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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Short stories, some good, some bad. Overall it averages to ok.
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Dubliners by James Joyce is a collection of short stories that features some of the best short stories I've read. Among those, An Encounter and Araby were the best for me, as I really enjoyed the realistic, yet poetic nature of Joyce that is present throughout the stories, and his unique presentation. From what I know, this collection is his easiest work to read, and Joyce made me want to read some of his intricate works such as Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.
It’s quite intimidating, this task of writing a post about what has been called the best short story collection in the English language by more than one literary sage. If you’re looking for insight and erudition, links to online resources appear at the end of this post. Otherwise, it’s just my usual blathering. I knew there were many resources available online, so I figured, why not?
Via those resources, I became most interested in two concepts often mentioned in connection with stories: paralysis, and epiphany.
FMI see my blog post at A Just Recompense.
Via those resources, I became most interested in two concepts often mentioned in connection with stories: paralysis, and epiphany.
FMI see my blog post at A Just Recompense.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Each character is alive. I feel like I know all of them and their lives, without being superfluous, are full beyond what I can know.
I read The Dead a while ago, and now, putting it into the context of the entire collection. It is even more gratifying a read.
I read The Dead a while ago, and now, putting it into the context of the entire collection. It is even more gratifying a read.
A magnificent book. As the name examination very well suggest, <i> Dubliners </i> is an intense exploration of life in the city of Dublin, and with quite excellent prose the collection explores questions and conflicts surrounding English colonial rule, the encompassing and often oppressive force of religion, alcoholism, socioeconomic struggle, sexual abuse, and a lot of other stuff too. Joyce’s Dubliners live quite gloomy lives, and a sort of paralytic affect permeates the whole collection. Joyce has such precise command of theme and tone, he has composed each of these stories with a real deftness and clarity of purpose, and the collection coheres together so well. For me, standouts were “Araby,” “After the Race,” “Grace,” and, of course, the fantastic final story “The Dead.”
I read the Penguin Classics edition, edited by Terrence Brown. It’s good! The introduction is extremely useful for situating the collection within its (very important to know) historical context, and presenting some of the important ideas Joyce is working with, without giving too much away. Brown’s writing is quite engaging, which is a nice bonus. The notes are meticulous and usually invaluable, though there were a few that felt ridiculously superfluous. Still though, it’s great, and the information is— for the most part— extremely helpful.
I read the Penguin Classics edition, edited by Terrence Brown. It’s good! The introduction is extremely useful for situating the collection within its (very important to know) historical context, and presenting some of the important ideas Joyce is working with, without giving too much away. Brown’s writing is quite engaging, which is a nice bonus. The notes are meticulous and usually invaluable, though there were a few that felt ridiculously superfluous. Still though, it’s great, and the information is— for the most part— extremely helpful.
It’s a collection of shot stories which I think makes a good read as a whole.
Think it holds a mirror up to Dublin and people’s sense of identity during an interesting time of Irish history.
The stories are diverse enough and written well enough not to drag and feel flat like a lot of short story collections feel to me.
Think it holds a mirror up to Dublin and people’s sense of identity during an interesting time of Irish history.
The stories are diverse enough and written well enough not to drag and feel flat like a lot of short story collections feel to me.
This is an authentic collection of short stories about life in Ireland. I usually don’t like this style of book, but Joyce writes the characters so clearly and descriptively that I feel as if I’ve known each one personally for years. There’s a bit of wisdom in each story, my husband and I listened to this as an audiobook in the car and after each story we would debate the meaning. I recommend it to anyone wanting to know what Dublin was like in the early 1900’s.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated