and Cultural Studies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Institution : | The Education University of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| E-mail Address : | htcchang@eduhk.hk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Co - Investigator(s) : |
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| Panel : | Humanities, Social Sciences | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subject Area : | Humanities and Arts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise Year : | 2015 / 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fund Approved : | 237,249 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Status : | Completed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Completion Date : | 31-12-2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Objectives : |
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| Abstract as per original application (English/Chinese): |
The subjugation of women in Irish literature has been criticized in recent years. The subordinated status of women becomes apparent when one compares Yeats and Lady Gregory. While Yeats is universally acknowledged as the spokesman of the Irish Literary Revival and the symbol of modern Irish literature, Lady Gregory is ridiculed by George Bernard Shaw as the “charwoman of the Abbey Theater” (Gilbert & Gubar 1115). Her influence on the Celtic Revival is known but not so well researched. However, it is Lady Gregory’s devotion that makes possible the popularity and prosperity of the Abbey Theater. But, pitiably her works are not so well discussed, though she is a prolific and qualified writer and translator. This study aims to re-evaluate Lady Gregory and her writings. By bringing into discussion the socio-historical aspects of Irish Literary Renaissance, the systematic engagement of textual analysis of Gregory’s literary works, and relevant feminist theories (eg. proposed by feminist ethicists such as Carol Gilligan, and French feminists such as Hélène Cixous and Luce Irigaray), it is expected that many gaps in our understanding of the position of women in Irish Literary Renaissance (as well as modern Irish literature), the connection between nation and women, and the construction/deconstruction of women in modern Irish culture will be filled in by this study. Also, the research aims at helping clarify the nature of female writing and justify Lady Gregory’s contribution to modern Irish literature. 中文摘要 近年來，愛爾蘭文學中女性的次等地位飽受批評。我們只要比較葉慈和格雷格里夫人，便能了解這樣的性別不平等。葉慈經常被視為愛爾蘭文藝復興運動的代言人，儼然是現代愛爾蘭文學的象徵。但是，格雷格里夫人卻被蕭伯納說成是「艾比劇場的清潔女工」(Gilbert & Gubar 1115)。格雷格里夫人對塞爾特文藝復興運動的影響眾所皆知，但相關的研究卻明顯不足。然而，要不是因為她的奉獻，艾比劇場就不會那麼有名。可惜的是，雖然格雷格里夫人是位質量俱佳的作者和譯者，相關的討論並不多。本研究計畫重新評估格雷格里夫人及其作品的重要性。藉由探討愛爾蘭文藝復興運動的社會歷史面向，詳細深入閱讀格雷格里夫人的作品，以及援引相關的女性主義理論(例如，卡蘿‧吉利根等人提出的女性倫理學、法國女性主義者如艾蓮那‧西蘇和露西‧伊瑞嘉嘿等人的理論)，研究者希望彌補現有研究的不足，並進一步了解女性在愛爾蘭文藝復興運動裡面扮演的角色、女性和國家的關係，以及女性在愛爾蘭文化當中的建構/解構。同時，本研究希望釐清女性寫作的特質，並證明格雷格里夫人對現代愛爾蘭文學的貢獻。 |
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| Realisation of objectives: | This study aims at investigating Lady Gregory and her writings, including her plays, essays, translations, and prose writings. By discussing the socio-historical backgrounds of the Celtic Revival in the early twentieth century, a systematic analysis of Lady Gregory’s literary creations alongside relevant literary theory (for example, Carol Gilligan’s feminist ethics), it is expected that we can better understand the role of women in Irish Literary Renaissance and twentieth-century Irish literature as a whole, the relationship between nation and women, and the construction/deconstruction of women in modern Irish culture. In order to help achieve the goal, four objectives are proposed in my research: (1) To investigate the major characteristics of Irish Literary Renaissance and the role women play in the movement (2) To thoroughly study the primary texts by (and secondary materials on) Lady Gregory and re-assess her position in twentieth century Irish literature (3) To investigate the nature of woman’s writing by comparing and contrasting male writing and female writing (4) To serve as a reference point for future studies on modern and contemporary Irish (female) writings. In the following, I will explain how the objectives have been achieved with the completion of this research project. First, in reference to investigating the major characteristics of Irish Literary Renaissance and the role women play in the movement, it was found that in the wake of Irish nationalism popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Irish women during the Celtic Revival were often thrown into the verge of their existence and were therefore imprisoned by male dominance. To get free from this maze of patriarchy proves to be very difficult. Anti-colonial revolutions in the early twentieth century were always accompanied by notions such as equalities between men and women in different aspects; however, ironically the equality of both sexes was only a myth in the real world. In addition to Irish nationalism in political terms, women in Ireland in the early twentieth century also suffered from marginalization due to another campaign, Irish cultural nationalism. No matter how powerful Irish political nationalism was, it was tarnished by the scandal of Charles Stuart Parnell, leader of Irish Parliamentary Party. Accordingly, the influence of political nationalism was followed by cultural nationalism, which was evidenced by the establishment of the Gaelic League launched by Douglas Hyde. Nonetheless, the well-intentioned actions initiated by cultural nationalists turned out to be an exclusion inflicted on women. Namely, among Irish cultural nationalists’ efforts, women were estranged from the center of power. Pitiably, Irish women at that time were always urged to fulfill their duty of motherhood and were therefore subjugated as merely helping maids of Irish nationalism. When they restricted themselves to household chores, they were forced to be responsible for preserving their indigenous culture and educating their children simultaneously, as specified in Irish Constitution made in 1937. Second, regarding thoroughly studying the primary texts by and secondary materials on Lady Gregory and re-assessing her position in twentieth century Irish literature, the principal investigator has tried his best to collect and investigate relevant primary and secondary materials available in Ireland and Asia. Some selected texts reviewed during this research include: (1) Selected Plays of Lady Gregory (e.g. plays such as The Travelling Man, Spreading the News, Kincora, Hyacinth Halvey, The Gaol Gate, The Rising of the Moon, Dervorgilla, The Workhouse Ward, Grania, and Dave, and critical essays such as “Lady Gregory on Playwriting and her Plays” and “First Performances”) (2) Lady Gregory: Selected Writings (3) Lady Gregory and Irish National Theatre (4) Lady Gregory: Interviews & Recollections (5) Lady Gregory: Fifty Years After (6) The Irish Dramatic Revival 1899-1939 (7) Inventing Ireland (8) Celtic Dawn: A Portrait of the Irish Literary Renaissance (9) Handbook of the Irish Revival (10) Gods and Fighting Men (11) French Feminist Theory (12) Lady Gregory, etc.) It was found that Lady Gregory has not been critically acclaimed partly because of the socio-historical context of in the early-twentieth-century, which was very unfriendly to women. Nevertheless, as this research indicates, women in Lady Gregory’s plays are not really so fragile and wicked. For example, as my paper “Re-evaluating Lady Gregory in Modern Irish Literature: A Feminist Ethics Study” demonstrates, women in Gregory’s plays seem to be negative because most readers often read them from a rationalistic perspective, paying little attention to the ethics of care and relationships which better mirrors women’s relationships with other people. This unique feature of caring is echoed in Lady Gregory’s engagement in the Irish Renaissance campaigns. In fact, many of her plays challenge the stereotype of women as impotent and immoral. Third, in relation to investigating the nature of woman’s writing by comparing and contrasting male writing and female writing, it was found that, although women and female writing tended to be limited by nationalism and patriarchy, they are by no means as stable as most people understand. We can find certain conflicts between nation and women in the plays of Yeats, Lady Gregory and J.M. Synge. This has a lot to do with the influence of nationalism, patriarchy, and the Catholic Church in the early decades of the 20th century. However, Lady Gregory and her writing also demonstrate women’s strong desire for love, sext, and control. As is found in this research, Lady Gregory was a woman who craved love and emotional and sexual gratification, as evidenced in her love affair with Wilfrid Scawen Blunt. However, to a certain degree, Lady Gregory’s intelligence and her sexuality were ruthlessly stifled by her self-imposed monitoring as well as the hostile patriarchal culture of the early twentieth century. ColmTóibín’s research on Lady Gregory and his quasi-biographical and fictional sketches of this long neglected woman via the story “Silence” helps us revisit these lesser-known aspects of her personality. I argue that Tóibín’s attempt to recreate Lady Gregory as both a rational and emotional, traditional and rebellious female figure should be acknowledged. By composing poetry and re-telling her love story, Lady Gregory succeeded in giving herself a public voice despite societal expectations about the appropriate role of women. In this sense, she is anything but only a charwoman of the Abbey Theater. Fourth, in reference to serving as a reference point for future studies on modern and contemporary Irish (female) writings, the findings contribute to our better understanding of a less well discussed aspect of women in Lady Gregory’s plays and add critical varieties to the existing research. As this study implies, although women appear to be subjugated in traditional male-dominated moral thinking, they are more positive and admirable when evaluated from ethical feminism, though to a certain extent they are also limited in traditional societies. This attention to women’s characteristics paves the way for our further exploration of some other women’s writing in modern and contemporary Irish literature (e.g. female writings by Edna O’Brien, Eavan Boland, Emma Donoghue, Maeve Binchy, Anne Enright, Eithne Strong, Marinna Carr, and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, etc). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary of objectives addressed: |
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| Research Outcome | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major findings and research outcome: | Overall, this research helps the PI better understand Lady Gregory, her works, and the position of Irish women in modern Irish literature. More detailed findings and relevant research outcomes in my study are indicated below. (1) Different from traditional studies on Lady Gregory and her plays, which concentrates on women’s subjugation in the male-dominated Irish society, the main findings of this research help shed new lights on the value of women in Gregory’s plays via an ethical feminist approach. (Publication: “Re-evaluating Lady Gregory in Modern Irish Literature: A Feminist Ethics Study”. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies 18(3): 101-13. (2) When faced with nationalism, women’s rights and their concerns are constantly cast aside. Accordingly, due to nationalism, a grand narrative in Ireland, Irish women were comparatively invisible. (Conference Paper: “Women, Nationalism, and Identity in Lady Gregory and Her Plays” (3) By examining Lady Gregory by reading Colm Tóibín’s short story “Silence” in conjunction with examples from her plays and Andrea Dworkin’s feminist theory, it is found that, despite the docility typically associated with Lady Gregory and Irish women, she is not just a helping maid but a proto-feminist in twentieth-century Irish literature. (Paper under Review: “Sense and Sexuality: Lady Gregory via Colm Tóibín” Tamkang Review) (4) While women are often demonized, literally or metaphorically, in Gregory’s plays, they are cherished and re-evaluated in Eavan Boland’s and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill’s poetry, as evidenced in their re-examination of history and myth. (Paper under Review: “Irish Women Then and Now.” 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature) (5) Traditional stereotypes of heroes are closely related to the history of colonization/de-colonization in Irish history, which is evident in plays by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory. (Book Chapter: “Heroes and Myth,” to be published by National Taiwan University Press in 2019/20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Potential for further development of the research and the proposed course of action: |
As the research findings demonstrate, this study helps us understand the problems of Irish women in the early twentieth century and potentially highlight the plight of women globally. In the wake of nationalism, Catholicism, and other patriarchal conventions, Irish women in the early decades of the twentieth century were unfairly restricted within family and traditional roles. However, as exemplified in Lady Gregory and her works and works on her, traditional stereotypes imposed on women are problematic because, instead of being confined to patriarchal conventions, women are intellectually gifted and sexually sensitive. This understanding can help us further investigate relevant topics about women. Potential development may include: (1) A comparative study of Lady Gregory and other modern and contemporary Irish female playwrights (e.g. Marianna Carr) in 2-3 years (2) A comparative study of Lady Gregory and other female writers (e.g. Eileen Chang in modern Chinese literature) in non-Irish literature in 2-3 years (3) A monograph based on the research findings and the follow-up research within 3-5 years | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Layman's Summary of Completion Report: | Lady Gregory significantly impacted modern Irish literature not only because she helped nurture some aspects of W.B. Yeats’s literary career but because she was committed to fostering and promoting the Irish people’s indigenous cultural identity through her writings. However, Lady Gregory’s identity as an intelligent woman is not given adequate credit, and nor are works about her well discussed. This literary study helps us re-examine this great female writer in Irish literature. Lady Gregory’s devotion to the establishment and the management of the Abbey Theater and her plays which promote Irish nationalism belie the fact that, in addition to being a qualified theater runner and supporter, she was also an intelligent woman. Moreover, Lady Gregory was a woman who craved emotional and sexual satisfaction. Nonetheless, Lady Gregory’s intelligence and her sexuality were, to a certain degree, hampered by her self-imposed monitoring as well as the hostile patriarchal culture of the early twentieth century. By investigating Lady Gregory and her works and works on her, this study enables us to better understand the conflict and compromise of being a woman and a writer in a male-dominated society and hopefully paves the way for our understanding of women in the 21st century. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Peer-reviewed journal publication(s) arising directly from this research project : (* denotes the corresponding author) |
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| Recognized international conference(s) in which paper(s) related to this research project was/were delivered : |
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| Other impact (e.g. award of patents or prizes, collaboration with other research institutions, technology transfer, etc.): |
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| SCREEN ID: SCRRM00542 |