JAMES JOYCE Flashcards
JAMES JOYCE’S LIFE
In 1882 he is born in Dublin. His parents are catholic.
He studies Italian, French and English in University College.
He marries Nora Barnacle.
1904 He decided to leave Ireland, but it influenced his stories.
In his works he wants to express his complex relationship with Ireland, a country he both loved and hated.
All his stories are set in Ireland — especially in Dublin — because he wants to underline the lack of modernity in his country, and he represents his habitats with extreme realism.
It is like watching a human being paralyzed by this constriction of society, the strict morality, the strict religion.
Ireland has always been a strict country with a strict religion and a complex political system. It was also considered “the garden” of England: they used to exploit Ireland for its resources and people.
The potato disease — which destroyed the cultivations — caused the migrations in England. Nowadays there are lots of Irish people in this country and Irish communities.
James Joyce moved to Trieste, in Italy
In Trieste He teaches English and became friends with Italo Svevo.
He moves to Zurich when he comes in contact with Ezra Pound.
JAMES JOYCE’S WORKS
1914, Trieste, “Dubliners”
It is a collection of short stories using a naturalistic style.
1916, Trieste, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”
It is a semi autobiographical bildungsroman – german word that means “novel of formation” used to express a novel that tells the growing up of a character ( for example Jane Eyre and Harry Potter ).
Stephen Dedalus is a young artist who rebels against his country, his family and his religion. He leaves Ireland to find his own freedom.
1922, Zurich, “Ulysses”
This novel is a contemporary epic narration because its structure is inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.
Leopold Bloom is a modern Ulysses that wanders around Dublin in one day, 16 June 1904.
