08.23.09
Joyce: Dubliners
Suffused with that Irish melancholic air, Dubliners is a progression of fifteen short stories, and is probably the most fathomable work by James Joyce. Yet, as I have learnt from readings in the past, short stories and petite volumes should never be belittled, for their weight in artistry and human observation usually vies with the thickest of novels as exhibited here. While Dubliners is not devoid of several poetic or musical surprises, it cannot be a book I can admit to enjoying due to the sustained dismal mood, but one which I know will have an impact on my sensibilities as a writer if ever I decide to be one.
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The Dead, the fifteenth story, is a haunting and lasting finale that seems to make the other fourteen stories unforgettable through contagion. In this tale which is longer than the preceding ones, Gabriel Conroy discovers his wife’s past romance as a consequence of a tenor’s song. However, an earlier line from Gabriel’s little speech at the dinner hosted by his aunts stuck to me:
“But we are living in a sceptical and, if I may use the phrase, a thought-tormented age: and sometimes I fear that this new generation, educated or hypereducated as it is, will lack those qualities of humanity of hospitality, of kindly humor which belonged to an older day.”
Even though Gabriel intended his words to graze the height of Irish Nationalism in the early 1900’s, I think this particular passage is still pertinent to some of today’s institutions and individuals. I am especially amused with the word hypereducated and how it is not rendered as something too positive. I would like to digress from the review and indulge on this topic but my time online is limited.
I remain laptop-lessly yours,
The Page-Turner
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karlo said,
September 5, 2009 at 1:34 pm
not the most enjoyable, yes. but wonderful nonetheless. the most fathomable, yes. but like his more formidable works, the stories here still forces you to think more critically about the meanings and symbolism presented via the narrative.
Miracle ♪♫ said,
September 8, 2009 at 6:22 pm
That’s very true, Karlo. Your review led me to this profound work.
Thank you for coming by. I’ll resume my usual rounds at your blog once my laptop’s fixed. =)