Beginnings and blind alleys : The bell 1940-1954

This thesis examines the Irish literary periodical The Bell which was first published in 1940, and ran intermittently until 1954. The Bell was Ireland's foremost literary magazine during its publication run, and had considerable success in bringing new authors together with more established names. As such, this thesis analyses the contribution of The Bell to the Irish literary tradition and interrogates its involvement within the wider scope of Irish society as a whole. The journal is assessed historically and viewed through the prism of the various personalities which contributed to its pages, in particular, its editors Sean O'Faolain and Peadar O'Donnell. In order to evaluate The Bell's position in Irish society, this thesis is divided into four chapters dealing with individual contributions and the historical formation of the magazine; Northern Ireland and perceptions of Partition; the political position of the magazine under Eamonn de Valera's administration; and its contribution to Irish writing. This thesis will confront some received critical assumptions about The Bell. More specifically, it complicates the idea of a debate between a state-sponsored, cultural nationalism and a liberal, artistic elite, which played out amongst its pages. In doing so, it will challenge the idea that Irish writing was stagnant in the years following independence, and will emphasise its connections with wider movements in European and world literature.