Synge on vagrancy: labour, workhouses and the feeble-minded

Collins, Christopher

Abstract

This article demonstrates how two of J.M. Synge’s plays, In the Shadow of the Glen (1903) and The Playboy of the Western World (1907) document and reflect attitudes towards vagrancy and feeble-mindedness in Ireland at the dawn of the twentieth century. Adopting an intersectional perspective towards social class and labour, the article uses archival sources to juxtapose varied opinions on vagrancy, labour, workhouses and the social anxiety over feeble-mindedness. In so doing, the article questions the extent to which vagrancy was perpetuated by a government that failed to offer adequate provision to the destitute and secure employment to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Citation

Collins, C. (2020). Synge on vagrancy: labour, workhouses and the feeble-minded. Irish Studies Review, 28(4), 411-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670882.2020.1827494

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 8, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Sep 29, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 29, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 30, 2022
• Journal: Irish Studies Review
• Print ISSN: 0967-0882
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-9303
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 411-428
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09670882.2020.1827494
• Keywords: J M Synge; vagrancy; labour; workhouse; feeble-mindedness
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4933784
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09670882.2020.1827494
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Irish Studies Review on 29/09/2020, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09670882.2020.1827494