Nothing Happens in Carmincross (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Benedict Kiely
- First Published: 1985
- Type of Work: Quest
- Time of Work: 1973
- Setting: Ireland
- Principal Characters: Mervyn Kavanagh, Merlin, Deborah, Mr. Burns
- Genres: Long fiction, Adventure
- Subjects: 1970’s, Voyages, Mythology or myths, Politics, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, Revolutions, Violence, War, Death or dying, Bombs, Terrorism or terrorists, Weddings, Ireland or Irish people
- Locales: Ireland, Northern Ireland
The Novel
Mervyn, sometimes called Merlin, winds his way from Shannon in the Republic of Ireland to Carmincross in Northern Ireland and then back to Dublin. It is a very leisurely and circuitous journey, punctuated by Mervyn’s running commentary on the state of Ireland in the 1970’s; he contrasts again and again the pastoral Ireland of his youth to the murderous division that has marked the Ireland of his adulthood. Much of the novel is a monologue by Mervyn, and his speech is full of references to songs, poems, and speeches which counterpoint and contrast the heroic and...
[The entire page is 2071 words long]
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