Non-Modern Culture in Brian Friel’s Plays

Brian Friel's concern with paganism extends beyond his well-known play Dancing at Lughnasa to Faith Healer and Wonderful Tennessee. Shamanic healing and the mythological Otherworld, like the Lughnasa festival, are part of Irish pagan traditions. Friel depicts the Irish people's spiritual world of supernatural power, gods, and realms, showing that pagan cultures are not mummified in museums or memoirs but alive in corrupted, erratic forms interwoven with Christian beliefs and modern rationalities. This connection with the past and engagement with the present challenges the mutually exclusive category of tradition and modernity, exemplifying what David Lloyd calls 'non-modern culture.'

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Abstract

This article argues that Friel’s concern with paganism goes beyond his well-known play Dancing at Lughnasa: it actually extends to Faith Healer and Wonderful Tennesssee. Like Lughnasa festival, shamanic healing and the mythological Otherworld are also parts of Irish pagan traditions. By depicting the Irish people’s spiritual world of supernatural power, gods, and realms, Friel shows that pagan cultures are not mummified in the museums or memoirs but alive in their corrupted, erratic forms and interwoven with Christian beliefs and modern rationalities, whose connection with the past and engagement with the present challenge the mutually excluded category of tradition and modernity, and exemplify what David Lloyd calls “non-modern culture.” Keywords: Non-modern culture; pagan traditions; shaman; the Otherworld; modernity; hybridity.