Transcending genre : "Out-Of-History" characters in Sebastian Barry’s dramaturgy and narratives

Abstract EN

The literary project of Sebastian Barry presents a remarkable degree of cohesion insofar as Barry is committed to conjuring up the lives of characters that were omitted out of the official history of the Irish Republic or at least relegated to positions of disgrace in_that history.

Giving voice to these characters is an act o f redemption whose main goal is understanding and reconciliation rather than judgement or assigning blame.

The paper studies two of Barry’s works with inevitable cross-references to other works by the same author.

The first is Barry’s 2008 novel The Secret Scripture, his most recent novel up-to-date, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize of the same year.

The second is Barry’s acknowledged masterpiece of drama - The Steward o f Christendom - first performed at The Royal Court Theatre, London, on 30 March 1995.

The study adopts a narratologicalapproach in addition to an application of theories of dramatic technique.

It engages with the work of a number of literary and cultural critics and historians, whose main domain is Irish history and literature in general, and the work of Barry m particular