Bøker av James Joyce

James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is a literary masterpiece that invites readers into the captivating journey of Stephen Dedalus, a young man navigating the tumultuous waters of self-discovery and artistic awakening. This seminal work, brimming with rich prose and profound insights, provides a vivid portrait of a young soul grappling with societal expectations, personal identity, and the compelling call of artistic expression.As you delve into the pages of this novel, you'll find yourself immersed in Joyce's evocative exploration of Stephen's intellectual and emotional evolution. The narrative unfolds with a rare blend of lyrical beauty and raw honesty, capturing the essence of youthful aspirations and the universal quest for self-realization.Joyce's meticulous craftsmanship shines through in every sentence, as he weaves a tapestry of language that is both exquisite and thought-provoking. The novel is a dance of words and ideas, with each chapter serving as a brushstroke in the portrait of an artist in the making. The narrative flows seamlessly, revealing the intricate layers of Stephen's psyche and the challenges he faces in reconciling his artistic inclinations with the demands of the world around him.The novel is not merely a coming-of-age story; it's an exploration of the very nature of art, identity, and the relentless pursuit of one's authentic self. Joyce's keen observations and philosophical musings resonate with readers, making "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" a timeless and universal work that transcends its time and setting.Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Dublin's streets, feel the pulse of Stephen's inner struggles, and witness the birth of an artist's soul. This novel is a literary gem that beckons readers to embark on a journey of self-discovery, artistic passion, and the profound complexities of the human spirit. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is an enriching and transformative experience that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned.

Dubliners by James Joyce is a collection of fifteen short stories capturing the ordinary lives of Dublin's residents in the early 20th century. Joyce explores themes of paralysis and epiphany, creating a mosaic of poignant moments that delve into the complexities of human relationships and the struggles within a changing society.

Dubliners is a collection of short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It's a snapshot of Dublin society in the early 20th century, capturing the lives of ordinary people in various stages of their existence. The stories are interconnected thematically, offering a vivid portrayal of the city and its inhabitants. The collection consists of 15 stories, each exploring different facets of human experience, often with a focus on the mundane and the routine. Joyce delves into the lives of characters from different social classes, shedding light on the struggles, frustrations, and aspirations of the people of Dublin. One of the notable aspects of Dubliners is Joyce's keen observation and attention to detail. He paints a rich and realistic picture of the city, providing readers with a sense of its streets, neighbourhoods, and the day-to-day activities of its residents. The prose is straightforward yet nuanced, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the lives of the characters. Themes of paralysis, epiphany, and the impact of societal and familial expectations run throughout the stories. The characters often grapple with a sense of entrapment, both in their personal lives and within the confines of a changing Dublin. Each story serves as a microcosm, offering a glimpse into the complexities of human relationships and the challenges of navigating a society in transition. Dubliners is a masterful exploration of the human condition, showcasing Joyce's early literary talent and laying the groundwork for the experimental narrative techniques he would later employ in works like A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses.

James Joyce's collection of fifteen short stories portrays the lives of Dublin's middle class during the turn of the twentieth century. Structured from childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and death, each story shows people paralyzed by the mundaneness of everyday life. At times humorous and others haunting, Joyce explores the loneliness of the human condition, culminating with "The Dead," called "one of the greatest short stories ever written" (T. S. Eliot), where a man experiences an epiphany that changes him forever.

James Joyce's first major work, Dubliners provides a fascinating snapshot of early 20th century life in Ireland, bringing his city to the world for the first time.

DUBLINERS by JAMES JOYCE 1882-1941Large Print

A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce 1882-1941Large Print

Tells of the diverse events which befall Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus in Dublin on 16 June 1904, during which Bloom's wife, Molly, commits adultery. Initially deemed obscene in England and the USA, this novel, revolutionary in its Modernistic experimentalism, was hailed as a work of genius by W B Yeats, T S Eliot and Ernest Hemingway.

From the time of its publication, Ulysses has attracted controversy and scrutiny, ranging from an obscenity trial in the United States in 1921 to protracted textual "Joyce Wars." The novel's stream of consciousness technique, careful structuring, and experimental prose-replete with puns, parodies, and allusions-as well as its rich characterization and broad humor have led it to be regarded as one of the greatest literary works in history.

Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is Joyce¿s first novel, published after the previous success of his short story collection Dubliners. The novel is written in a modernist style, with dialog and narration blending together in a kind of stream-of-consciousness meant to invoke the blurriness of memory.Joyce originally planned writing a realist autobiographical novel of 63 chapters titled Stephen Hero. He abandoned the attempt halfway through, and refocused his efforts on Portrait, a shorter, sharper work in the modernist style. His alter-ego remained Stephen Dedalus, named after Daedalus, the mythological Greek craftsman and father of Icarus. Portrait was written while he was waiting for Dubliners to be published, a process that took eight years and so frustrated Joyce that he once threw the manuscript of Portrait into a fire, causing his family to run to save it.The novel closely traces Joyce¿s early years. Like his alter-ego Stephen, Joyce was born into a middle-class family and lived in Dublin as they descended into poverty; he rebelled against his Irish Catholic upbringing to become a star student at Dublin University, and put aside thoughts of priesthood or medicine, the other careers offered him, to become a writer. Joyce doesn¿t shy away from sensitive topics, presenting the discoveries of youth in all of their physical detail, including Stephen¿s teenage visits to prostitutes (which also mirror Joyce¿s youth, and were how he probably contracted the suspected syphilis that plagued his vision and tortured his health for the rest of his life), and the homosexual explorations of children at a Jesuit school.The writing is in the free indirect style, allowing the narrator to both focus on Stephen and present characters and events through his eyes, until the last chapter, where Stephen¿s first-person diary entries suggest he¿s finally found his voice. As the novel progresses, the syntax and vocabulary also grow in complexity, reflecting Stephen¿s own development.Of Joyce¿s three novels, Portrait is the most straightforward and accessible. But it remains just as rich and complex as any masterpiece, with critics across generations hailing it as work of unique beauty and perception.

Exiles is James Joyce's only extant play and draws on the story of "The Dead", the final short story in Joyce's story collection Dubliners. The play was rejected by W. B. Yeats for production by the Abbey Theatre. Its first major London performance was in 1970, when Harold Pinter directed it at the Mermaid Theatre.In terms of both its critical and popular reception, Exiles has proven the least successful of all of Joyce's published works. In making his case for the defence of the play, Padraic Colum conceded: "...critics have recorded their feeling that [Exiles] has not the enchantment of Portrait of the Artist nor the richness of [Ulysses]... They have noted that Exiles has the shape of an Ibsen play and have discounted it as being the derivative work of a young admirer of the great Scandinavian dramatist."Joyce himself described the structure of the play as "three cat and mouse acts".The play follows four players and two couples, Richard Rowan, a writer and his "common-law wife" Bertha, and Robert Hand with his cousin and previous lover Beatrice, both old friends of the previous couple."The plot is deceptively simple: Richard, a writer, returns to Ireland from Rome with Bertha, the mother of his illegitimate son, Archie. While there, he meets his former lover and correspondent Beatrice Justice and former drinking partner and now successful journalist Robert Hand. Robert was also Beatrice's lover, and here the complications begin."As jealousy develops throughout the relationships the action meditates mostly in a budding relationship between Hand and Bertha and thus in Hand's attempts at seduction with the lover of his friend.The first act takes place at Rowan's house where Hand makes his first advance at Bertha. After kissing her "with passion" several times Hand requests she join him in his home for a second meeting later that evening. Bertha in turn confides in Rowan and questions whether or not to accept his invitation. To this, Rowan retorts she must do whatever she pleases.In the second act, Hand waits, expecting Bertha at the appointed hour but instead is surprised when Rowan appears. Calmly, Rowan explains his knowledge of Hand's attempts at wooing Bertha but is interrupted when Bertha herself knocks at the door. Rowan returns home, leaving his wife alone with Hand who continues his advances toward Bertha. The act ends inconclusively, with Hand asking if Bertha loves him, and Bertha explaining: "I like you, Robert. I think you are good... Are you satisfied?"The third act returns to Rowan's home at seven o'clock the following morning. Bertha's maid informs her of Rowan's departure from the home an hour earlier, as he left for a walk on the strand. Printed in the morning newspapers is a favourable article written about Rowan, written the previous evening by Hand himself.The events of the previous night between Bertha and Hand are unclear, as both parties agree it was a "dream." But appearances demonstrate Hand and Bertha shared "a sacred night of love."Hand reports to Rowan, assuring him Bertha in fact did not stay the night but instead Hand spent the night alone. Claiming to have visited the Vice-Chancellor's lodge, returned home to write the newspaper article, then gone to a nightclub where he picked up a divorcée and had sex with her ("what the subtle Duns Scotus calls a death of the spirit took place") in the cab on the way home. Following this conversation, Hand leaves for his cousin's house in Surrey while Rowan and Bertha are reconciled. Bertha admits that she longs to meet her lover, but asserts that the lover is Rowan himself....(wikipedia.org)

Exiles is James Joyce's only extant play and draws on the story of "The Dead", the final short story in Joyce's story collection Dubliners. The play was rejected by W. B. Yeats for production by the Abbey Theatre. Its first major London performance was in 1970, when Harold Pinter directed it at the Mermaid Theatre.In terms of both its critical and popular reception, Exiles has proven the least successful of all of Joyce's published works. In making his case for the defence of the play, Padraic Colum conceded: "...critics have recorded their feeling that [Exiles] has not the enchantment of Portrait of the Artist nor the richness of [Ulysses]... They have noted that Exiles has the shape of an Ibsen play and have discounted it as being the derivative work of a young admirer of the great Scandinavian dramatist."Joyce himself described the structure of the play as "three cat and mouse acts".The play follows four players and two couples, Richard Rowan, a writer and his "common-law wife" Bertha, and Robert Hand with his cousin and previous lover Beatrice, both old friends of the previous couple."The plot is deceptively simple: Richard, a writer, returns to Ireland from Rome with Bertha, the mother of his illegitimate son, Archie. While there, he meets his former lover and correspondent Beatrice Justice and former drinking partner and now successful journalist Robert Hand. Robert was also Beatrice's lover, and here the complications begin."As jealousy develops throughout the relationships the action meditates mostly in a budding relationship between Hand and Bertha and thus in Hand's attempts at seduction with the lover of his friend.The first act takes place at Rowan's house where Hand makes his first advance at Bertha. After kissing her "with passion" several times Hand requests she join him in his home for a second meeting later that evening. Bertha in turn confides in Rowan and questions whether or not to accept his invitation. To this, Rowan retorts she must do whatever she pleases.In the second act, Hand waits, expecting Bertha at the appointed hour but instead is surprised when Rowan appears. Calmly, Rowan explains his knowledge of Hand's attempts at wooing Bertha but is interrupted when Bertha herself knocks at the door. Rowan returns home, leaving his wife alone with Hand who continues his advances toward Bertha. The act ends inconclusively, with Hand asking if Bertha loves him, and Bertha explaining: "I like you, Robert. I think you are good... Are you satisfied?"The third act returns to Rowan's home at seven o'clock the following morning. Bertha's maid informs her of Rowan's departure from the home an hour earlier, as he left for a walk on the strand. Printed in the morning newspapers is a favourable article written about Rowan, written the previous evening by Hand himself.The events of the previous night between Bertha and Hand are unclear, as both parties agree it was a "dream." But appearances demonstrate Hand and Bertha shared "a sacred night of love."Hand reports to Rowan, assuring him Bertha in fact did not stay the night but instead Hand spent the night alone. Claiming to have visited the Vice-Chancellor's lodge, returned home to write the newspaper article, then gone to a nightclub where he picked up a divorcée and had sex with her ("what the subtle Duns Scotus calls a death of the spirit took place") in the cab on the way home. Following this conversation, Hand leaves for his cousin's house in Surrey while Rowan and Bertha are reconciled. Bertha admits that she longs to meet her lover, but asserts that the lover is Rowan himself.... (wikipedia.org)

Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century.The stories were written when Irish nationalism was at its peak, and a search for a national identity and purpose was raging; at a crossroads of history and culture, Ireland was jolted by various converging ideas and influences. They centre on Joyce's idea of an epiphany (a moment where a character experiences a life-changing self-understanding or illumination) and the theme of paralysis (Joyce felt Irish nationalism stagnated cultural progression, placing Dublin at the heart of a regressive movement). The first three stories in the collection are narrated by child protagonists, while the subsequent stories are written in the third person and deal with the lives and concerns of progressively older people, in line with Joyce's division of the collection into childhood, adolescence, maturity, and public life. Many of the characters in Dubliners later appeared in minor roles in Joyce's novel Ulysses. The stories"The Sisters" - After the priest Father Flynn dies, a young boy who was close to him hears some less-than-flattering stories about the father."An Encounter" - Two schoolboys playing truant encounter a perverted, middle-aged man."Araby" - A boy falls in love with the sister of his friend, but fails in his quest to buy her a worthy gift from the Araby Bazaar."Eveline" - A young woman weighs her decision to flee Ireland with a sailor."After the Race" - College student Jimmy Doyle tries to fit in with his wealthy friends."Two Gallants" - Lenehan wanders around Dublin to kill time while waiting to hear if his friend, Corley, was able to con a maid out of some money."The Boarding House" - Mrs Mooney successfully manoeuvres her daughter Polly into an upwardly mobile marriage with her lodger Mr Doran."A Little Cloud" - Little Chandler's dinner with his old friend Ignatius Gallaher, who left home to become a journalist in London, casts fresh light on his own failed literary dreams."Counterparts" - Farrington, a lumbering alcoholic scrivener, takes out his frustration in pubs and on his son Tom."Clay" - Maria, a spinster who works in the kitchen at a large laundry, celebrates Halloween with a man she cared for as a child and his family."A Painful Case" - Mr Duffy rebuffs the advances of his friend Mrs Sinico, and, four years later, discovers he condemned her to loneliness and death."Ivy Day in the Committee Room" - Several paid canvassers for a minor politician discuss the memory of Charles Stewart Parnell."A Mother" - To win a place of pride for her daughter Kathleen in the Irish Revival, Mrs. Kearney arranges for the girl to be accompanist at a series of poorly planned concerts, but her efforts backfire."Grace" - Mr Kernan passes out and falls down the stairs at a bar, so his friends attempt to convince him to come to a Catholic retreat to help him reform."The Dead" - After a holiday party thrown by his aunts and cousin, Gabriel Conroy's wife, Gretta, tells him about a boyfriend from her youth, and he has an epiphany about life and death and human connection. (At 15-16,000 words, this story has been classified as a novella.) (wikipedia.org)

ContentsIn Praise of UnicornsAn American Composer: The Passing of Edward MacDowellRemy de Gourmont: His Ideas. The Colour of His MindArtzibashefA Note on Henry JamesGeorge SandThe Great American NovelThe Case of Paul CézanneBrahmsodyThe Opinions of J.-K. HuysmansStyle and Rhythm in English ProseThe Queerest Yarn in the WorldOn Rereading MallockThe Lost MasterThe Grand Manner in Pianoforte PlayingJames JoyceCreative InvolutionFour Dimensional VistasO. W.A Synthesis of the Seven ArtsThe Classic ChopinLittle Mirrors of SincerityThe Reformation of George MoorePillowlandCross-Currents in Modern French LiteratureMore About Richard WagnerMy First Musical AdventureViolinists Now and YesteryearRiding the WhirlwindPrayers for the LivingAbout the author: James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 - 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century. Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922) is a landmark in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in a variety of literary styles, particularly stream of consciousness. Other well-known works are the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939). His other writings include three books of poetry, a play, letters, and occasional journalism.Joyce was born in Dublin into a middle-class family. He attended the Jesuit Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare, then, briefly, the Christian Brothers-run O'Connell School. Despite the chaotic family life imposed by his father's unpredictable finances, he excelled at the Jesuit Belvedere College and graduated from University College Dublin in 1902. In 1904, he met his future wife, Nora Barnacle, and they moved to mainland Europe. He briefly worked in Pula and then moved to Trieste in Austria-Hungary, working as an English instructor. Except for an eight-month stay in Rome working as a correspondence clerk and three visits to Dublin, Joyce resided there until 1915. In Trieste, he published his book of poems Chamber Music and his short story collection Dubliners, and he began serially publishing A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in the English magazine The Egoist. During most of World War I, Joyce lived in Zürich, Switzerland, and worked on Ulysses. After the war, he briefly returned to Trieste and then moved to Paris in 1920, which became his primary residence until 1940.Joyce's work still has a profound influence on contemporary culture. Ulysses is a model for fiction writers, particularly its explorations in the power of language. Its emphasis on the details of everyday life have opened up new possibilities of expression for authors, painters and film-makers. It retains its prestige among readers, often ranking high on 'Great Book' lists. Joyce's innovations extend beyond English literature: his writing has been an inspiration for Latin American writers, and Finnegans Wake has become one of the key texts for French post-structuralism. It also provided the name for the quark, one of the elementary particles proposed by physicist Murray Gell-Mann.The open-ended form of Joyce's novels keep them open to constant reinterpretation. They inspire an increasingly global community of literary critics. Joyce studies-based on a relatively small canon of three novels, a small short story collection, one play, and two small books of poems-have generated over 15,000 articles, monographs, theses, translations, and editions. (wikipedia.org)

Allá en otros tiempos (y bien buenos tiempos que eran), había una vez una vaquita (¡mu!) que iba por un caminito. Y esta vaquita que iba por un caminito se encontró un niñín muy guapín, al cual le llamaban el nene de la casä Este era el cuento que le contaba su padre. Su padre le miraba a través de un cristal: tenía la cara peluda. Él era el nene de la casa. La vaquita venía por el caminito donde vivía Betty Byrne: Betty Byrne vendía trenzas de azúcar al limón. Ay, las flores de las rosas silvestres en el pradecito verde. Esta era la canción que cantaba. Era su canción. Ay, las floles de las losas veldes. Cuando uno moja la cama, aquello está calentito primero y después se va poniendo frío. Su madre colocaba el hule. ¡Qué olor tan raro! Su madre olía mejor que su padre y tocaba en el piano una jiga de marineros para que la bailase él. Bailaba: Tralala lala, tralala tralalaina, tralala lala, tralala lala. Tío Charles y Dante aplaudían. Eran más viejos que su padre y que su madre; pero tío Charles era más viejo que Dante.

This is a new bilingual (Spanish/English) edition of James Joyce's classic "The Dead / Los muertos". This new translation was done by New York based writers Mónica Flores Correa and Cristóbal Williams. Esta es una nueva edición bilingüe (español/inglés de cuento clásico de James Joyce "Los muertos / The Dead" con una nueva traducción al español por Mónica Flores Correa, escritora, en colaboración con Cristobal Williams. Ambos residen en Nueva York. Del máximo innovador de la novela del siglo XX, su cuento máximo. James Joyce es el autor emigrante por excelencia. Escribió todo fuera de su Irlanda natal, pero todo sobre ella. Parafraseando el poema de Borges, a Joyce y a su Dublín "los unió el amor y el espanto, será por eso que la quiso tanto". Los Muertos es un gesto de reparación a Irlanda. Expresa aquí su admiración por la hospitalidad de su pueblo. La hospitalidad puede ser sinónimo de universalidad: Irlanda, tan universal y hospitalaria en su localismo.

This riverrun edition presents Joyce's first major work with a new preface by Patrick McGuinness.

No había esperanza esta vez: era la tercera embolia. Noche tras noche pasaba yo por la casa (eran las vacaciones) y estudiaba el alumbrado cuadro de la ventana: y noche tras noche lo veía iluminado del mismo modo débil y parejo. Si hubiera muerto, pensaba yo, vería el reflejo de las velas en las oscuras persianas, ya que sabía que se deben colocar dos cirios a la cabecera del muerto. A menudo él me decía: «No me queda mucho en este mundo», y yo pensaba que hablaba por hablar. Ahora supe que decía la verdad. Cada noche al levantar la vista y contemplar la ventana me repetía a mí mismo en voz baja la palabra «parálisis». Siempre me sonaba extraña en los oídos, como la palabra gnomón en Euclides y la simonía del «catecismo». Pero ahora me sonó a cosa mala y llena de pecado. Me dio miedo y, sin embargo, ansiaba observar de cerca su trabajo maligno.

Solemne, el gordo Buck Mulligan avanzó desde la salida de la escalera, llevando un cuenco de espuma de jabón, y encima, cruzados, un espejo y una navaja. La suave brisa de la mañana le sostenía levemente en alto, detrás de él, la bata amarilla, desceñida. Elevó en el aire el cuenco y entonó:¿Introibo ad altare Dei.Deteniéndose, escudriñó hacia lo hondo de la oscura escalera de caracol y gritó con aspereza:¿¡Sube acá, Kinch! ¡Sube, cobarde jesuita!Avanzó con solemnidad y subió a la redonda plataforma de tiro. Gravemente, se fue dando la vuelta y bendiciendo tres veces la torre, los campos de alrededor y las montañas que se despertaban. Luego, al ver a Stephen Dedalus, se inclinó hacia él y trazó rápidas cruces en el aire, gorgoteando con la garganta y sacudiendo la cabeza. Stephen Dedalus, molesto y soñoliento, apoyó los brazos en el remate de la escalera y miró fríamente aquella cara sacudida y gorgoteante que le bendecía, caballuna en su longitud, y aquel claro pelo intonso, veteado y coloreado como roble pálido. Buck Mulligan atisbó un momento por debajo del espejo y luego tapó el cuenco con viveza. ¿¡Vuelta al cuartel! ¿dijo severamente. Y añadió, en tono de predicador: ¿Porque esto, oh amados carísimos, es lo genuinamente cristino: cuerpo y alma y sangre y llagas. Música lenta, por favor. Cierren los ojos, caballeros. Un momento. Hay algo que no marcha en estos glóbulos blancos. Silencio, todos.

Often considered the greatest collection of short stories in the English language, Dubliners is the vivid portrayal of the people of "dear dirty Dublin" at the beginning of the twentieth century. In fifteen subtly interlinked stories that move from childhood to maturity and a reckoning with death, Joyce provides nuanced accounts of the lives, language, loves, and losses of the inhabitants of his native city. In these moving stories Joyce invents some literary techniques that have forever transformed storytelling and the shape of the novel. A detailed foreword to this authoritative edition highlights the depth of Joyce's understanding of humanity and how Dubliners foreshadows his later experimental writing in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. This Warbler Classics edition includes an afterword by M. Keith Booker and a detailed biographical timeline.

Les quinze nouvelles de ce recueil, construites autour de Dublin, au plutôt des , nous montrent des personnes ternes menant des vies qui ne le sont pas moins, non exemptes de violence, de bassesse ni de vulgarité, dans une ville paralysée et paralysante, en 1914. Chaque nouvelle est contruite en fonction d'une «épiphanie», toujours exprimée dans la dernière phrase, qui décrit une soudaine prise de conscience de l'«âme» de quelque chose, la mise en évidence de l'absurde, la manifestation sentencieuse du fait que l'ordre social est intangible, et que, sauf à tomber dans la déchéance ou le ridicule, mieux vaut prendre conscience que la vie est ailleurs...

James Joyce's book of poems titled Chamber Music was released by Elkin Mathews in May 1907. There were originally thirty-four love poems in the anthology, but two more were added before it was published ("All day I hear the noise of waters" and "I hear an army charging upon the land"). Although it is widely believed that the title refers to the sound of urine tinkling in a chamber pot, this is a later Joycean embellishment that gives an earthiness to a title that was initially proposed by his brother Stanislaus and that Joyce (by the time of publication) had come to dislike: "The reason I dislike Chamber Music as a title is that it is too complacent," he admitted to Arthur Symons in 1906. "I would prefer a title that criticized the work while avoiding outright trashing it." Chamber Music's poetry isn't at all racy or evocative of the sound of tinkling urine, in fact. The poems were well-received by critics despite poor sales (less than half of the original print run of 500 had been sold in the first year).

Finnegans Wake is one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon.There are four Parts or Books and seventeen chapters total in Finnegans Wake. The chapters lack titles, and while Joyce didn't offer potential chapter titles as he had for Ulysses, he did give titles to several portions that were published separately. Part 1: Dublin hod carrier "Finnegan," Joyce's central figure, perishes after falling from a ladder while building a wall. HCE's wife ALP accuses him of being a scam after having her son Shem transcribe a letter about him and give it to another son Shaun. Part 2: The primary protagonists are Shem, Shaun, and Issy, who are banished from their home by their parents after they misjudged the color of a girl's eyes based on their "gaze work." HCE is a Norwegian Captain who, via his marriage to a tailor's daughter, became domesticated. Part 3: The Four Masters' Ass describes how he believed he had heard and seen Shaun the Post's ghost while he was "falling asleep." Part 4: The book is written as a collection of short stories, and it opens with a plea for daybreak. The river Liffey, represented by ALP, flows into the ocean at dawn to mark the end of Part IV.