Reading in the Dark
Encyclopedia
Reading in the Dark is a novel written by Seamus Deane
in 1996. The novel is set in Derry
, Northern Ireland
and spans more than twenty-five years (February 1945 through July 1971).
Catholic
boy. This novel-in-stories is about both the boy's coming of age and the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland
from the partition of the island in the early 1920s through the post "Bloody Sunday
" violence of the early-mid 1970s. Reading in the Dark was shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize.
The setting mirrors mid-twentieth century Derry leading into the Troubles
. Although the setting surrounds the narrator with violence, chaos, and sectarian division, Derry serves as a place for the narrator to grow, both physically and mentally. Despite the external surroundings, the narrator's tone never slips into complete despair, but maintains a sense of hope and humour throughout.
The main focus of the novel is the narrator’s discovery of his family’s "secret" past and the effect that this discovery has on himself and his family.
The book is constructed of dated short stories that are assembled into larger chapters, these chapters are then further divided into smaller "episodes" with titles such as: "Feet"; “Father”; “Mother”; and “Crazy Joe”. This structure provides the reader with brief glimpses of different aspects of the narrator’s life. These short stories share a common theme by involving the narrator's family’s past guilt and shame.A strong emphasis is put on how the division of Catholics and Protestants affected family life in Derry. Family secrets, community, the environment, faery stories, and economic despair are all central themes of the novel and are all contributing factors to how the narrator views the world around.
Seamus Deane has often been asked why "Reading in the Dark" was not called a "memoir" instead of a "novel" because of Deane's almost identical upbringing to the main protagonist. He usually does not give a straight answer which raises questions about how much of the book might be Deane's life and how much is fiction.
Seamus Deane
Seamus Deane is an Irish poet, novelist, and critic.Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Deane was born into a Catholic nationalist family. He attended St. Columb's College in Derry, Queen's University Belfast and Pembroke College, Cambridge University . At St...
in 1996. The novel is set in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and spans more than twenty-five years (February 1945 through July 1971).
Plot introduction
The story is told from the point of view of an anonymous young IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
boy. This novel-in-stories is about both the boy's coming of age and the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
from the partition of the island in the early 1920s through the post "Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
" violence of the early-mid 1970s. Reading in the Dark was shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize.
The setting mirrors mid-twentieth century Derry leading into the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. Although the setting surrounds the narrator with violence, chaos, and sectarian division, Derry serves as a place for the narrator to grow, both physically and mentally. Despite the external surroundings, the narrator's tone never slips into complete despair, but maintains a sense of hope and humour throughout.
The main focus of the novel is the narrator’s discovery of his family’s "secret" past and the effect that this discovery has on himself and his family.
The book is constructed of dated short stories that are assembled into larger chapters, these chapters are then further divided into smaller "episodes" with titles such as: "Feet"; “Father”; “Mother”; and “Crazy Joe”. This structure provides the reader with brief glimpses of different aspects of the narrator’s life. These short stories share a common theme by involving the narrator's family’s past guilt and shame.A strong emphasis is put on how the division of Catholics and Protestants affected family life in Derry. Family secrets, community, the environment, faery stories, and economic despair are all central themes of the novel and are all contributing factors to how the narrator views the world around.
Seamus Deane has often been asked why "Reading in the Dark" was not called a "memoir" instead of a "novel" because of Deane's almost identical upbringing to the main protagonist. He usually does not give a straight answer which raises questions about how much of the book might be Deane's life and how much is fiction.