1. A Collection of Short Stories by James Joyce
Dubliners

2. James Joyce 1882-1941 Born in Dublin, Ireland Oldest of 10 children
Unstable childhood, financial instability
Left Ireland for Paris, but came back when his mother was dying
Spent the rest of his life traveling in and around Europe
Relationship to his home country was complex

3. James Joyce 1882-1941 Known for his experimental use of language
Extensive use of inner monologue
Network of symbolic parallels to history, myth, and literature
Stream of consciousness style
Became a literary celebrity
Use of obscenities in his writing lead to landmark legal decisions

4. Most Famous Works Chamber Music (1907) Dubliners (1914)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916)
Ulysses (1922)
Finnegan’s Wake (1939)

5. Dubliners A collection of short stories
Each is about people living in Dublin
Joyce said his goal was to write a moral history of his home city
Chose Dublin because he said it was the center of “paralysis”
Stories deal with this theme through childhood, adolescence, maturity and public life

6. Dubliners Characters are all everyday people doing everyday things
Stories usually involve an epiphany, or a moment of realization or awakening
Theme of paralysis is pervasive throughout the text
The final story in the series, “The Dead,” is one of the most famous short stories in British Literature

7. Dubliners
Stories are short, but filled with detail, symbolism and allusions

8. Dubliners Paralysis – what does that mean? Literal and figurative
What internal conflicts can make someone paralyzed?
External conflicts?