The Irish Catholic family in exile : ideological narratives and the uncanny home

Abstract

This thesis uses the dramatic model of the Irish Catholic family as a microcosm through which to examine the ways in which cultural and political ideologies have shaped a particular value-determined narrative of Irish history that privileges unifying ideological discourse over social reality. This thesis firstly establishes an Irish Catholic domestic model as a value-laden site in which political and ideological ideals were institutionalised, and then turns to an examination of the ways in w'hich twentieth century drama has challenged these ideologies through their representations of the Irish Catholic family on the stage. However, by investigating how such dramatic challenges can themselves become institutionalised in canonical fomi, this thesis aims to deconstruct the continuing dangers implicit in the construction of narratives of Irish cultural expression.