Humor in Irish Literature: A Reference Guide

Ireland has generated an inordinately large number of storytellers, and Irish short stories bear a striking resemblance to Irish jokes. The tradition of telling jokes and stories in pubs resulted in the core of Irish written literature, and many Irish short stories have the same narrative structure as the jokes on which they are based. This reference is a comprehensive guide to humour in Irish literature from the 16th century to the present day. An introductory essay discusses the essential nature of Irish humour, and how Irish humour developed out of pain and tragedy that resulted in a diaspora. The chapters that follow are devoted to particular centuries. Each chapter includes entries for individual authors, with entries arranged chronologically to show the development over time. Each entry discusses the nature of humour in the author’s work and includes a bibliography. A detailed index allows alphabetical access to information on authors and subjects.