The book itself more than lives up to its title, encompassing generic, historical, and evaluative issues within a coherent argument. Perhaps its greatest strength is the nuanced nature of its pronouncements. Graham is well aware of the ease with which opinion becomes hypertrophied, and his careful teasing out of different strands of thought ensures that this does not happen.
... Read moreEugene O'Brien Fascinating cultural history ! Some wonderful ideas and observations. This book bristles with bright ideas. It is a powerful example of how contemporary theoretical models - from deconstruction and feminism to revisionism and postcolonialism - can be used to shed new light on the study of Irish culture. This book is a valuable contribution to the expanding Irish studies industry. It is written with panache and, at times, with ingenuity. Graham's critque of post-nationalism is arguably one of the most insightful yet published. In the tangled debates bewtween various theories and applications of postcoloniality and postmodernity, Deconstructiong Ireland is a welcome ! contribution which makes important connections across a diverse selection of material ! Graham sensitively unknots and unravels some of the implications ! he uses of postcolonial theory, revisionism and postnationalism in contemporary Irish criticsm ! The book itself more than lives up to its title, encompassing generic, historical, and evaluative issues within a coherent argument. Perhaps its greatest strength is the nuanced nature of its pronouncements. Graham is well aware of the ease with which opinion becomes hypertrophied, and his careful teasing out of different strands of thought ensures that this does not happen. Fascinating cultural history ! Some wonderful ideas and observations. This book bristles with bright ideas. It is a powerful example of how contemporary theoretical models - from deconstruction and feminism to revisionism and postcolonialism - can be used to shed new light on the study of Irish culture. This book is a valuable contribution to the expanding Irish studies industry. It is written with panache and, at times, with ingenuity. Graham's critque of post-nationalism is arguably one of the most insightful yet published. In the tangled debates bewtween various theories and applications of postcoloniality and postmodernity, Deconstructiong Ireland is a welcome ! contribution which makes important connections across a diverse selection of material ! Graham sensitively unknots and unravels some of the implications ! he uses of postcolonial theory, revisionism and postnationalism in contemporary Irish criticsm ! Show Less