Transnational — Transanimal: Reading the Insect in Migrant Irish Poetry

Abstract

Insects have long been regarded with a mixture of anxiety and awe by humans. Their metaphorical place within the animal kingdom is precarious and accidental; some might even say insects have more in common with mythical creatures than real-life animals. Similarly, Ireland’s transnational writers put pressure on canonical categorizations of literature in national terms, and therefore continually remind us of the fragility and arbitrariness of the term ‘Irish’. Although entomological metaphors abound in literature, little attention has been paid to their significance in terms of pushing the boundaries of national canons. Similarly, although insects are everywhere metaphorically and textually in these works, not enough emphasis has been paid to their real-life situation and environmental import. This essay aims to address these two issues and argue for a reading of the insect which is sensitive to their metaphorical and actualized ability to stretch our thinking about our lived and imaginary environments.