Heaney, Catholicism and the Hauntological: The Later Poetry

This article looks at Catholicism in Seamus Heaney’s later poetry through the philosophical lens of Jacques Derrida’s work. The theoretical focus of the article is allied to Derrida’s notion of hauntology from Spectres of Marx. During his youth Heaney was a firm believer in Catholicism but as he grew older his faith began to diminish. However, even though he moved to a more secular mode of belief the presence of Catholicism constantly returns to haunt Heaney’s poetry up until his final collection Human Chain. This repetition and return of Catholicism hints at the hauntological as the past sutures itself within Heaney’s thinking and poetic output.Este artigo analisa o catolicismo na poesia mais recente de Seamus Heaney através das lentes filosóficas da obra de Jacques Derrida. O embasamento teórico do artigo alia-se à noção de espectrologia de Derrida presente em Espectros de Marx. Durante sua juventude, Heaney acreditava firmemente no catolicismo, mas à medida que envelhecia, sua fé começava a diminuir. No entanto, embora tenha assumido uma crença mais secular, a presença do catolicismo retorna constantemente para assombrar a poesia de Heaney até sua coleção final Human Chain. Essa repetição e retorno do catolicismo sugerem a espectrologia à medida que o passado se sutura no pensamento e na produção poética de Heaney