‘Bodily matters’ in early Irish narrative literature

Abstract

Not surprisingly, the members of the Celtic Revival had difficulties reconciling the directness of the older Irish literature in bodily matters with the literary and moral code of their own time. In this they were no exception, although in their case the problem was aggravated by Ireland's colonial status. Everywhere in that world that we have somewhat incorrectly labelled as Victorian – a world shaped by nationalism, puritanism and triumphalist churches of various denominations –, the newly discovered medieval literatures confronted scholar and educated reader alike with this problem. As an example from outside Ireland may serve the great medievalist Joseph Bédier. In his monumental study of the French