[.ca] Dubliners: Part II (ISBN 9626341831)

snapshots of life in Dublin:
I have to admit that I didn't read all the stories(I did it for school as a HS junior, they didn't require reading all of them) and it's not the most exciting book. However, Joyce's stories are like snapshots of everyday life and I'm fascinated by that. He gives us vivid images of how unattractive Dublin is and tours into the minds the characters. Some stories are boring and hard to read but Joyce is good enough as a storyteller to give us pictures of life in Dublin that stick in your head.

No one should read Dubliners:
This book is so full of crap. It's awful. If you really wanna read it, set aside 15 hours of your time for each story! Criticism is non existant and high school seniors should NOT be made to read this book. Yes, I know all of the stories have some sort of "greater meaning" behind them, but it is so full of detail, every single word has an impact on the meaning of each story as a whole. I recommend that you find another book to read that you will actually enjoy, like Mercedes Lackey. Actually, Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes is a very well-written book and very enjoyable. Much more so than Dubliners.

Great:
When I first started it, honestly, I couldn't stand it. Only until I was able to discuss it with some very learned people was i able to understand in a way that made sense. This, though frustrating initially, is an amazing thing. When one realized that almost every sentence that James Joyce writes is a work of art on its own, they are forced to acknowledge both Joyce's amazing talent and the beauty of the language when used to its full potential. I could say what the stories are about, but it is just something that you should experience for yourself. I will however say that the last story, "The Dead," is just amazing. It has to be one of the best novellas ever written in English. One word of warning, however: Don't read this book expecting a happy ending. Most all of the stories are somewhat depressing and shows the life that so many lived in Dublin.

Dublin as the center of the world:
Despite being written almost a hundred years ago, James Joyce's 'Dubliners' is still as fresh as when it was released. The characters are Dubliners, but above all they are human beings and act as such, and this makes this collection of fifteen stories so universal. Moreover this book is a good start for readers who want to read Joyce and are afraid of his most famous and notoriously difficult works such as "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake". The tales are supposed to be read in the order they are published because they follow the natural course of the human life. The first ones deal with childhood, then with adolescence, later adulthood --and in this segment some of them deal with public life-- and the last one is called "The Dead", making it clear that the stories follow the sequence of life events that happen to everyone. Joyce's brother Stanislaus Joyce once wrote that the book pairs up stories on common themes: adolescent life, sporting life, artistic life, amorous life, political life, religious life, and celibate life (male and female), plus four 'petty employees' (two married and two unmarried), plus the final story on 'holiday life'. But this kind of classification is only a plus when one reads the book, because what really matters is Joyce's ability to create real people and situation. Not only does the writer makes a wonderful job when developing his characters in such a small form of telling a story, but he also has a sophisticated command of the language. And some academics claim that "The Dead" is one of the best --if not THE best-- piece of short fiction written in the 20 century. The view of the human nature in this book is quite dark most of the time, dealing mostly with the failure or the impossibility of acquisition something desired, Joyce is able to sneak in the human soul and its incapability of coping with loss, fear and another difficult feelings. Most of the stories in "Dubliners" are not easy to be read, but all of them are a real pleasure to be discovered. An important book that with some concentration is accessible to everyone.

A Master Storyteller:
James Joyce's Dubliners is one of the best collection of short stories ever penned. The characters are memorable, the plots are subtle, gripping and frequently ironic, the atmosphere of "dear dirty Dublin" rings true, and the writing is eloquent and disciplined. While his novels (e.g. Ulysses) get more attention, Dubliners may be his best work. Highly recommended.