The Twentieth Century Irish Peasant Play: Modernisation and Bourgeois Respectability in the Country Cottage Kitchen

[Abstract] This master’s dissertation examines the rise and fall of socially conservative ideals of “respectability” and “purity” in rural Irish society by analysing three important Irish “peasant plays” from distinct eras of Irish history within the last century: In the Shadow of the Glen(1903) by J. M. Synge; Sive(1959) by John B. Keane; and The Beauty Queen of Leenane(1996) by Martin McDonagh. The action of each of these plays unfolds before the backdrop of a “country cottage kitchen” set, and each provides a glimpse into the hardships and social issues at the heart of rural Irish society in the distinct periods in which they are set. The economic, social and political circumstances of each of these periods contribute to forming the attitudes and values of the ruralpeople. Modernisation theory posits that as a country transitions from an agrarian to an industrialised economy, the prevailing attitudes and values of that country become more open and tolerant. When examined together, these three plays clearly show the rise of socially conservative ideals of “respectability” and “purity” as Ireland establishes itself as an agrarian society, and their sharp decline as Ireland becomes industrialised. This paper examines the changing attitudes towards female autonomy, sexuality, religion, the poor and destitute, the Irish “Traveller” Community and mental health in the “country cottage kitchens” of rural Ireland.