Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Dimino, Andrea

Area of Concentration

Humanities

Abstract

This thesis, titled A New Mythology: Irish Themes and Motifs in Modern Young Adult Literature, explores pervasive elements and themes in Irish mythology, and examines how the Irish oral tradition evolved over time. In addition, this thesis traces common themes in Irish folklore and mythology from their roots in the oral tradition and connects them to tropes which have become pervasive in modern, popular Young Adult literature. In addition to drawing on my love of stories and fantasy, I also tap into the work and study I did during a semester in Cork, Ireland. I cite lectures I attended at University College Cork, and combine my knowledge gleaned there with independent readings and articles in order to form a more complete picture of the themes in Irish mythology that are still prevalent in modern literature. My primary intention was to explore the way that elements of a narrative can evolve over time as the context and society surrounding them change. This thesis traces specific Irish elements, such as the Otherworld, liminality, and transformation, through various iterations of narrative, and eventually concludes that modern pop culture, and its relation to society, is comparable to a new kind of oral tradition. In addition, I assert my belief that Young Adult books carry literary significance, and attest that it is important for young people to recognize the presence of Irish culture in the books they read. Cited Young Adult novels include Artemis Fowl, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Harry Potter.

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