Dubliners - The James Joyce Reading Circle (select the dropdown arrows to access episodes, cantos, and stories)

(D) about “A Little Cloud” ~December 1 (“Late Autumn”)

Joyce named this story as a personal favorite. He honored it by returning to the title imagery repeatedly over the thirty-five years that followed. The little cloud originates in Elijah’s ascension in a fiery chariot and a wailing child in Blake’s “Mad Song.” Gordon economically says “A Little Cloud” “…reflects the kinds of allusions thatContinue reading “(D) about “A Little Cloud” ~December 1 (“Late Autumn”)”

(D) about “Eveline,” October 8

Hugh Kenner invites us to consider that Frank of “Eveline” speaks for Frank’s creator, James Joyce. Sondra Melzer expands that comparison claiming Eveline speaks for Nora Barnacle. Joyce carried Nora off to parts unknown on October 8, 1904, but resisted any urge to marry her until 1931. Were his motives noble, or did he findContinue reading “(D) about “Eveline,” October 8″

(D) about “Counterparts,” February 16

[Setting “Counterparts” on the Dubliners Calendar requires some finesse. If sunset occurs at about 5:30 PM, the date might be soon after February 12 and also after mid-month. Ireland, however, did not begin Daylight Savings Time until 1916. Joyce finished “Counterparts” on July 16, 1905. Alternately, the sunset might coincide with a November setting,Continue reading “(D) about “Counterparts,” February 16″

(D) about “The Dead,” January 6

‘the dead are dancing with the dead./The dust is whirling with the dust.’ (Oscar Wilde, “The Harlot’s House”) Befuddled Julia Morkan, “toddling” on the arm of Mister Archibald DeathBrowne, appears “ignorant, old, grey-skinned, and stupified.” She exits the room of her minor musical triumph for the feast where Gabriel of the next generation will eulogize herContinue reading “(D) about “The Dead,” January 6″

(D) about “A Painful Case,” November

“He walked along quickly through the November twilight, his stout hazel stick striking the ground regularly,….” Duffy furnishes his tidy Chapelizod dungeon with an unusual number of cold iron appurtenances. The few colors of his flat (“white bedclothes and a black and scarlet rug”) suggest sterility, moroseness, and violence. Into his window peeps a derelictContinue reading “(D) about “A Painful Case,” November”

(D) about “Clay,” October 31, Samhain When the Dead Roam the Earth

Dublin by Lamplight competed against the Catholic-run Magdelena laundries for business and a workforce. This laundry advantaged its prosperous neighbors and leveraged the friendship and business associations of the Protestant board members. Lamplight was perhaps also more attractive to “working girls” because it intended to convert fallen women by employing the Protestant carrot more oftenContinue reading “(D) about “Clay,” October 31, Samhain When the Dead Roam the Earth”

(D) A Year of Dubliners

What follows is an experiment. I have long suspected that there is a calendar nesting among the fifteen stories of Dubliners. Beginning with “Clay” on October 31, I’ll post an essay about each story in the collection. The stories follow the Celtic Year. ~Don 2020 The dropdown menu has reverted to the Gregorian Calendar aboutContinue reading “(D) A Year of Dubliners”