Ireland Books

The deus ex machina manner of some heroes' baptisms into the Christian faith would confuse a newcomer, but bear actual roots in Irish history. As Catholicism grew to dominance, baptisms were tacked on to the ends of stories to provide spiritual aedification.

An introduction to this work is sorely needed, since the reader cannot tell how many of the stories are folk stories retold, and how many bear the embellishment of the anthologizer. The historical context from which these stories arose requires further explanation, especially for the Irish diaspora.

In short, not a masterly work, but closer to greatness than mediocrity.

I would recommend this book for a history class or just for the enjoyment of sitting down on the sofa with a good book and a cup of wine for a relaxing evening at home.

(Dr David O'Donoghue, Dublin, Ireland).

Includes over 800 entries, illustrations, synopses of books and chapters, biographies of Joyce and his contemporaries, bibliography, a very useful index, as well as the text of Jude Woolsey's ruling to lift the ban on "Ulysses." The writing is clear, wide-ranging, and complete without bogging the reader down in minutiae. Not as thorough as the encyclopedic "Ulysses Annotated," but very useful in disentangling Joyce and his works without great effort! Written by a Professor of Theology and English at Molloy College (and vice president of the James Joyce Society), and a professor of English at Marquette University.

Elvis, the Beatles and Marilyn Monroe have received the A to Z treatment in which every aspect of their lives and works have been reordered alphabetically, so it was only a matter of time that the mania would spread to lesser figures in our popular culture, in this case Mark Twain, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.

This series of three books, originally published by Facts On File and now updated and reprinted by Oxford University Press, combines facts culled from the writers' lives and works, shakes them up thoroughly, and recasts them into easily locatable entries. The result is an addictive pleasure, a page-turning odyessy for anyone interested in learning more about their favorite writer.

At 304 pages, the Joyce volume is the smallest of the trio, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up by offering extensive commentaries on "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake." Those who have tried to read these modernist (or post-modernist, the argument still rages) classics have quickly recognized the need for assistance. For "Ulysses," the Joyce volume reprints Joyce's chart that lists each chapter's time frame, location, symbols, technics, organs, art and correspondences to the original. Each chapter is given its own entry, which describes the action, Joyce's intentions, and clairifies points of Dublin's history. As one who attempted "Ulysses" solo, and suffered for his sin, I can speak with authority that this volume would have saved me a great deal of agony. I only wish they had abandoned their schema and combined the chapter descriptions into a single, lengthy appendix.

No detail is too small to escape the editors. There are also entries on Gustave Flaubert, an influence on Joyce's writing style; Throwaway, the race horse whose victory in the Ascot Gold Cup figures in "Ulysses," and the Volta Cinema, Dublin's first movie theater, which Joyce helped to open.

In short, this guide can help the Joyce reader move through the complexities of his work without feeling like you've earned a Ph.D in comparative literature while you're doing so.

To truly enjoy the remarkable magnificence of this book, it is important to first recognize the three key aspects of each story: symbolism, imagery, and character development. The first of which to be examined is the most vital, as each story of the book is enveloped and completely built upon Joyce's deep and profound symbolism, with each character also defined by the same.

We can first look upon the title character of "Eveline," for whom the lattice-work of a window represents the bars of her prison-cell, and the fading streetlights beyond depict the hope of her life dissipating in the darkness of ever-encroaching night.

Easy to recognize, the symbolism of "Dubliners" is amazingly proficient in its ability to provide a deeper insight and understanding that truly does raise this book above the stature of its otherwise common stories. Joyce's masterful use of this literary technique is then placed within simple linguistic structures that are easily identified, yet powerful and splendidly thought provoking in its very core and concept, as well as by the nature in which it is employed. The careful explication of, and adequate attention give to this symbolism is very relevant, as it is essential in achieving a greater appreciation of each story being told, the characters portrayed within, and of Joyce to entertain with each.

Wild and vivid imagery frames the story through the author's immense, yet extremely enjoyable descriptive nature. A majority of each story's progression takes place between the dialogue, which is sparse to say the least, giving ample opportunity for Joyce's spectacular, though usually dark and gloomy imagery. It is also within this narrative that the characters spring to life. Being depicted as ordinary people suffering internal conflicts, they are tightly bound to the reader through relative and universal experiences. Eloquent and poignant examples of this can be found in the title characters of both "Eveline," and "Araby."

The central characters of "Dubliners," at first glance, appear quite flat, as seen in their dialogue. But upon closer inspection, the depth of Joyce's imaginative narrative bring them round, and fully-developed. Each of these characters, in their own respective way, is brilliantly constructed through elaborate thoughts and feelings, which, ironically, display the faults, failures, and weaknesses that they bring into their personal struggles. This appears to be Joyce's unique and quite genius way of building to climax, in which the audience is forced to believe in the strength and courage of characters of which we already know them to be deficient. It is, therefore, a cleverly devised surprise when they remain weak-willed, and are lead into despair, even though this path has been clearly laid out from beginning to end. Correlations can then be drawn between these characters, and the settings of the stories in which they appear. Being the same throughout, his setting is the Irish city of Dublin, which Joyce goes out of his way to portray as bereft of light, warmth, and color.

Though Joyce's obvious theme and intent was the portrayal of the internal conflicts of common people, this subject does become redundant when replicated throughout all stories of the book, offering the one real drawback of "Dubliners."

Overall, Joyce's simplistic use of language is evocative, as it conveys complex ideas in very simple words, making it an easy read for even the least literary-minded of readers. The thought and story progression is virtually flawless, being laid out in a proper and unmistakeable order that can be widely enjoyed for both its surface-value, and its underlying literary techniques. The philosophical themes are relative to virtually anyone, making this a book well worth spending time on.

The drawings, photographs, and newspaper clippings provide a first hand sense of what Joyce's Dublin was like then. Like a mail order fountain pen, whose newspaper advertisement from Christmas 1903 is reproduced in the book. Maybe Gabriel Conroy bought one. I've never used a fountain pen - to me the advertisement is a subtle reminder of how distant Joyce's Dublin is from us now.

Warning - It's tempting to spend more time reading the notes and annotations than reading Joyce himself.

At the end we are left wondering was this one large joke or simply a witty Northern oxymoron? A book to be revisited when the frost keeps us away from session, pub or our inner fiddler.

Excellent is too narrow a word to describe the sweep of the narrative.

Sean Laffey Irish Music Magazine Dublin