-considered to be one of the most influential writers modernist avant-grande (which means

Transcription

1 Dubliners: The Dead By James Augusta Aloysius Joyce -Born February 2, 1882 and died January 14, Irish novelist and poet -considered to be one of the most influential writers modernist avant-grande (which means experimental or innovative) of the early 20 th century. -born to middle class family in Dublin -went to University College Dublin and excelled there -his fictional universe does not extend far beyond Dublin and is populated largely by characters who closely resemble family members, enemies and friends from his time there - Dubliners, is a penetrating analysis of the stagnation (inactivity) and paralysis of Dublin society. -many Irish themes, which are included in Dubliners and The Dead, include paralysis and looping. -stories incorporate epiphanies -Dubliners is a short collection of 15 stories published in They form a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. -The initial stories in the collection are narrated by child protagonists, and as the stories continue, they deal with the lives and concerns of progressively older people. (the Dead is the last narrative in the collection) -longest short story in The Dead - it has also been considered a novella.

2 Story notes -The Dead foreshadowing theme of story in obvious way -takes place in January of Lily-caretaker s daughter-housemaid work for Miss Kate and Miss Julia -Miss Kate Morkan and Miss Julia Morkan-teachers? -death of brother Pat-brings up death right away-foreshadowed theme within text -Gabriel was favorite nephew as son of elder dead sister Ellen -Mary Jane-only niece of Miss Kate and Miss Julia-lives with them -Gabriel Conroy -protagonist-socially awkward-has the epiphany of self -awareness - Gabriel s wife Gretta Conroy- -Freddy Malins-drunk and friend of Gabriel s -Molly Ivors-colleague of Gabriel s-very patriotic about Ireland. -Mr. Browne-only Protestant guest at the party-much of Ireland is Catholic- -Bartell D Arcy-a famous, retired, tenor --event-misses Morkan s annual dance-during Christmas time-january 6 th, celebrates the manifestation of Christ s divinity to the Magi. -setting is at night-weather is cold and snowy-like death-foreshadowing -Lily answered Garbriel s question about getting married and having a man by stating The men that is now is only palaver and what they can get out of you. -men are only trouble these days and use women-referring to Gabriel or foreshadowing? -Lily s retort cast a gloom over him -why? -Gabriel insults the people at the party in his mind by mentally stating that poetry would be over their heads-they would think he was showing off his superior education.

3 -Gabriel tells his wife what to wear-his wife and aunts make a joke out of his attentiveness. - the piano is mentioned three times in the beginning of the text-foreshadowing? -Gabriel s mother was the brains of the family. She opposed Gabriel s marriage to Gretta. -again the piano is mentioned as Mary Jane was playing it at the party -Miss Ivors is partnered with Gabriel -she labels Gabriel as a West Briton, not a true Irishman because he wrote literary reviews for a conservative newspaper. She invites him to the Aran Isles, where Irish is spoken. He also mentions how Gretta s people are from Connacht (one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. The islands on the west coast of Ireland) He declines saying that he planned a cycling trip on the continent (France or Belgium or Germany). She questions why there instead of his own land. He wants to experience new things and keep in touch with other languages. He said Irish is not his language. He then said he was sick of his country. That exchange stuck with him and he felt insulted and embarrassed to be called a West Briton as Ireland used to be and still probably were at that time, enemies. -when he mentions going to western Ireland to his wife, she wanted to go eagerly, but he said she could go if she wanted coldly. His wife did not like this as she says to Mrs. Malins, There s a nice husband for you. -during Gabriel s speech, he mentions how the tradition of genuine warm-hearted courteous Irish hospitality, which our forefathers have handed down to us and which we in turn must hand down to our descendants, is still alive among us. He speaks well of Ireland when just moments ago, he told Miss Ivors how he was sick of Ireland. What does this mean? It also symbolizes how Ireland has struggled with freedom and as a country in general, but they are still alive as well as the hospitality.

4 - Our path through life is strewn with many such sad memories: and were we to brood upon them always we could not find the heart to go on bravely with our work among the living. WE have all of us living duties and living affections which claim, and rightly claim, our strenuous adventures. Therfore, I will not linger on the past. I will not let any gloomy moralizing intrude upon us here to-night. Gabriel s speech talks about how people must not dwell on the past and the dead, but live and rejoice in the present with the living. Important quote for the story. His epiphany is that there is much he didn t know about his wife s past-going against his speech, both him and his wife and dwelling on the past-dwelling on the dead instead of the now and living. -again when Gabriel was waiting for his wife, the group was wondering who was playing the piano. -Gabriel almost doesn t recognize his wife in the shadows as she listens to the piano played by Bartell D Arcy. The song was the old Irish tonality (The Lass of Aughrim) O, the rain falls on my heavy locks, And the dew wets my skin, My babe lies cold (lies cold as in dead?) -Mary Jane states that Ireland had not had snow like that for 30 years and it was generally all over Ireland-cold resembles death or a chance for a new start?-ireland living in the past? -after seeing Gretta s eyes light up when she heard the song being played, Gabriel suddenly feels great joy and is captivated with his wife s mysterious mood. He also begins to lust for his wife. He recalls their courtship on the way home-again, living in the past instead of the present and future. He wanted to make her forget the dull moments of their life and remember only the moments of pure joy and ecstasy -then got angry because he could not control of her feelings and is not master.

5 -His wife seemed distracted and confessed to him later that the song reminded her of someone from her past. A man she was in love with named, Michael Furey. He died at age 17. His wife is dwelling on the dead as well. While he was dwelling on the past about his wife, she was thinking of someone else. -Gretta said she thought he died for her. He was ill and declining fast, but came to see her at her window, classic throw rocks at her window. A week later he died. -It was then that Gabriel felt he was not the good husband he should have been to his wife. -After thinking of how the boy telling Gretta that he did not wish to live. He had never felt like that himself towards any woman but he knew that such a feeling must be love. He is not in love with his wife. - His own identity was fading out into a grey impalpable world: the solid world itself which these dead had one time reared and lived in was dissolving and dwindling. -what is the meaning of this line?-questioning his own mortality? -Gabriel s epiphany is that there was much he didn t know about his wife s past -people are frozen, like snow, in paralysis, in Ireland. Stuck in the past as the characters are. Looping, such as the circles around the horse and how the party was all routine was also there.