English 190

Book List

Joyce, James: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Joyce, James: Dubliners; Joyce, James: Finnegans Wake; Joyce, James: Ulysses

Description

Our course traces the evolution of Joyce’s writing, from his angry essays at the turn of the twentieth century to his all-compassing comedy, Finnegans Wake, published just before the outbreak of World War II. We will consider the transformation of Joyce's style and concerns as well the surprising return of phrases and themes in his major works, from the Dubliners collection of short stories through the autobiographical novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, to the spectacular innovations of Ulysses and the Wake. We will also ask what Joyce was trying to achieve in works that have been dismissed as failures, such as his collection of poetry titled Chamber Music and his play, Exiles. Throughout the course, we will think about the different contexts of Joyce’s writing: turn-of-the century Dublin, Paris of 1902, pre-war Trieste, wartime Zurich, and Paris in the 1920s and 1930s.

Please read the paragraph on page 2 of the instructions area of this Announcement of Classes for more details about enrolling in or wait-listing for this course.