“Cannot an Irishman be a good man?”: Maria Edgeworth’s “The Limerick Gloves” (1804) as a Tale of Irish Identity

• Published in: Estudios irlandeses Vol. 15; no. 15; pp. 26 - 38
• Main Author: Fernandez-Rodriguez, Carmen Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seattle AEDEI 01.03.2020; Dra. Rosa Gonzalez on behalf of AEDEI; Asociación Española de Estudios Irlandeses
• Subjects: anglo-irish literature; Bhabha, Homi K; Celtic languages; Cultural identity; Culture; Discourse strategies; Edgeworth, Maria; English language; Hill, Jonathan (British religious scholar); irishness; maria edgeworth; Metonymy; nineteenth-century literature; Otherness; Philosophy; Rhetoric; Stereotypes; Writers; United Kingdom; Ireland
• ISSN: 1699-311X; 1699-311X
• DOI: 10.24162/EI2020-9304

This paper explores the representation of the Irishman in Maria Edgeworth's "The Limerick Gloves" (Popular Tales 1804). By using Homi K. Bhabha's theory, I argue that in this tale, sexual and colonial oppression are coupled together. Edgeworth questions racial stereotypes, and more specifically the idea of "Irishness" as opposed to Englishness. The use of irony and the narrator's desire to introduce Ireland to the English reader are in consonance with Edgeworth's enlightened philosophy and both reveal her rejection of sectarianism. "The Limerick Gloves" also shows Edgeworth's early reliance on the Union and is particularly interesting since it was relatively free from Richard Lovell Edgeworth's tutelage. Key Words. Anglo-Irish literature, Maria Edgeworth, Irishness, Nineteenth-Century Literature, Stereotypes. En este articulo se examina la representacion de los irlandeses en el relato "The Limerick Gloves" de Maria Edgeworth. Partiendo de las tesis de Homi K. Bhabha, consiero que en este relato la opresion sexual y colonial estan intimamente unidas. Edgeworth pone en entredicho estereotipos raciales, y mas concretamente, la idea de "lo irlandes" en oposicion al concepto de "lo ingles". El uso de la ironia y el deseo del narrador de acercar Irlanda a los lectores ingleses estan en consonancia con la filosofia ilustrada de Edgeworth y en ambos casos se demuestra su rechazo al sectarianismo. En "The Limerick Gloves" tambien se muestra el apoyo inicial de Edgeworth a la union con Gran Bretana y esto especialmente revelador puesto que demuestra estar en gran medida libre de la influencia de Richard Lovell Edgeworth. Palabras clave. Literatura angloirlandesa, Maria Edgworth, lo irlandes, literatura del siglo XIX, estereotipos.