Yingru Deng

From the contemporary memory play Dancing at Lughnasa written by Irish playwright Brian Friel, it can be seen that Friel’s memory play has an imaginative feature of spatial narration, and there is a deep resonance between the playwright’s memoir created on the eve of the Celtic Tiger and his historical perspective. The switching of space in the play showcases confrontation and contradiction, while the memory of adult narrator Michael suggests that history can be reconstructed. As a script created in the 1990s to depict the 1930s, the playwright’s historical perspective and acceptance of different cultures represent a tolerant and open attitude towards cultural diversity. It also demonstrates Friel’s foresight on cultural diversity and attention to social issues. Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa is a narrative of spatial metaphor and memory - a reconstruction of the souls and experiences of those who do not belong to Ireland. It shows how Irish people at the bottom of society and their class structure face their marginalized status reflected in space and memory.

Dancing at Lughnasa; Brian Friel; spatial narrative; memory reconstruction

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