Customer Reviews

The Dead (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism)

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Set in early 20th century Dublin this short story was the last in a collection called The Dubliners by native son, James Joyce. Despite the mournful title there is no murder nor mysterious death involved in this seemingly simple piece, set in an old-fashioned Society home during the Christmas season. Instead this proves an introspective tale from the viewpoint of middle-aged Gabriel, favorite nephew of his respected aunts who host an annual dinner party. The role of music and performers is debated among their many lively guests.

Gabriel's required speech during dinner praises the Irish tradition of warm hospitality. But something causes his wife, Gretta, to hark back to her girlhood and her first love--whose poignant memory threatens his plans for connubial bliss in their hotel room. Delicate as the snowflakes which blot out the city landscape, barely plotted with delicious hints of unexpressed emotion, The Dead transports readers to a different gas-lit age, where beauty and grace are subtly exhibited and passionately sought after. Joyce reminds us that music possesses the power to evoke the past and serve as a catalyst both for pain and pleasure. This may be read in one sitting, but don't miss the author's other reminiscences.

I've found this to be the most useful of all the "case study" texts I've tried from both St. Martin's/Bedford and Norton. The primary text is sufficiently contained and the representative critical methodologies presented clearly enough to introduce students to both literature and literary theory without overwhelming them. Moreover, "The Dead" is capable of repaying the close and observant reader with a Joycean "epiphany" perhaps not surpassed by any other literary text (the last several paragraphs, especially, require attention to the developing, altering meanings of each and every word).

I have one caveat: the essay representing feminist criticism I frankly find baffling. The writer, apparently trying to have her cake and eat it too, manages to indict Joyce as a sexist while applauding the story as a critique of sexism and patriarchal hegemony! It does not "seem" to occur to her that Joyce may be removed from his central character, Gabriel, or that her evidence for Gabriel's male arrogance may actually be Joyce's idea from the start. A close reading of the character certainly suggests an ironic portrayal--everything that appears to be in Gabriel's favor is exposed through Joyce's subtle language as self-delusion. The feminist critic, however, impugns Joyce by suggesting that his "intentions" are less honorable than the meaning of the text itself!

Perhaps the writer is overstating a point in order to provide a better example of the type of critical approach she was asked to represent for the purposes of this anthology. I know that I will suggest as much should I again have occasion to use this particular essay.

Reynolds Price called it the greatest short story written in English. Carson McCullers reread it every Christmas. I have read James Joyce's masterpiece "The Dead" from his book DUBLINERS at least a half dozen times. I just reread it, and as usual, it made my eyes burn. It is one of those rare stories that, when you finish it, you call up those people you love and those who love literature to make sure they have read it too.

The story, set in Dublin, covers one evening during the Christmas season when two sisters, the Misses Morkan, Julia and Kate, hold their annual dance, the event of the season and not to be missed. Their nephew Gabriel and his wife Gretta are of course invited. Gabriel is pompous and, to use a current expression, full of himself as he gives his usual speech at the event. The last 4 or 5 pages of this rather long-- although there is not one sentence too many-- story contain some of the most moving language you will encounter in English. Joyce makes a sad, profound statement about love, life and death and asks the question of how well do we really know those people closest to us.

The story became the director John Huston's last film by the same name (1987). He cast his daughter Anjelica as Gretta. Tenor Frank Patterson, who left us far too soon, sang that glorious song "The Lass of Aughrim" in the movie that is almost as good as Joyce's story.

No one who loves literature should not know this perfect story.

This is not the difficult James Joyce of Finnegan's Wake. Here Joyce very gracefully captures the complex mood of an evening that's both distinctly Irish and universal. His themes are deep but direct.

The story takes place in the first week of 1904. The scene is the annual ball given by two maiden aunts and their middle-aged niece. They're a musical family - and we hear old-fashioned songs. We hear amusing snippets of conversation among the guests.

Perhaps it's not so surprising that eating, drinking, singing and dancing lead to thoughts of death among some of the celebrants. I'll say no more but leave it to you to discover the subtle ironies of this story. Needless to say, the writing is exquisite.

I'm reviewing the Coyote Canyon Press edition of The Dead, not a study edition or an audio tape. There's a short biographical sketch of Joyce on the opening page that I found helpful as a refresher, since I haven't read James Joyce in years, but other no other scholarly material except footnotes. Readers will want to take care what edition they're buying.

The Dead is the last story in Dubliners. It might make more sense to buy the whole collection, unless you're really focusing on this story.

The book is well-written. Not only is "The Dead" included, but five critics give their perspectives on the story, such as historicism, reader-response criticism, etc. You will learn about the rule of reading, if that is something new to you as well as many of literary terms and concepts.

Talk about a hard read, this book is not for the literary amateur or someone looking for a fast paced and exciting read. Although it is rich with descriptions and definitely one of Joyce's better works, the story itself is tedious and hard to follow. The actual physical book quality was standard and the price is decent.

This review was written for the Setlock spoken word recording entitled the Dead but which also includes Ivy Day in the Committee Room.

Unfortunately amazon tends to reprint reviews for items of equal title, even across formats. Please do a search of The Dead, with commuter's library in the parameter and you will discover the correct item and an excellent unabridged recording of the Dead which you may soon grow to love and appreciate.

I have several different recordings of these stories, none done better than Setlock.

Ivy Day is my favorite tale for its complexity of "dialogue" (really octologue) which Setlock skillfully and subtly and in a lowered key relates. I have heard more dramatized and individualized readings, but Setlock gives a proper subdued, not quite melancholic tone, with quiet respectful humor, like a dear friend telling an ancient great tale at an old firplace while seated upon comfortable chairs before a gentle turf fire with adequate and appropriate beverage of an evening.

Ivy Day from Dubliners is truly a great story which stands up to multiple listenings, even after the initial jokes grow familiar ("and be glad he has a country to sell!"). Like rereading Ulysses several times, one's understanding and appreciation of the profounder universal themes only grows more acute upon each listening.

In fact I find in the profundity and conversational conflicts of Ivy Day the germ of the technical skills Joyce required to write the multiple conversations in the Cyclops and the newspaper office episodes (the latter I will not risk mispelling here).

The grace and gentle approach of Setlock bears up even under repeated and constant listening. I only wish these were transferred to CD before my tapes run out!

Joyce is made to be heard, not read. Hear him truly here.

The description says that the events of "The Dead" took place on New Year's Eve. They did not: the most likely date for the events (I'll spare you all the reasons and details) is the evening of January 6th, also know as "the Feast of the Epiphany."

Only half of this book is about The Dead.
The book includes essays analyzing the story from the psychonalytic, reader-response, historical, feminist, and deconstructionist viewpoints.
However, these essays are preceded, respectively, by essays on psychonalytic, reader-response, historical, feminist, and deconstructionist criticism in general.
If you are interested in literary criticism in general, you might be interested in this book.
If you are interested in The Dead, you would do better to look it up in The Social Sciences and Humanities Index.

I have listened to Setlock's readings, this one in particular, many times. He is very close to Joyce's voice, in interpretation and execution. The readings are masterly. This recording just grows and grows on you.