James Joyce

(2 February 1882-13 January 1941)

James Joyce is best known for developing the stream of consciousness technique in his short stories and novels. Among those are Dubliners (1914)—which includes Eveline—, Ulysses (1922) and Finnegan’s Wake (1939). Born in Dublin, Joyce claimed that all of his writings dealt with the “moral history of [his] country.”

Although he was raised as a catholic, he openly opposed religion and was sometimes labelled a subversive writer. He left Ireland in 1904 for Europe—a voluntary exile—and settled in Croatia, Trieste, Paris and Zurich where he died.

Joyce’s style is mainly characterized by the concept of “epiphany,” a mysterious or spiritual manifestation of awareness between consciousness and reality, when the character acquires a deeper insight into the truth of life.

Les 10 mots clés de l’histoire

familiar = familier(e) wonder = se demander (there) used to (be) = autrefois (il y avait) leave = quitter, partir home = la maison, chez-soi wise = sage, prudent weigh = peser, prendre en considération treat = traiter commonplace = banal, ordinaire clutch = aggriper