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James Joyce's Dublin

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Objectifs

Découvrir un aspect de la thématique ancrage et héritage
Découvrir l'œuvre de James Joyce

Points clés

James Joyce est un écrivain irlandais emblématique de la première moitié du 20me siècle.
Ses romans les plus célèbres sont indissociables de la ville de Dublin.
Le manque d'opportunité professionnelle le poussa à quitter son pays, mais son attachement pour lui ne faiblit jamais. Cela ne l'empêcha pas d'être lucide (et critique) envers lui.
Les Irlandais célèbrent même chaque année le Bloomsday, en son honneur et en l'honneur de son roman Ulysse, en arpentant les lieux de Dublin décrit dans le livre.

James Joyce is probably the most famous Irish author of all times. Born in 1882 he spent his life writing novels or short stories until his death in 1941. His works are quite rightly considered as masterpieces and few authors can match his literary talent. When you think of James Joyce today, you immediately think of Ulysses or Dubliners which both take place in the capital city of Ireland, the city which cannot be dissociated from Joyce’s work.

1. Ireland as an Obsession

Because he needed to find work, Joyce left Ireland in 1912 and never came back, spending the rest of his life in Italy, Croatia, France or Switzerland. This is amazing when we read his books and notice how Dublin is always at the centre of his stories. He probably missed his hometown and could not forget it, so he decided to express what he felt about it and its people.

He was so fascinated with his country and what was happening there that when someone asked him toward the end of his life if he considered returning to Ireland one day, he answered:

Have I ever left it?

This answer was quite significant and helps us understand the relationship that existed between the writer and his homeland.

Yet, he was not always gentle and criticized Ireland in his books, comparing it to “an old sow (female pig) that eats her farrow (piglets)” in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, where Joyce denounced his country which oppressed its citizens. He quite often denounced its conservatism, piety or nationalism. Spare the rod and spoil the child...

James Joyce described Dublin and its inhabitants with such accuracy that even today every street corner, every passer-by or every landmark seems to come out of one of his numerous stories. Dublin owes him more than he owes Dublin. He gave his readers a perception of the city that will never disappear and he wrote so much about this capital city that any sociologist should read him to understand the manners of its inhabitants, despair and struggle with the economic depression. No wonder the Irish are so proud of him.

2. Bloomsday

Bloomsday is a festival which honours James Joyce and his famous novel, Ulysses. This celebration which first took place in 1954 tends to prove that the Irish have forgiven Joyce’s exile and his harsh words against his homeland, and they prefer remembering his literary skills and the fact that he placed Dublin at the center of his writings.

a. Ulysses

Ulysses tells the story of Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom, and Stephen Dedalus. Leopold Bloom works as an advertising salesman and is married to Molly Bloom. Stephen Dedalus is a teacher who aspires to be a writer.

Ulysses is the Latin version of the name Odysseus, who is the hero of Homer’s epic poem. In the novel Leopold is Odysseus, Molly is Penelope and Stephen is Telemachus.

The reader follows Leopold Bloom as he goes from place to place in Dublin on June 16, 1904. In fact that day was the day of Joyce's first date with his wife, Nora Barnacle. The date is also known as Bloomsday, an annual celebration, and is observed in Dublin and around the world.

b. The festival

Bloomsday takes place every year on June, 16 as it is the day when Ulysses is set. Joyce chose that date because it was the day when he met Nora Barnacle, his wife-to-be. The main event of the festival consists in a 7-mile walk through the streets of Dublin, from Sandycove to Howth (suburbs of Dublin) and people follow the steps of Joyce’s central character, Leopold Bloom. On the way, you discover the places that Joyce depicted in his novel: Martello Tower, Sandymount Strand, Glasnevin cemetery, Grafton Street…

James Joyce is such a celebrity in Ireland that he is part of Dublin as both cannot be dissociated, and if you take a walk near the very centre of Dublin, you will come across his statue.

3. Conclusion

Few authors can be assimilated to a place but James Joyce is one of them. He was so engrossed in his city that he said:

I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book.

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