James Joyce ranks alongside such figures as Picasso, Schoenberg and Stravinsky as one of the great pioneers of modernism. But a myth of Joyce's "difficulty" has taken root, discouraging many readers from approaching his work. This is a great pity, because his writings are deeply human, enormously comic, and compelling reading. Although Joyce spent much of his life in self-imposed exile, all of his writings are obsessively and microscopically focused on Dublin's fair city. David Norris, Irish Senator, writer and Trinity College don, provides an introductory map to the labyrinth of Joyce's visionary Dublin. He takes us step by step from the early stories "Dubliners", and "A portrait of the artist as a young man", into the sprawling comic universe of "Ulysses", and finally to the mythic dreamworld of "Finnegans Wake".
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should be read BEFORE reading any of Joyce's works...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Joyce for Beginners (Paperback)
This is an excellent introduction to the life and writings of James Joyce, the former being essential to understanding the later, on any level. Mr. Norris's text and Mr. Clint's illustrations (which are actually rather functional) bring a sense of insight to any who attempt to take on one of the most complex writers in Western literature. The outline of "Ulysses" is excellent, and Mr. Norris even takes on the daunting task of begining to explain what has to be one of the most utterly demanding books ever, "Finnegan's Wake," and illustrates, literally, that it is not just some great joke or jibberish as others who probably have tried and failed to interpet, claim it is. And the keen advice from Mr. Norris, although rather pedestrian, disproves the popular notion of Joyce being unreadable. I would strongly recommend this and any of the other editions in this excellent series (I have since purchased, "Introducing Kafka.") <BURP>
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent insight and introduction into Joyce's work.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Joyce for Beginners (Paperback)
Introducing Joyce really gives the reader insight into Joyce's methods of writing, how much of his work was autobiographical, and helps one better grasp this great writer's unique style. I was also amused with the interesting illustrations throughout the book. These illustrations make it impossible for the reading to become at all monotonous. One learns many things that are incorporated into his work that you would never know without reading this book. Overall, an excellent way to prepare for the experience of Joyce's writing.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Uneven,
By
This review is from: Introducing Joyce (Paperback)
The Introducing... is a good, though uneven, series, that tries to bring back the life and work of writers and thinkers in comic book (er, graphic novel) fashion. Among the good books I have read in the series are those dedicated to Kafka, Camus and Proust, among others. This book about Joyce is not in that category. First thing I must tell, the only book by James Joyce I have read is Dubliners, which I liked (especially its famous last story, The Dead). I didn't read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and I tried in vain to read Ulysses, not being able to go through but for a few pages. After that, I never even tried to read Finnegans Wake, of course. I bought this book in order to try to understand what was Joyce about, and maybe try to motivate me to read his books. But this book, while informative about his life, is a bit uneven, and the graphic style (the drawings) are awful, a total turn off. There are some explanations about what Ulysses is about, but not enough to make me try to finish it reading. So I cannot honestly reccomend this book.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
One day in Zurich, while writing Ulysses, Joyce encountered his friend Frank Budgen. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Finnegans Wake, Anna Livia, Portrait of the Artist, James Joyce, Stephen Dedalus, Eccles Street, John Stanislaus Joyce, Grant Richards, Old Cotter, Stephen Hero, First World War, Leopold Bloom, The Cyclops New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
One day in Zurich, while writing Ulysses, Joyce encountered his friend Frank Budgen. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Finnegans Wake, Anna Livia, Portrait of the Artist, James Joyce, Stephen Dedalus, Eccles Street, John Stanislaus Joyce, Grant Richards, Old Cotter, Stephen Hero, First World War, Leopold Bloom, The Cyclops New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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