Concetti Chiave
- Modernism, also known as the age of anxiety, emerges during a crisis period, rejecting traditional conventions and focusing on the individual's psychology.
- Scientific discoveries introduce relativity and subjectivity, emphasizing multiple perspectives and the fragmented nature of truth.
- James Joyce, influenced by his European outlook, provides a realistic yet introspective portrayal of Dublin, highlighting the paralysis of society.
- Joyce's narrative employs techniques like inner monologue and epiphany, opening stories in medias res to delve into characters' psychological changes.
- 'Dubliners' consists of 15 stories set in Dublin, portraying ordinary life and exploring themes of paralysis, crisis, and uncertainty through symbolic realism.
Crisis and Modernism
It is a period of crisis due to the scientific progress and new views of man and of the of the universe, spread through the society. The movement is known as modernism or age of anxiety. The authors start rejecting the traditional conventions and focus on the individual.
The analysis of the psychology of the human’s mind is at the center of every story. The unconscious controls our impulses. Modernism also focused on the idea of the decay, the lack of values and certainties and it focused also on the individual’s inner world and his relationship with society. It is a period of new scientific discoveries that introduced the idea of:
- relativity = the isn’t only one perspective but many. The truth is fragmentated.
- subjectivity = there is a focus on the individual, especially their inner life.
Relativity and Subjectivity
The major stylistic device is Human beings are seen as paralyzedby the values of the society and unable to change. What artist can do is just to make people aware of its conditions.
He was born in Dublin in 1882 and studied languages at University college in Dublin. His interest was for a broader European culture and this led him to think of himself as a European rather than an Irishman. In his novels he gives the reader a realistic portrait of Dublin but from the point of view of an European. He moved to Paris but then came back to Dublin. In 1905 he moved to Trieste where he became friend with Italo Svevo. In the same year he finished his main work ‘Dubliners’, published in 1914. Because of financial issues he moved to Zurich in 1915 and then to Paris in 1920, where he published Ulysses. In 1940 when France was occupied by Nazis he moved back to Zurich where he died, one year later.
Joyce was a modernist author. The facts are explored from different points of view simultaneously and are presented as clues, fragmentation of clues. His stories open up in medias res, with the analysis of a particular moment. The portrait of the character is based on the introspection thanks to the inner monologue. Time is subjective, leading to psychological change.
Portraits of Dublin
It consists of 15 short stories that are all set in Dublin. His effort was to give a realistic portrait of the life of ordinary people doing ordinary things and living ordinary lives. He resorts to the impersonal narrator. The stories are arranged in 4 groups: childhood, adolescence, maturity and public life.
He portrays Dublin as a cruel city where compassion for others doesn’t exist. Characters are portrayed as paralyzed and afflicted people, because they are unable to change and they can’t make decisions. He describes a time of crisis and uncertainty. To gain realism he uses symbols to point out facts and analyzes the particular. He also employs the epiphany technique, a sudden realization caused by an external object.
Domande da interrogazione
- What defines the modernist movement and its focus during the age of anxiety?
- How do the concepts of relativity and subjectivity influence modernist literature?
- How does Joyce's background influence his portrayal of Dublin in his works?
- What narrative techniques does Joyce employ in his stories to enhance realism?
- How are characters depicted in Joyce's 'Dubliners', and what themes are explored?
The modernist movement, known as the age of anxiety, is characterized by a rejection of traditional conventions, focusing on the individual and the psychology of the human mind. It emphasizes the decay of values and certainties, highlighting the individual's inner world and their relationship with society.
Relativity and subjectivity in modernist literature suggest that there isn't a single perspective but many, leading to a fragmented truth. This focus on the individual, especially their inner life, is a major stylistic device, portraying humans as paralyzed by societal values and unable to change.
Joyce's European perspective, despite being born in Dublin, influences his realistic portrayal of the city. His works, such as 'Dubliners', offer a European viewpoint on Dublin life, emphasizing ordinary people and their struggles within a paralyzed society.
Joyce uses techniques like the impersonal narrator, inner monologue, and epiphany to enhance realism. His stories often open in medias res, focusing on introspection and psychological change, with time being subjective.
In 'Dubliners', characters are depicted as paralyzed and afflicted, unable to change or make decisions. The stories explore themes of crisis and uncertainty, using symbols and epiphanies to highlight the harsh realities of life in Dublin.
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