Description
Book SynopsisMichael Davitt's "Jottings in Solitary" consists of his drafts on many topics, written while a prisoner in solitary confinement in Portland Convict Prison, 1881-2. The "Jottings" (Davitt's title) have not been published before and contain a valuable autobiographical fragment and a frankly annotated list of Irish MPs of the time. Davitt gives his views on many other subjects, including an account of his arrest; his random thoughts on the Irish land war; how Ireland was robbed of her Parliament; on Ireland's share of the British Constitution as seen in its Government and Parliamentary franchise; and essays on English civilization and on the education of the Irish citizen.
Trade Review"accompanied by a splendid introduction by Carla King ... offer[s] remarkable insights into 19th century British rule in Ireland ... [Davitt has] provided us with the peep holes, important points of entry into the nature of British rule, and they have done so not just by what they said but by how they said it. If the other volumes in the series are as well chosen and as well edited as these two ... Classics of Irish History will be one of the most important publishing ventures of the last twenty years." Irish Literary Supplement Spring 2005 "It is a pleasant surprise to find previously unpublished early reflections in Jottings in Solitary ... edited, introduced and well annotated by Carla King ... presents Davitt's thoughts on politics, land and education..." Irish Studies Review 14 (2) 2006 "University College Dublin Press has now published over thirty 'Classics of Irish History'. These contemporary accounts by well known personalities of historical events and attitudes have an immediacy that conventional histories do not have. Introductions by modern historians provide additional historical background and, with hindsight, objectivity." Books Ireland Nov 2007 "Scholars of nineteenth-century Irish and Irish-American politics should reacquaint themselves with these classics, part of a long running and immensely useful series from University College Dublin Press." Irish Literary Supplement Fall 2008
Table of ContentsSynopsis of data for an autobiography; English civilization; Ireland's share of the British Constitution as seen in its government and parliamentary franchise; the education of the Irish citizen; Christmas Day 1881; 1st January 1882; synopsis of our parliamentary representation; random thoughts on the Irish Land War - difficulties in the way of a solution of the Irish social problem; letter in reply to that of Aunt Ellen's; how Ireland was robbed of her parliament; my 36th birthday.
