James Joyce

Dubliners James Joyce

Dubliners by James Joyce

"The Irish are a melancholic bunch" - James Joyce's "Dubliners" proves that old saying. Written in 1914, it is a collection of fifteen stories. The only thread running through the stories and connecting them in Dublin, Ireland. They are organized with the first stories with a child as the narrator, then they progressively age. The characters are middle-class Irish, with varying degrees of national patriotism.

The publication of the book was a story in itself. James Joyce sent the book eighteen times to fifteen different publishers. One agreed to publish it if he removed the story, Two Gallants. But, he still refused. Another partially printed it and then refused to return your copy without paying you first. Although he paid them, they still burned him. Fortunately, James Joyce managed to save a copy that he pulled out of them. In 1914 he was finally able to publish it.

Dubliners are written simply, with easy-to-follow dialogue. Although it's set in Ireland, it's easy to bond with people when it's located in any middle-income neighborhood. Joyce brings his characters to life using their emotions without using many physical descriptions. The stories are short but to the point. Each story shows an epiphany, or a life-changing moment or an enlightening moment, that changes your point of view. James Joyce wrote these stories with a tendency to closer detail to make the scenarios more realistic. This allows the reader to use the environment to better understand the characters.