Natasha Sumner, Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
My research focuses on the popular Gaelic narrative corpus about the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool), with particular regard for Fenian (Fionn Cycle) folklore. I am interested in the historical development of the corpus, as well as the conditions for transmission and narration of the stories and songs. I also maintain research interests in diasporic (North American) Irish and Scottish Gaelic heritage, as well as intertextuality in eighteenth-century Scottish Gaelic literature. I teach courses on Irish and Scottish Gaelic language, early modern literature, and folklore. For more information, see my bio, courses, and publications.
Image source: Dúchas.ie
Recent Publications
2024
Natasha Sumner, William Lamb, and Gordon Wells. 2024. “Digital Developments in Scottish Studies”. Scottish Studies , 40, Pp. 65-82
Natasha Sumner, William Lamb, and Gordon Wells. 2024. “Digital Developments in Scottish Studies”. Scottish Studies , 40, Pp. 65-82
2023
Natasha Sumner. 2023. “Review of The Early Fenian Corpus, by Kevin Murray”. Studia Celtica, 57, 1, Pp. 171-73
Natasha Sumner. 2023. “Review of The Early Fenian Corpus, by Kevin Murray”. Studia Celtica, 57, 1, Pp. 171-73
Natasha Sumner. 2023. “Review of The Fenian Cycle in Irish and Scots-Gaelic Literature, by Joseph Flahive”. North American Journal of Celtic Studies, 7, 2, Pp. 271-75
Natasha Sumner. 2023. “Review of The Fenian Cycle in Irish and Scots-Gaelic Literature, by Joseph Flahive”. North American Journal of Celtic Studies, 7, 2, Pp. 271-75
2022
Natasha Sumner and Joseph Nagy. 2022. “Filíocht Ghaeilge Na Meánaoise Luaithe (c. 600–1200) Early Medieval Irish Poetry (c. 600–1200)”. In Cnámh Agus Smior Bone and Marrow, Edited by Brian Ó Conchubhair and Sam Fisher, Pp. 34-65. Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest University Press
Natasha Sumner and Joseph Nagy. 2022. “Filíocht Ghaeilge Na Meánaoise Luaithe (c. 600–1200) Early Medieval Irish Poetry (c. 600–1200)”. In Cnámh Agus Smior Bone and Marrow, Edited by Brian Ó Conchubhair and Sam Fisher, Pp. 34-65. Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest University Press
Natasha Sumner. 2022. “The Fianna and the Folklore Collectors”. In The Gaelic Finn Tradition II, Edited by Sharon Arbuthnot, Síle Ní Mhurchú, and Geraldine Parsons, Pp. 159-73. Dublin: Four Courts
Natasha Sumner. 2022. “The Fianna and the Folklore Collectors”. In The Gaelic Finn Tradition II, Edited by Sharon Arbuthnot, Síle Ní Mhurchú, and Geraldine Parsons, Pp. 159-73. Dublin: Four Courts
2020
Natasha Sumner. 2020. “By Any Other Name: Language, Identity, and Attribution in Robert Flaherty’s Oidhche Sheanchais”. In Per Scribendum, Sumus: Ethnopoesis: Writing Heritage, edited by Ullrich Kockel, Philip McDermott, and Liam Campbell, Pp. 149-58. Vienna: LIT Verlag
Natasha Sumner. 2020. “By Any Other Name: Language, Identity, and Attribution in Robert Flaherty’s Oidhche Sheanchais”. In Per Scribendum, Sumus: Ethnopoesis: Writing Heritage, edited by Ullrich Kockel, Philip McDermott, and Liam Campbell, Pp. 149-58. Vienna: LIT Verlag