This subject guide is to support the Year 12 Literature study of
Seamus Heaney
If you have any problems with these resources or need further help, please contact the Teacher Librarians via lis@mlc.wa.edu.au
Last updated 10th April 2019
(Heaney, n.d.).
All resources are digital except for those indicated by , which can be found on the shelf at 821.914 HEA in the Library.
British Council. (n.d.). Seamus Heaney. Retrieved from https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/seamus-heaney
Corcoran, N. (1998). In between: On Seamus Heaney’s life. In The poetry of Seamus Heaney. London, U.K.
Livingston, J., & Hilbert, S. (2002). Seamus Heaney. Critical Survey of Poetry, Second Revised Edition, 1–10. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center database.
Manufacturing Intellect. (2018, August 20). Seamus Heaney interview on his Life and Career + Poetry Reading (1991) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/e87nqv9PiLA
Manufacturing Intellect. (2016, July 17). Seamus Heaney interview (1996). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/WT-dub5v4YA
Nobel Media AB. (2019). Seamus Heaney – Biographical. Retrieved from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1995/heaney/biographical/
Persoon, J., & Watson, R. R. (2013). Heaney, Seamus. In Encyclopedia of British Poetry, 1900 to the Present, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File. Retrieved from Bloom’s Literature database.
Poet Seamus Heaney. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/1982-seamus-heaney/
Poetry Foundation. (n.d.) Seamus Heaney. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/seamus-heaney
Includes links to a range of Heaney’s works.
The Poems
Here are a selection of poems by Seamus Heaney.
Death of a Naturalist (1966)
Door into the Dark (1969)
Wintering Out (1972)
Bye-Child
North (1975)
Funeral Rites
Bog Queen
Punishment
Field Work (1979)
Poetry Collections
You can find the following Seamus Heaney collections in the Library at 821.914 HEA
Heaney, S. (1999). Death of a naturalist. London, England: Faber.
Heaney, S. (1998). Opened ground : poems 1966-1996. London, England: Faber & Faber.
Heaney, S. (1990). New selected poems 1966-1987. London, England: Faber.
Critical Analysis
The following resources may help you with your reading and critical analysis of a selection of Heaney’s works.
BBC Bitesize. (n.d.). Requiem for the croppies by Seamus Heaney Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zppp2nb/revision/6
A free BBC online student support resource providing an overview of the poem’s themes, form and structure, language and context.
Bloom, H. (2002). Seamus Heaney. Retrieved from AccessIt database.
Critical analysis and critical views of: North – Singing school – Glanmore sonnets – The harvest bow – Ugolino – Station Island – The haw lantern
Collins, F. (2003). Seamus Heaney: The Crisis of Identity. Newark, D.E.: University of Delaware Press. Retrieved from Questia database.
You’ll need to search for this title in the Questia database.
Corcoran, N. (1998). The poetry of Seamus Heaney : a critical study. London, England: Faber & Faber.
Interpretations of a range of Heaney’s poetry within relevant contexts, notably the history and politics of Northern Ireland. Poetry collections explored include: Death of a Naturalist, Door into the Dark, Wintering Out, North, Field Work and more.
Daly, S. (1998). Seamus Heaney, selected poems. Harlow, United Kingdom: Longman.
Detailed analysis of a range of poems, in-depth notes on language and style, and overviews of key critical responses and relevant contexts.
Fawbert, D. (n.d.). Connecting with Seamus Heaney. Retrieved from https://fawbie.info/
Provides commentary on content and style of a range of Heaney’s poetry from the following collections: Death of a Naturalist, North, Wintering Out and more.
Glover, L. (2002). Digging. Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition, 1–3. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center database.
A summary and analysis of ‘Digging’.
Murphy, A. (1996). Seamus Heaney. Plymouth, Minnesota: Northcote House.
This text includes criticism on a range of Heaney’s poetry including: ‘Digging’, ‘Tollund Man’, ‘North’, ‘Funeral Rites’ and more.
Poet Seamus Heaney. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/1982-seamus-heaney/
Poetry Foundation. (n.d.) Seamus Heaney. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/seamus-heaney
Suggs, T. F. (2002). Bogland. Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center database.
A summary and analysis of Bogland.
Terrinoni, E. (2006). Literary Contexts in Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging”. Understanding Literature — Literary Contexts in Poetry & Short Stories. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center database.
This essay provides a plot summary of the poem and contextualizes the content through an exploration of historical, religious, scientific & technological, societal and biographical information.
- Use the Library Catalogue to locate more print books on Seamus Heaney in the Library.
- Find more ebooks and online articles to read in the Literary Reference Center, Bloom’s Literature and Questia databases.
Adams, S. (2006) Northern Ireland. Mankato, Minnesota: A+ Smart Apple Media.
AETN. (n.d.). History of the Northern Ireland conflict. History. Retrieved from https://www.history.co.uk/history-of-the-northern-ireland-conflict
Battle of Bogside. (n.d.).Retrieved from http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/448/battle-of-the-bogside
Deem, J. M. (1998). Bodies from the bog. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin.
Find background information about the following bog bodies: The Grauballe Man, The Tollund Man, Windeby Girl and others.
Kiberb, D. (2017). Seamus Heaney: The death of ritual and the ritual of death. In After Ireland: Writing the Nation from Beckett to the Present. Retrieved from Proquest eBook Central database.
The Proquest eBook Central database can be used via a free membership to the State Library of Western Australia.
Minnis, I. (2001). The troubles in Northern Ireland. Oxford, England: Heinemann Library.
Museum Silkebord. (n.d.). Welcome to the story about Tollund Man. Retrieved from http://www.museumsilkeborg.dk/welcome-to-the-story-about-tollund-man
More coming soon
Coming Soon
Heaney, Seamus [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from Britannica School database.
The late Seamus Heany [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ulsterherald.com/2013/09/12/seamus-heaney-a-memoir/