James Joyce was a renowned Irish author and poet, most known for writing the book Ulysses, which parallels the events of The Odyssey in a variety of writing styles. Although Ulysses is considered his magnum opus, his other works including Dubliners, A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Finnegans Wake are held in high esteem by many.
Joyce was born in the Irish city of Dublin on the second of February, 1882 and was baptized by the order of his catholic mother and father three days later. By the age of five he had moved to the town of Bray, 12 miles outside of Dublin, there he was attacked by a dog and this sparked his lifelong cynophobia which may be suggested in Ulysses in episode 12 where the dog is described as a bloody mongrel and other negative phrases. By the age of eight Joyce had written a eulogy of a man by the name of Charles Stewart Parnell. In 1893, Joyce was offered a place at the Jesuit school, Belvedere College, the same year his father lost his job marking the beginning of their families decline into poverty. In 1895, Joyce enrolled in English, French, and Italian at the University College Dublin. This was also the time period when he started becoming active in drama and literature circles writing his first publication and a few plays. In 1902, Joyce graduated from UCD and then went to go study medicine in paris, after several months in Paris he received a telegraph from his father that said his mother was diagnosed with cancer. He quickly returned to Ireland where and his mother died soon thereafter, James and his brother refused to join the rest of his family in prayer at her bedside; this is notable because in Ulysses the character Stephen Dedalus refuses to do the same and his aunt is appalled and tell...
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...om the ineluctable modality of the cerebration (hah). Stephen opens his eyes and his thought process continues later analyzing the meter of his own thoughts in the sentence, “Rhythm begins, you see. I hear. A catalectic tetrameter of iambs marching. No, agallop.”
Clearly, this is a book about how the everyday events of a common persons life can be written about in the same way that the epic heroes stories are written. To show this Joyce gives the audience a hero that is lost in ordinary human problems, Bloom, and in detail narrates his and a myriad of side characters stories in a way that is reminiscent of The Odyssey while still remaining exceptionally different.
Works Cited
Ulysses - James Joyce
“The Physical Fitness of Leopold Bloom” - Jeff McClung
http://poetry.rapgenius.com/James-joyce-ulysses
en.wikepidia.org
en.wikibooks.org
www.schmoop.com
In Ithaca, the depth of Joyce's irony is displayed. The denouement of this odyssey is perfect for this story, while at the same time leaving us with the exact opposite of the resolution in the tale the book proclaims to emulate. Odysseus' public apotheosis parallels Bloom's private shame. The concise question and answer format which Ithaca adopts, found no where else in the book, is refereed to by many critics as reminiscent of a catechism. The description is well deserved given the overt religious themes in Ulysses. The almost mathematical precision of the text in juxtaposed with gut wrenching emotion surrounding infidelity. The parallels that one can draw between the characters of Ulysses and the Odyssey are perhaps the deepest in Ithaca while the themes and undertones of the work drift further apart.
Joyce was born in a Dublin suburb on February 2, 1882 to John Stanislaus Joyce and Mary Jane Joyce. He was the first born of ten children and, as the family grew, their financial situation worsened. With each new child John was forced to mortgage another of his inherited properties until there was nothing left. Despite his predicament, John remained a very witty man, and often used his wit to undermine that which was bothering him at the time, whether it was the church, the government or his wife's family. This distinctive trait would also be adopted by his eldest and most dear son James in later years. In September of 1888 young James was enrolled in Clongowes Wood College, a Jesuit school of some prestige, but was withdrawn in June of 1891 because of his father's poor finances. This period is significant, however, since this was the first that he was separated from his supportive family for any length of time. Some of his experiences at Clongowes would later be recounted in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The rigorous Jesuit training he received appears to have been a turn off to the young Joyce and ...
James Joyce wrote the book Dubliners; Joyce expresses many different types of emotions throughout the book. The emotions portray individuals in society, and light and dark. The emotions of individuals are examined throughout the stories by other members in society. The stories that express the ideas are: “The Encounter,” “Eveline”, and “The Dead.” The symbolism of individuals in society expresses many different situations that are happening in the characters lives. The symbolism of light goes along with the idea of feeling happy and enjoying life. The theme of dark shows the individuals fighting, and having a negative outlook on life.
James Joyce, whose full name was James Augustine Aloysuis Joyce, known as one of the greatest Irish literature writers in the 20th century(FamousAuthors). Born in Dublin, Ireland, February 2, 1882 into a middle class family. Joyce was one of ten surviving children. John Stanislaus Joyce was James father. A talented singer, just about one of the best in Ireland during his time. Although he had an extraordinary talent, he could not provide a steady household for the family. After being laid off from a tax collector job he became an alcoholic and addicted to drugs. His father could not keep a steady job. His habit to spend money lead the family downhill. This caused the family to move from home to home. Joyce mother, Mary Jane Murray was an phenomenal pianist. Even though this was not enough to keep their family of twelve on their feet in the middle class area. Her life revolved around the catholic church.
Fairhall, James. James Joyce and the Question of History. Cambridge University Press. New York, New York: 1993.
The first and most obvious theme that Joyce develops throughout the story is the staunch devotion to religion, especially Catholicism. Growing up in the mostly Catholic city of Dublin, the narrator was born with a deep dedication to Catholicism. The narrator experiences his religion everyday when he attends a Jesuit boarding school, plays in a Catholic city, and comes home to a devout family. Although the main character does not seem opposed to his faith, he tends to channel his emotional devotion to his friend Magnan’s sister, instead of the commonly accepted religious figures. The theme of religion also continues when the narrator describes the recently deceased tenant to the reader. That tenant was a lonely and studious priest that was always reading and rarely left his study. After the Priest’s death, the narrator finds three books that belonged to the deceased tenant. Two of them are personal downtime books about romance and memoirs, but the last one was a pretty substantial book about religious doctrines written by a Franciscan friar (Barnhisel).
In Dubliners, James Joyce tells short stories of individuals struggling with life, in the city of Dublin. “It is a long road that has no turning” (Irish Proverb). Many individuals fight the battle and continue on the road. However, some give up and get left behind. Those who continue to fight the battle, often deal with constant struggle and suffering. A reoccurring theme, in which Joyce places strong emphasis on, is the constant struggle of fulfilling responsibilities. These responsibilities include; work, family and social expectations. Joyce writes about these themes because characters often feel trapped and yearn to escape from these responsibilities. In “The Little Cloud”, “Counterparts”, and “The Dead” characters are often trapped in unhappy living situations, often leading to a desire of escape from reality and daily responsibilities.
To me, Ulysses was a necessary evil, in that I thought that I would not be able to call myself a literature student unless I had read the entire novel. While my journey through Ulysses was laden with moments of bewilderment, exasperation, and self-pity, I was able to power my way through the novel with a deeper appreciation for the way James Joyce was able to create a linear story told through a series of non-linear writing styles. In retrospect, the grueling challenge of reading Ulysses made me a better student, in that I was able to grow as a reader by adjusting myself to Joyce’s train-of-thought writing style, and that I could add Ulysses to my personal canon of academic literature.
Joyce, James. Dubliners. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The Portable James Joyce. Harry Levin, ed. Penguin. 1976, New York. Ulysses. Vintage, New York. 1961.
The setting of the story plays a very important role. The story takes place in the winter, traditionally considered to be a time of darkness and nature’s slumber. The location is Dublin, under English rule at the time the story takes place. In his opening sentence, Joyce offers a view of North Richmond Street, described as a “blind” street. The symbolism of the “dead-end” street seems purposeful, and is quite effective, particularly as the story progresses. The description of the house the protagonist lives in provides the reader with the information that the family’s finances are lower-middle-class. This element plays an important part, as conflicts are introduced.
Joyce, James, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The Viking Press: New York, 1916.
In Joyce’s stories “Eveline”, “Counterparts” and the “Dead”, the theme of escape and responsibility is represented by the characters desire to flee their lives. These stories symbolize Joyce’s interpretation of life in Ireland. With careful analysis it can be inferred that the miserable situations portrayed in these stories can be directly tied into how readers may view life in Ireland. Like the characters in Dubliners people desired a better life for themselves in and out of Ireland. The themes common to these stories show an appreciation to opportunity and success in the world. The themes of escape and responsibility present in a readers mind a looking glass for viewing life and society.
Peake, C.H. James Joyce: The Citizen and The Artist. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1977. 56-109.
Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. 1916. New York: Penguin,1993.
Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: New American Library, 1991.