Seamus Deane’s novel ‘Reading in the dark’ was published in 1996. The narrative story stretches over a period of 26 years: from 1945 until 1971. It is the story of a young boy that follows him from his early childhood until adult life. ‘Reading in the dark’ is not about any childhood, but particularly about a childhood that stands for many lived in Catholic Derry during the years that incubated the troubles.
How the circumstances of a culture shaken by inner and outer troubles and violence effect the boy’s childhood shall be explained in the following text.
The narrative is told out of the perspective of a young boy who was born into a Catholic family in Derry. It has elements that suggest that the novel is an autobiography. At the same time, however, certain hints put this idea into question. Deane might have intentionally left the boy anonymous. There is never a name mentioned. Also his age remains concealed. The possible and most obvious reason for this is that Deane did not want to write an autobiography but wants to remain more general in his descriptions. One could call it a fictional autobiography. The circumstances could refer to any family in Catholic Derry. Through not giving the boy a name, Deane avoids fitting him with a political label as names can easily be associated with religious and political backgrounds. In spite of providing the boy with an identity, the attempt to discover and question his personal identity is emphasised.
Throughout the novel, the boy’s major attempt is to understand his culture and to find out who he and his family are. The reader perceives the people and circumstances around him from the boy’s point of view with all its incompleteness. When he becomes witness of an accident, we learn about the role the police play in Catholic Derry. Everyone hates the police; they are seen as a destructive force. The police officer’s carelessness towards the victim of the accident is mostly a symbol of a political act. In another passage, the boy witnesses a talk of adults while he is hiding under the kitchen table. However, the child has no full, complete picture of what is going on. He makes the attempt to understand by piecing together the story of the past in darkness.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Representation of Catholic Derry During the Years Preceding the Troubles in Reading in the Dark
- Childhood in the Shadow of Troubles
- The Boy’s Perspective
- Interpreting the Past
- The Boy’s Search for Identity
- The Code of Silence
- The Power of Language
- Gothic Imagery and Derry’s Haunted Past
- Borders, Disappearances, and the Fragmented Self
- Education and Identity
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This text examines the representation of Catholic Derry in Seamus Deane’s novel “Reading in the Dark,” focusing on the impact of the Troubles on a young boy’s childhood. The novel portrays a community grappling with its troubled past, exploring themes of identity, memory, and the struggle for truth in a society marked by violence and conflict.
- The impact of the Troubles on a young boy’s upbringing in Catholic Derry.
- The exploration of identity and memory in a community shaped by violence and conflict.
- The role of silence and storytelling in shaping individual and collective understandings of the past.
- The use of gothic imagery to represent the haunted nature of Derry and the weight of its past.
- The significance of the Irish language as a means of expressing truth and reclaiming cultural identity.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The text delves into the boy’s childhood experiences, examining his perspective on the Troubles, the challenges of understanding the past, and his search for identity in a complex and often silent environment.
The boy’s narrative reveals a community steeped in a code of silence, where certain truths remain unspoken. The author examines the consequences of this silence, highlighting the impact on the boy’s family and their collective coping mechanisms.
The text analyzes the use of imagery in the novel, particularly gothic elements and recurring motifs such as fire and borders, to represent the troubled nature of Derry and its impact on the boy’s sense of belonging and identity.
The author explores the influence of education on the boy’s development, contrasting the formal education he receives with the stories and memories passed down through his family.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key focus of the text lies in the representation of Catholic Derry during the pre-Troubles period, with particular emphasis on identity formation, memory, and the impact of violence on the community. The analysis explores the use of storytelling, silence, gothic imagery, and the Irish language as significant elements in understanding the cultural and historical context of the novel.
- Quote paper
- Beate Wilhelm (Author), 2006, Representation of Catholic Derry During the Year preceding the Troubles in Reading in the Dark, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/65794
