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Brie MichaelsonENG 467: English CapstoneDr. Miriam Mara8 May 2014

Artemis Fowl and Ireland:

Examining the Tensions Between Traditional and Contemporary Ireland as Reflected in

Children’s Literature

Brie Michaelson

Dr. Miriam Mara

North Dakota State University

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Abstract

Ireland has been described as being “a First World country, but with a Third World memory.”

An economic boom in the early 21st century caused an influx of technology and globalization to

Ireland. As Ireland becomes more of a global nation, tensions can be seen as they navigate their

new, modern identity in comparison with the traditional Irish identity. My research takes Artemis

Fowl, a children’s novel by Irish author, Eoin Colfer, and examines how these tensions are seen

as they pertain to the use of mythology and the Irish language, technology, family roles, and the

globalization of characters, proving that Artemis Fowl is a reflection of Ireland.

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Introduction

In the past couple of decades, Ireland has experienced an immense amount of growth and

change. An economic boom that spanned from the late 1990’s through the mid-2000’s both

rapidly and dramatically altered many aspects of Irish society, culture, and economics. As a

result of this change, there have been many tensions as the traditional and contemporary values

find a way to coexist within the nation. It comes as no great surprise that the literature that has

been written within the country can serve as a reflection of that tension. Artemis Fowl is an eight-

book children’s series written by Eoin Colfer, international best-selling author and Ireland’s

current Laureate na nÓg. This paper will both study the tensions seem between traditional and

contemporary culture, as well as seeing how they are represented in Colfer’s series, primarily the

first two novels: Artemis Fowl and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident.

The questions this research will attempt to answer are as follows:

How many times and in what way is the Irish language used throughout the novels?

What myths and legends does Colfer draw on and in what ways have they been altered?

Do these alterations reflect the values of modern society?

In what way is technology utilized within the novels? Is it an accurate portrayal of

modern technology? If not, is that significant?

Are the characters within the novels globally aware?

How are familial roles used within the novels?

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Children’s literature offers a valuable information as to what is important to a nation at a

particular time, as well as giving a unique insight into its society’s current cultural climate. This

research will delve into the Artemis Fowl novels and see what they can reveal about Ireland.

Literature Review

The study of children’s literature as a reflection of society has been an ongoing

conversation in the literary community in the past few decades. In 1982, Maryellen Hains

composed a conference report containing articles from four sessions on the subject, which was

published in the Children's Literature Association Quarterly. The session titled “Children's

Culture: Historical Reflections” contained articles by David Sadler and Janet Spaeth that argued

that child literature sought to speak to an adult’s “inner child” and that revisions made

throughout time of “classic fairy tales shed light on how societal attitudes and values have

changed” (Hains). The next session, titled “Children's Literature: Whose Values?”, contained

article "The New Realism in Children's and Adolescent Fiction," by Joyce Ann Litton, which

examined literature about human sexuality for both children and teens, “revealing a clash in

values between fundamentalists and the new orthodoxy of the upper-middle-class liberal”

(Hains). That session also included "Adolescent Angst: Middle Class Values in the Popular

Junior Novel," by Lucy Waddey, which “pointed out that despite their surface modernity, Judy

Blume and Paul Zindel, the two most popular writers of junior novels, purvey the same middle-

class values that their young readers try to reject” (Hains).

Over twenty years later, in 2008, Chenyi Zhang wrote for his Master’s thesis at the

University of Missouri-Columbia, “Cultural Values Reflected in Chinese Children’s Stories.”.

Zhang acknowledges that the stories only “offer a general description of the cultural change

reflected by the Chinese children’s stories” (Zhang 21). However, Zhang ultimately concludes

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that “the change in Chinese children’s stories is correspondent to the development of Chinese

society. The findings show that Chinese traditional culture is still influencing Chinese children’s

stories. Due to the influence of modernization and globalization, some traditional cultural values

are gradually weakening with the introduction of Western culture” (Zhang 21, 22).

Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl has been examined before, though not primarily as it acts as a

cultural reflection. Katarina Lindve of Mälardalen University in Sweden did a study of the first

three novels as they applied to publication success. She argues that the novels changed as the

series gained international success. Through a comparison of both English texts and translated

Swedish texts she states that the third novel, written after the series became successful, was

written with language much more accessible to cultures who speak other languages. The first two

novels, in comparison, were written before the series became international. Lindve says that the

first two novels contain more language that is specific to Ireland, not accurately or easily

translated into Swedish. Lindve’s study also tracked the growing globalization in the plotlines of

the novels. Each successive novel became more globally aware, with international location

mentions eventually outnumbering those of Irish locations. (Lindve)

Modernization and globalization have had an impact on contemporary Ireland, as well.

When Ireland gained independence from England in 1922 it “was still a predominantly agrarian

society, having experienced modernity in a focused way, in particular as a modernization of the

agriculture and textile sectors to supply the British industrial revolution” (O’Donaven 96). As

Kieran McGowan states, up until around 50 years ago, Ireland was considered by many as being

“just one big farm” (McGowan). In fact, “as late as 1993, the country remained, along with

Greece and Portugal, one of the three poorest countries in the EU in terms of GDP per capita”

(Mays 11). However, the Celtic Tiger, an economic boom that altered the face of the nation,

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rapidly changed this idea to the point where, in 2000 “Ireland [was] the second only to the

United States in software exports” (McGowan). This change did not just affect the country’s

economics, but rather the whole culture and, “in a very short period Irish society has undergone

rapid reform and reconstruction, thereby also reforming Irish culture and

ultimately, identity” (O’Donaven 96).

The tensions resulting from this change are evident. In Transformations in Irish Culture,

Luke Gibbons describes Ireland as “a First World country but with a Third World memory”

(Gibbons 3). Michael Mays outlined this in Irish Identity in and Age of Globalization through a

couple of anecdotes, one dealing with finding an “Irish” bar. In it an Irishman in Dublin is trying

to find a pub to go to but all of the ancient, traditional looking bars are geared towards tourists,

whereas the theme park bar is where all of the Irish citizens go, outlining “many of the serious

dilemmas facing Irish society in the effort to manage the transformative processes of

globalization” (Mays 4). A prevalent view of Ireland is as a “periphery dominated centre”,

periphery meaning the force of tradition, the centre the “dynamism of change”, but Gibbons does

not seem to believe that tradition was wholly detrimental to the nation, though he does think that

Ireland found Modernity before its time (Gibbons 3-6).

Ireland was rapidly changed when, from around 1995-2007, a major economic boom

known as the Celtic Tiger occurred that completely changed the face of the country. With low

tax rates many investors were attracted to Ireland. At the same time, Ireland began offering free

education. (“The Celtic Tiger”) As Kieran McGowan, a former Chief Executive Officer of

Industrial Development Authority, said, roughly forty years ago Ireland was described as “just

one big farm.” However, the Celtic Tiger transformed it by the year 2000 into “the second largest

exporter of software in the world (after the United States), and home to many of the world’s most

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advanced information technology companies” including Intel and Dell, whose only European

branches were located in Ireland. (McGowan 13)

As Irish economics were changing, so too was the Irish familial structure, specifically as

it pertained to the role of the Irish father. Traditionally Irish fathers were seen as figureheads of

the family, economic providers but not active in raising their children. However, current societal

expectations changed for both men and women. As it became socially acceptable for women to

begin joining the work force, for fathers it also became “acceptable to be sensitive and

compassionate to their children,” as well as being active participants in their families. (Brayfield)

Not all changes in Ireland have been viewed as positive, however. The decline of the

Irish language has been viewed as problematic. The Irish Revival, a movement to “De-

Anglicize” Ireland, gathered steam in the late 19th century. The movement led to the development

of both English and Irish literature, though the language did experience a “precipitous decline”

of speakers from 1850-1911. (Tymoczko and Ireland 5-25) The revival movement was not a

success as far as the Irish language was concerned. The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century

caused a decline and then the Potato Famine in the 1840’s was devastating, especially to rural

populations, a majority of which were Irish speakers. Though the language is currently

considered a national language of Ireland, and though the language revival movement was

supported by most citizens, by 1995 only about 80,000 people were considered to be fluent Irish

speakers. (Carnie 1,2)

Methods

In order to obtain my results, a critical reading of both Artemis Fowl, Artemis Fowl: The

Arctic Incident, and a brief excerpt from Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code was employed. These

readings sought to track various items of interest. First, marking any word in the Irish language,

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be it a word spoken by a character or written in narration, including names of land marks.

Second, noting any mention of technology or technologic innovation, especially as it pertains to

the established Irish characters. The next area of note is any mention of the characters as being

global; that is to say, being politically or socially aware of other cultures, international travel, and

knowledge of different languages, among other factors. Defining the role of family within the

novel was also important, specifically as it applied to the role of the Irish father. The final area of

interest was mythology, tracking both mentions of mythological creatures and locations.

After the intensive readings of the, the next step was a utilization of a variety of book and

internet sources, including articles from newspapers and scholarly journals, as well as statistics.

Through these I saw where Ireland fits in with the development and usage of modern technology,

as well as how Ireland fits in on a global scale, how interactive they are with other countries.

Next was a thorough research the economic boom, the Celtic Tiger, paying particular attention to

the alterations it made to society and culture. From there I did a brief overview of the importance

of mythology and fairies to Irish culture, as well as the historic use of the Irish language, noting

the current amount of speakers and researching the revival movement. Following the gathering

of basic information on those topics, a research on how the multiple changes spawning from the

Celtic Tiger has transformed Irish culture and society was also required.

The final step was a qualitative analysis between the two areas. This step required a

comparison between the two, noting how the findings from the secondary research were reflected

in the primary texts.

Results

In the first two Artemis Fowl novels we are only fully introduced to one Irish character:

Artemis Fowl II. He is a criminal mastermind with an active Interpol file, a genius with the

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highest recorded IQ in Europe, and all of this by the age of twelve. Artemis Fowl Senior has

been missing for two years by the start of the first novel, and with his disappearance was a loss

of a large portion of the Fowl family’s fortune. In an attempt to regain that fortune in order to

fund both future business endeavors and to aid in the search of his father, Artemis, with the aid

of his bodyguard, Butler, decides to kidnap a fairy. He is noted as the only person able to do so

because, as a result of both his age and intellect, “he still retained a childlike belief in magic,

tempered by an adult determination to exploit it” (Artemis Fowl 19). This decision leads Artemis

and Butler to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where they meet a fairy (not one they can kidnap, as

she is disowned from fairy society) who gives them the fairy Bible, The Book. Through the use

of The Book, Artemis is able to kidnap Holly Short, captain in the Lower Elements Police

Reconnaissance unit, also known as the LEPrecon unit.

The description of the LEPrecon unit is the first connection to Irish mythology, with

Holly commenting that “LEPrecon uniforms were stylish these days. Not like that top-o’-the-

morning costume the force had to wear back in the old days. No wonder leprechauns were such

ridiculous figures in human folklore” (33). The next connection to mythology happens as she is

flying over Ireland, calling it “Éiriú, the land where time began” and “the most magical place on

the planet” where “the ancient fairy race, the Dé Danann, had battled against the demon

Fomorians, carving the famous Giants’ Causeway” and where the “Lia Fáil had stood” (69).

Further on in the same paragraph, it is noted that the traditional belief that fairies all carry around

a pot of gold is false, and that instead there is a ransom fund in case of officer abduction (69).

The following paragraph also gives the only example of an Irish word that is not also the name of

a location. The fairies feel an affinity for the “Irish race”, perhaps due to “their dedication to the

craic” (69). There are many more mentions of fairies later in both novels, chiefly descriptions of

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new fairy races such as elves, dwarfs, sprites, trolls, centaurs, and goblins, as well as what their

respective magical abilities are.

Technologic advances are shared by humans and fairies alike. The fairies are more

advanced due both to centuries of a head start and to their top technician, a centaur named Foaly,

who had “built their communications network from scratch”, was a “pioneer in the field of flare

prediction”, and “without him, human technology could very easily catch up with the fairy

brand” (87). In spite of this, Artemis is easily able to understand and utilize the fairy technology.

With only the self-command of “think advanced technology”, Artemis is able to gain access to a

piece of fairy technology and modify it to serve his own purposes (89). In fact, at the end of the

first novel he escapes any form of punishment from the fairy people by escaping a bio-bomb, a

revolutionary feat as “the People themselves have not yet developed a way” (272). Outside of his

renovation of fairy technology, Artemis is also a capable inventor in his own right. In the first

novel he creates a blind that “was ingenious in design and interest had already been expressed in

the manufacturing rights, mostly by military representatives” (71), as well as holding several

other patents.

Another trait shared by both the humans and the fairies is their status as globally aware

characters. Though the both novels are based out of Ireland, many other international locations

are mentions. The following graph is a count of how many times mentions of locations in the

novels are given, breaking them up in categories of Ireland, Britain, Fairy World, and other.

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(Lindve 19)

Throughout the two novels the fairies travel to multiple places from their home city of Haven,

including Ireland, Russia, France, and America. Holly’s first mission of the novel involves her

traveling to Italy, in which she is able to understand and communicate with Italian diners, which

allows her to effectively complete the mission and save them (54). One talent all fairies are

gifted with is the ability to speak all languages, which is what allows them to communicate with

Artemis in the first place, as their native language is not English but rather Gnomish, the fictional

language of all fairies.

The humans are equally well travelled. As earlier discussed, their debut in the novel is in

Ho Chi Minh City, which is one in a succession of places they visited to find their first fairy.

Butler, a Eurasian man, studied martial arts from the age of ten in both Switzerland and Israel.

Before his service to Artemis his is stated as having a series of global adventures, including a

five year stint in Russia in the 80’s which gave him a level of fluency in Russian (The Arctic

Incident 45). His service to Artemis also requires him to be aware of many cultures, as Artemis’s

exploits often require travel. In their initial search for the fairy Book, the duo travel seven places

“across three continents” (Artemis Fowl 6). In the second novel, Artemis teaches himself

Russian, which he is able to speak flawlessly (The Arctic Incident 42), and they travel to Russia

to rescue his father, both possessing knowledge on how to navigate their way in the country.

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Languages play a huge role in Artemis’s ability to effectively carry out his major plans.

In addition to learning Russian, he also teaches himself Gnomish in a matter of months (Artemis

Fowl 119). However, in neither texts is it mentioned that he can speak Irish, the native language

of Ireland. In fact, other than words that are also proper nouns, such as Tara, Dé Danann, Lia

Fáil, and Fomorians, only one Irish word is used, which is “craic,” a word basically meaning fun

(69). Excluding that, there is no other mention of the language either within the narration or

within character dialogue. Out of the Fowl family, the only explicitly established Irish characters,

neither Artemis nor his mother are mentioned as knowing it, and his father, once rescued, seems

to be unable to speak the language, as well.

The rescue of the elder Artemis had a great effect on him and as a result Artemis’s father

is represented in two ways within the novels. Prior to the first novel, Artemis Fowl Senior had

been on a business venture in Russia and had been attacked and then imprisoned by the Russian

Mafiya. Before his kidnapping, Mr. Fowl had been a business man first and foremost. He lived

by the Fowl family motto “Gold is Power”, encouraging his son to live by the same. After

waking up he says that gold and power are not important, but rather his family, which he wants

to be closer to. Mr. Fowl finds himself regretful at how distant and respectful he had made his

son. Artemis Junior, though pleased, is both surprised and confused about how to interact with

the new man his father has become. (The Eternity Code 82)

Analysis

Two versions of mythology are represented within the Artemis Fowl novels: that of the

traditional leprechaun and then the more contemporary, sophisticated LEPrecon officer. Both

identities are ascribed to the same type of officer. However, though a respectful nod to the

leprechaun of the past is given, the upgrades to the uniform and the gadgetry are considered

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superior by most of the officers (excluding Julius Root, who is older and more fond of tradition).

Similarly, though all of the fairies recognize and respect their possible roots to the Dé Danann, as

well as to their own established ancient kings, all of the fairies show a lot of pride and appreciate

for their advanced technology and the new developments that are made in that field.

New technologic items are made multiple times within the novels. The goal for Foaly is

always to make something new and better to be utilized, though he is not necessarily out to make

his old models obsolete. Old pieces are used until they are no longer able, and then broken down

and reformed or added to something that can function. Artemis, though not possessing equal

resources to Foaly, also makes a lot of innovations to technology, sometimes even further

advancing something that Foaly has made. It is important to note that he, an Irish child, is the

only human character capable of figuring out the use of fairy technology at all, let alone being

able to modify it. Similar abilities for innovation and creation were valued during the Celtic

Tiger so it is no surprise that this ideal is reflected within the novel.

The Celtic Tiger’s ideal of being a member of the global community is also reflected.

Some characters, such as Butler, were educated abroad, though with the intent to ultimately settle

in Ireland and use the gained skills to benefit people living in the nation. All of the main

characters, fairy as well as human, are multilingual, well-traveled, and knowledgeable of other

cultures that they are traveling to. They possess an ability to transcend their home cultures and

function with any new society they come into contact with.

The learning of languages, important for their understanding in other cultures, is notably

absent in regards to the Irish language. Both the narration and the characters have seemingly

disregarded its use, the only exception being the use of the word craic, which today is not even

exclusive to the Irish language, but also a colloquial word such as “What’s the craic?”, a phrase

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similar to “What’s going on?” or “What’s up?” Artemis has an established affinity for languages,

with an ability to self-teach them quickly and with complete accuracy. However, learning the

ancestral language of his people does not seem to be a priority for him, preferring to devote his

time and education to what he views as more beneficial to him and his interests. This is an

incredibly accurate reflection of contemporary Irish society. Only a small fraction of Ireland is

completely fluent despite having been taught the language from the first year of education.

Artemis, rather than being an example of a perfect Irish speaker, is instead more similar to

current Irish youth, not necessarily uninterested in learning the language, but rather not making it

a priority.

A priority to Artemis is, however, his family. He has a great love for his parents, willing

to do anything to save them. Regardless, he sometimes has a hard time knowing how to act with

his parents, especially his father. The role of the Irish father changed from being a more distant

figurehead of the family, not expected to be involved in child-rearing, to a more interactive

family member. Artemis Fowl Senior embodies both of these fatherhood roles. For most of his

son’s life, he was a distant and emotionally unavailable father, one that thrived on business and

the acquisition of gold who expected his only son to be respectful and formal. After his return

from Russia, Artemis Senior then embodies the idea of the contemporary Irish father; business is

unimportant in comparison to family and his relationship with his son and wife. Artemis Junior’s

confusion of how to handle the change between these two different parenting types is yet another

tension faced within the novel as the characters navigate between traditional and contemporary

identities.

Discussion

Overall, the theme of tension between the developing Irish identities is very present in the

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. From the modification of ancient mythology to the use, or

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lack thereof, of the Irish language, traditional values and societal structure are either altogether

absent or drastically modified, though undoubtedly respected. Familial roles in Ireland have been

greatly restructured in the past few decades as well, with both father figure roles reflected in

Artemis Senior, the tension navigating between those roles embodied in his son. Finally, the

expansion of Ireland as the global entity and an innovator of technology it became during the

Celtic Tiger is reflected within the novels by all of the principle characters.

Some limitations did exist within this research. Being an eight-book series, it is quite

possible that observations made in regards to the Irish language could later prove to be somewhat

inaccurate. A thorough search and personal memory of the novels assures that Artemis Fowl II

never learns or speaks Irish, but it is possible that Colfer uses them within the narration. Later

novels also expand on technology use, globalization, and Artemis’s relationship with his father,

as well as adding new races of fairy that might be reflected in ancient mythology.

Further research on the subject could expand the categories of tension to the series as a

whole, marking any changed made on the novels written during the decline of the Celtic Tiger

and during the recession. It may also be beneficial to expand the range of tensions studied, rather

than just focusing on five. Employing the use of an Irish citizen to get a first-hand look at what is

seen in the present day could be valuable.

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