5.0 out of 5 stars
A Remarkable Piece of 20th Century Fiction, November 17, 2003
This review is from: James Joyce's Dubliners (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations) (Hardcover)
James Joyce's "Dubliners" is a brilliant and shining example of the power of the English language. This book is the compilation of short stories, each as intriguing and captivating as those that precede and follow.
To truly enjoy the remarkable genius of the author, a reader must identify the three key aspects that progress the telling of each story: symbolism, imagery, and character development. With the first being presented in almost the opening paragraph of each account, Joyce envelops each story of the book in deep and profound symbolism that conveys the inner thoughts, feelings, and struggles of his characters. Eveline, for example, from the story of the same name, for whom the lattice-work of a window represents the bars of a prison cell, and the streetlights beyond fading as that of the light of her life dissipating slowly before her very eyes. Easy to recognize, the symbolism present in "Dubliners" provides a deeper insight and understanding that truly sets his otherwise commonplace stories apart from others that are no more than just that. Joyce's masterful use of this literary technique is placed within simple linguistic structures that are easily observed, yet very powerful and splendidly thought provoking in its very core and concept, as well as in the nature by which he employs it. The careful examination and adequate attention given this symbolism is relevant, and truly essential, in achieving a greater understanding of the stories being told, and the characters portrayed within them.
Wild and vivid mental images are formed in the reader's mind through Joyce's immense, yet extremely important descriptive nature. The overwhelming abundance of the actually story progression takes place in the narrative that falls between sparse dialogue, giving opportunity for Joyce's magnificent, though usually dark and gloomy imagery. It is exactly within this narrative that the characters come to life, as they are seen as ordinary people with universally accepted experiences of all. Eloquent and poignant examples of this can be found in the title characters of both "Eveline," and "Araby," the former of which is quite possibly the most interesting and compelling of the entire book.
The characters of "Dubliners" appear flat in their sparse dialogue, but it is in the depth of Joyce's narrative depictions of thoughts, feelings, and actions, that they become fully-developed and round. Most, however, remain weak-willed and deficient of any inner-strength or courage, throughout, eventually leading them into despair. Correlations can then be drawn between these characters and the setting of the stories in which they appear, the Irish city of Dublin, which Joyce goes out of his way to portray as bereft of light, warmth, and color.
Though the author's clear intent and purpose was the portrayal of common people and their internal conflicts, the subject matter can become redundant when replicated throughout all of the stories contained in this book, offering the one drawback of "Dubliners."
Overall, Joyce's simplistic use of language is evocative, as it conveys complex ideas in very simple words and linguistic structures, making it an easy read for the least literary-minded of audiences. His thought and story progression is virtually flawless, being laid out in a proper and unmistakeable order that can be readily enjoyed for both its surface-value, and its literary technique. The underlying themes are relative to virtually any reader, through their own personal experiences of like, making this a book well worth picking up.
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