Moulding the mid-twentieth-century Irish short story: Seán O’Faoláin and The Bell

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although The Bell (1940–1954) is generally acknowledged as the foremost liberal and intellectual magazine in mid-twentieth-century Ireland, its formative influence on Irish literature has not received similar recognition. This article aims to assess that influence with regard to the short story which emerged as a prominent genre in Ireland in the decades after Independence. Not only did The Bell publish many short stories by established and emerging voices, the magazine, especially under the editorship of Seán O’Faoláin, also propagated a specific ideal for the Irish short story through editorial processes of selection and revision as well as through editorial comments and instructions. The article analyses both O’Faoláin’s critical statements about the short story, in editorials, essays and introductory notes, and the short fiction published in The Bell, so as to assess The Bell’s impact on the formation of a canon and tradition for the short story in Ireland.