Synge and Synge: Science and Irish Modernism

Abstract

Irish modernism from the Celtic Revival to the Republic of Ireland mobilized cultures of science and literature towards the larger goal of national independence. Focusing on the literary work of J. M. Synge and the popular science of his nephew J. L. Synge, I argue that a defining characteristic of the Irish modernist is the ability to mediate between literary and scientific discourses. Such a combined fluency serves to temper the Utopian impulses of Irish nationalism as well as the increasing rationalization of life that occurs during modernization. This modernist sensibility promotes cosmopolitan cultural understanding to validate a resilient national Irish identity upon an international stage.