고려대학교

초록/요약

In Love and Summer, William Trevor, an Irish Protestant by birth and upbringing, endeavors to unravel the complicated problem of Ireland’s historic conflicts tormenting and dividing Irish people. The current event is linked to the past ones: Ellie’s affair with Florian is compared and interconnected with Miss Conulty’s affair with an Englishman and the sexual misconduct of the St. Johns, an Anglo-Irish Protestant Ascendancy family. Ellie’s relationship with Florian can be seen as an example of how Catholic women have been historically ill-used by Protestant men. Like James Joyce, for Trevor “the brutalism of love and politics were interconnected.” The story of sexual conquest reminds us of British’s of Ireland. By scrutinizing the relationship between two communities, Catholic and Protestant, Trevor has a chance to reflect on the cruel history of colonization and to offer a literary ground for reconciliation. Interestingly the catastrophe which might be caused by Ellie’s affair could be avoided by the help of Orpen Wren, an aged Protestant. Irrespective of the religious differences, people are depicted as good and kind. Ultimately Trevor suggests that, with such people, history of division and conflicts will not be repeated in Ireland.