I had planned to write this review on Thursday as it was the day of the Epiphany and I thought it would be appropriate, but unfortunately I did not have the energy to do so.
This is the second time I read Dubliners and I have appreciated it more this time. I think this is partly due to the fact that I have now lived longer in Ireland and am more aware of certain Irish issues. Dubliners is a difficult collection because of all its references to Irish politics and culture, religion in particular. And because these are short stories written in a style of “scrupulous meanness” (a term coined by Joyce), those references are sometimes quite obscure, thus the amount of footnotes to explain them, which make the reading process more difficult (for instance, some will tell you that such a street is part of an upper-class area). To be honest, I did not read them all and have probably missed on some levels of meaning and interpretation. I am not feeling guilty about it because, at least, I enjoyed reading the stories, most of them anyway.
The collection is divided into four sections: childhood, youth, maturity and public life. The last story, “The Dead”, is usually excluded from this division and is often seen as Joyce’s step towards longer works of wider scope. All stories are about people living in Dublin and their misery (in one way of another); yet, if I am not mistaken, Dublin is not named once but referred to by the names of street and landmarks.
One of the themes I enjoy most is the relation the characters have with their native country. Many of the characters dream of escape (from the mundanity of the Dublin life), but are tied to their country for various reasons. I enjoyed discussing this with my students. It is something still prominent in Ireland: Irish people tend to moan about life in Ireland and want to leave, but as soon as they have set foot on foreign ground, they go looking for the nearest Irish pub; their heart is still in their native country and quite often they return home. This tension is palpable in Dubliners and is probably mostly felt in those moments of epiphany (moments of realisation), a term that has become associated with this collection.
For instance, in the story “A Little Cloud”, Little Chandler meets an old friend of his. They use to study in the same place and would have thus had the same opportunities in life. They did not follow the same path: Little Chandler remained in Ireland while Gallaher escaped and went to live a life of adventures in London and other fashionable places in Europe. During their encounter, it is obvious that Little Chandler looks up to Gallaher and envies his life of adventures and freedom; however, he soon realises that Gallaher is showing off and tries to bring to the fore the fact that his own life is a success: he has a job, a wife and a kid. When going back home, it is a harsh return to reality. His wife is annoyed with him because he did not bring back tea (the nagging wife?), she goes to the shop and leaves him with their sleeping baby. He sees a picture of her:
“He looked coldly into the eyes of the photograph and they answered coldly. Certainly they were pretty and the face itself was pretty. But he found something mean in it. Why was it so unconscious and lady-like? The composure of the eyes irritated him. They repelled him and defied him: there was no passion in them, no rapture. He thought of what Gallaher had said about rich Jewesses. Those dark Oriental eyes, he thought, how full they are of passion, of voluptuous longing! . . . Why had he married the eyes in the photograph?”
He then considers the rest of his house with negativity and wonders if it is too late for him to escape. The child wakes up and starts crying, his shouting at him to stop increases the screaming, until his wife comes home. She blames him for making the child cry, thus making Little Chandler feel even worse about himself:
“Little Chandler felt his cheeks suffused with shame and he stood back out of the lamplight. He listened while the paroxysm of the child’s sobbing grew less and less; and tears of remorse started to his eyes.”
This is how the story ends. I found this story painfully sad. It was actually physical and, at times, I was reticent about starting another story as I was dreading what I would read in it. These are not light-hearted stories.
Melody at Fingers & Prose recently reviewed this collection and was disappointed. She came to the conclusion that she did not feel connected to the stories. I can understand that and I think this might be because they revolve so much around Dublin life at the beginning of the century and focus on types from the “submerged populations” as Frank O’Connor would say. On the other hand, most of my students liked them and felt connected. As for me, I enjoyed many for them for the reasons I have mentioned. I think they are well-written, but they are hard work and this can be off-putting at times.
I also discussed “The Sisters” and “An Encounter” in a previous post.
10 comments
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January 9, 2011 at 5:03 pm
steph
I’ve never read James Joyce and I don’t think I ever will. I can’t get interested enough, even in spite of your excellent and thoughtful review, which gave me a taste of the quality of your thesis! You’ll do well. 🙂
If I’m going to read about Ireland, I choose stuff like Beyond Belfast: A 560-mile Walk Across Northern Ireland on Sore Feet by Will Ferguson. I had to put it down when books from publishers started coming in but I want to pick it up and finish it. I was really enjoying it! Such a taste of that region, and funny, to boot!
January 9, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Em
Thanks for the compliment, Steph.
I have never read anything by Will Ferguson. My favourite Irish writer is John McGahern, but I also like John Banville and many more. Sometimes, I find that Irish literature can be a bit too “Irish”, particularly drama, and it’s nice to find some refreshing works for a change.
January 23, 2011 at 12:02 am
Melody
What a great review! It makes me wish that I enjoyed it more! I did really like “A Little Cloud”, but most of the stories just didn’t say much to me (as you know). It is wonderful to know that there is still a personal connection for those in Ireland. A lot of times it’s the recognition of your own experiences that makes something meaningful.
Also, the version I read didn’t have any footnotes whatsoever. Do you think that Joyce is an author that is better appreciated upon knowing more background information? I’m coming to think that he is.
January 23, 2011 at 12:29 am
Em
I think so. Dubliners and Ulysses anyway; they are packed with references to the Irish climate at the time. Not only the culture, but the politics also, and frankly, that can go right above my head. However, I have heard that you can appreciate Ulysses without reading the footnotes (which disrupt the reading process and thus can ruin the story). I still have to try it!
I think the footnotes in Dubliners can be helpful, but then that makes the reading tedious. I told my students to focus only on a few stories. Read the whole collection first, then choose some of the stories and study them carefully (reading the footnotes) and try to reread them and appreciate them. I think that once you do that for a few stories it will help to understand the others.
March 19, 2011 at 11:19 pm
“Irish Revel” by Edna O’Brien « C'est la vie!
[…] story reminds me of Joyce’s Dubliners with its painful epiphany and its description of Irish society as small-minded and driven by […]
May 23, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Ashley
I am about half-way through Dubliners and I find myself very confused. Of course, I am not familiar with Irish culture at all. I am trying to understand more about the culture and try to read more of an Irish reading than an American. You mentioned that your students were able to connect more with the stories and I would like to ask in what ways? Also, how can I find out more about the Irish culture so that when I read Dubliners I can understand a little what Joyce is referring to, or is the culture only learned by living in Ireland? You review and past reviews really helped me.
June 9, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Em
Dubliners is not an easy work, so don’t desperate. Does your edition have footnotes? If so it might be worse reading them and then rereading the stories. There are also many critical articles online that might help you to understand this work better.
I think my students were able to connect with the stories because it is the culture in wh they have grown up. Ireland has changed since but the past is still really present and some aspects of the culture are still strongly felt (the presence of the Church for instance). We did an excercise in which they had to explain to me how they felt towards Ireland. Most of them explained that like Joyce’s characters they had that urge to leave the country, yet are still attached to it.
There are many ways to learn about the Irish culture, although I believe that living in the country remains the best way to really understand it. You can read about it through fiction or non-fiction and do a bit of research on the context of the fictional works you read as a bit of historical and cultural background would help. I would recommend the works of John McGahern to you, Amongst Women especially. If you like reading drama, you might learn a lot as well by reading Boucicault, Synge, John B. Keane, etc.
May 31, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Jennifer
I have always shied away from Joyce, after a few pages of Ulysses, but after reading your review, I think I will give The Dubliners a chance. It’s certainly less daunting than Ulysses and I do love short stories.
June 9, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Em
I have also given up on Ulysses, although I hope I will have time to go back to it one day… Have you read The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man? I’ve wanted to for a long time, but never got to.
January 4, 2012 at 9:22 am
Recommended reading for the 2012 Ireland Challenge – plus, vote for the March read-along book | BOOKS AND MOVIES
[…] Dubliners by James Joyce, reviewed at C’est la vie! […]