Eleanor Lybeck, All on Show: The Circus in Irish Literature and Culture

Abstract

All on Show: The Circus in Irish Literature and Culture is a unique undertaking which brings the ethereal world of the circus, as it is reflected in Irish culture, to scholarly attention. Proceeding from the well-established theoretical background of the carnivalesque, the author delves into the conceptual spaces outlined by the ambivalent nature of the circus and explores their metaphorical potential. The study elucidates the various ways in which this potential is realised within the centra...