"the sensibility of the Irish"


the sensibility of the Irish

In Letter XXVI Horatio recounts a conversation in which Glorvina characterizes a specifically Gaelic form of Sensibility, following their shared experience of a wake for a young countrywomans father, whose deep sorrow elicits tears of sympathy from Glorvina herself:

Observing her emotion increase, as she stood near the spot sacred to filial grief, I endeavored to draw away her attention by remarking, that almost every tomb had now a votarist. It is a strong instance, said Glorvina, of the sensibility of the Irish, that they repair at intervals to the tombs of their deceased friends to drop a tender tear, or heave a heart-breathed sigh, to the memory of those so lamented in death, so dear to them in life. For my own part in the stillness of a fine evening, I often wander towards this solemn spot, where the flowers newly thrown on the tombs, and weeping with the tears of departed day, always speak to my heart a tale of woe it feels and understands. While, as the breeze of evening mourns softly around me, I involuntarily exclaim, And when I shall follow the crowd that presses forward to eternity, what affectionate hand will scatter flowers over my solitary tomb; for haply ere that period arrive, my trembling hand shall have placed the cypress on the tomb of him who alone loved me living, and would lament me dead.
Alone! I repeated, and pressing her hand to my heart, inarticulately added, Oh! Glorvina, did the pulses which now throb against each other throb in unison, you would understand, that even love is a cold inadequate term for the sentiments you have inspired in a soul which would claim a closer kindred to yours than even parental affinity can assert; if (though but by a glance) yours would deign to acknowledge the sacred union.
We were standing in a remote part of the cemetery, under the shade of a drooping cypresswe were alonewe were unobserved. The hand of Glorvina was pressed to my heart, her head almost touched my shoulders, her lips almost effused their balmy sighs on mine. A glance was all I requireda glance was all I received.
In the succeeding moments I know not what passed; for an interval all was delirium (Oxford 185-86; Pickering & Chatto 180-81)



CLASS EXERCISE: The preceding passage easily could serve as a primer of Sensibility, both in content and style. Identify as many elements of this excerpt as possible that betray key attributes of the literature of Sensibility, paying attention to style--both on the level of tone and of the literal typography on the page--as well as key images and themes articulated here. It also should be possible to identify at least two key texts of the period to which this passage points, one sentimental predecessor from the mid- to late-18th century, and a Romantic follower from the next generation of writers. (Hint: both are included in the GENEALOGY.)


*FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Terry Eagleton, the famous Marxist literary critic, has also written a group of influential studies of Irish literature and culture. In *Crazy John and the Bishop*, Eagleton provocatively suggests that Ireland serves as a kind of cultural lodestone, partly in counterpoint to British norms, for sentimental writing of this period. He cites in particular the contributions of three Gaelstwo Irishmen and a ScotGoldsmith, Sterne, and Mackenzie, though many more are mentioned (e.g., Hutcheson, Hume, Smith, Burke). In other words, a good part of what serves as the core of Sensibilitys literary heritage comes from Gaelic writers and thinkerswe might also call them Anglo-Irish, given the language in which they writeso when we encounter Owensons reference in the novel to the sensibility of the Irish it might be profitable to consider the ways in which Sensibility has a specific Gaelic-Irish heritage.

*For graduate students: read Eagletons full chapter in *Crazy John and the Bishop*, as well as the section on Owenson in *Heathcliff and the Great Hunger* and at least another half-dozen recent, relevant critical assessments of Owensons work, and write an article-length paper on the relationship of Irish literary and cultural traditions to the broader tradition of Sensibility.

*For undergraduate students: choose one of the literary figures mentioned above (predecessors of Owenson, not her contemporaries) and compare the use of several specific stylistic features of Sensibility in each writer. Be sure to clearly identify which features you will discuss, and to provide a coherent argument that accounts for the differences you observe.

*For both groups: it will be beneficial to consider the relevance of historical (not just literary historical) change as a context for your analysis.