Maeve Kelly and new Irish women writing

Until quite recently, the Irish woman in Irish fiction has been largely the creation of male Irish writers, and—with few exceptions—a general archetype of a religious, disappointed and passive woman has prevailed. However, in the last few years, there has been a sudden and exciting emergence of new Irish women writing, and with this, a marked change in the image of Irish women in this new fiction. Maeve Kelly is an outstanding example of this new type of female writer, and there is a very interesting development in the Irish women she portrays in her short stories. The passive martyr has given way to a woman who actively struggles against her environment.The work of these new women writers reflects the changed position of Irish women in Irish society today.