Class Description
This seminar will focus on five works by Claire Keegan, a critically acclaimed, contemporary Irish storyteller. The brevity and lucidity of Keegan’s stories hint at the enduring damage of the patriarchy. Each week’s session will be dedicated to one short story, ranging from 30 to 117 pages. Tracing her writing over several decades, we will begin with an early story from 1999 and end with her most recent work, So Late in The Day. In class, we will read excerpts together and discuss reactions, reflections, and questions. Through close reading, students will examine technique, themes, and tone. Students will consider her literary contributions in the context of Ireland’s cultural, historical, legal, and political landscape. To enhance class conversations, supplemental readings, reference pieces, and resources will be provided based on students’ interests.
Susan Lyons applies interdisciplinary scholarship to examine gender inequality. Her recent academic papers explore the “motherhood penalty”, an economic and sociological phenomenon not easily explained by feminist theory. She finds many interpersonal conundrums are better elucidated though literature than statistics.
What to Expect
Format: In Person
Class Capacity: 18
Class Style: Mostly discussion; participation-based
Materials List
Required
- Claire Keegan. So Late in The Day. Grove Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-0-8021-6014-0
- Claire Keegan. Foster. Grove Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-0-8021-5874-1
- Claire Keegan. Small Things Like These. Grove Press, 2021. ISBN: 978-0-8021-6085-0
- Digital Course Packet
First Reading
- For the first session please read "Antarctica", the third story in So Late in the Day, pgs. 87 - 118. If possible, read it twice.
- For supplemental material, there is the option to read three articles in the Digital Course Packet.
A Brief Syllabus
- Earliest Work
- A Room of One’s Own/Girl Interrupted
- Who/What is Family?
- Belief
- Parental Duty
- Misogyny
Cost and Registration
6 Sessions, $245 ($220.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($245), Community Supported ($225), and Sponsor ($265). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
RegisterSupport the Newberry
Your generosity is vital in keeping the library’s programs, exhibitions, and reading rooms free and accessible to everyone.
Make a GiftQuestions?
Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.
We are in office Tuesday through Thursday, 10 am–6 pm CT.
We are available by email Tuesday through Saturday.