The Dead - Softcover

Joyce, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1629101648 ISBN 13: 9781629101644

Publisher: Whitley & Coventry, 2017

Synopsis

THE DEAD is the final short story in the 1914 collection Dubliners by James Joyce. It is the longest story in the collection and is often considered the best of Joyce's shorter works.

The story centres on Gabriel Conroy on the night of the Morkan sisters' annual dance and dinner in the first week of January 1904, perhaps the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6). Typical of the stories in Dubliners, “The Dead” develops toward a moment of painful self-awareness; Joyce described this as an epiphany. The narrative generally concentrates on Gabriel's insecurities, his social awkwardness, and the defensive way he copes with his discomfort.

About this title

Review:

It is now approaching one hundred years since the first publication of The Dead and this wonderful story continues to fascinate readers, even prompting in recent times a film adaptation and a stage play. There are many who feel it is the finest short story/novella ever written. Beautifully executed in so many ways, multilayered and possessing an ineffable delicateness in subtlety throughout, it may indeed be James Joyce s finest writing. There is something so captivating in the way The Dead unfolds that even peripheral characters such as Lily the caretaker s daughter, Miss Ivors and Bartell D Arcy take on a very definite existence and linger with the reader taken through this tale of tussle between the living and the dead. ... Critical interest in the story has remained active with scholars still debating the meaning of the title, still searching out the meaning of Gabriel s journey westward , and continuing identifying thematic significances. ....One fact that there is unanimity upon is that Gabriel Conroy is James Joyce and the twenty-five year-old James Joyce writing the story in Trieste in the spring and summer of 1907 is harsh on himself: ... A shameful consciousness of his own person assailed him. He saw himself as a ludicrous figure, acting as a pennyboy for his aunts, a nervous well-meaning sentimentalist, orating to vulgarians and idealizing his own clownish lusts, the pitiable fatuous fellow he had caught a glimpse of in the mirror. Instinctively he turned his back more to the light lest she might see the shame that burned upon his forehead. ... The ending of the story where Gabriel looks out the window of his room in the Gresham Hotel and watches the snow His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead. is quite unforgettable. ... This lavishly illustrated version of The Dead contains fifty illustrations of the contemporary Dublin world depicted in the novella. Many of the photos, including photos of the opera singers mentioned, are seen for the first time in Joycean material. --Publisher

About the Author:

James Joyce [1882-1941] is best known for his experimental use of language and his exploration of new literary methods. His subtle yet frank portrayal of human nature, coupled with his mastery of language, made him one of the most influential novelists of the 20th century.Joyce s use of stream-of-consciousness reveals the flow of impressions, half thoughts, associations, hesitations, impulses, as well as the rational thoughts of his characters. The main strength of his masterpiece novel, Ulysses" (1922) lies in the depth of character portrayed using this technique. Joyce s other major works include Dubliners", a collection of short stories that portray his native city, a semi-autobiographical novel called A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man" (1916), and Finnegan s Wake" (1939).

About this edition

• Publisher: Whitley & Coventry
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1629101648
• ISBN 13: 9781629101644
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 62