The Dead and Other Stories: A Broadview Anthology of British Literature Edition - Softcover

Joyce, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1554811651 ISBN 13: 9781554811656

Publisher: Broadview Press, 2014

Synopsis

That James Joyce’s “The Dead” forms an extraordinary conclusion to his collection Dubliners, there can be no doubt. But as many have pointed out, “The Dead” may equally well be read as a novella―arguably, one of the finest novellas ever written.

“The Dead,” a “story of public life,” as Joyce categorized it, was written more than a year after Joyce had finished the other stories in the collection, and was meant to redress what he felt was their “unnecessary harsh[ness].” Set on the feast of the epiphany, it is a haunting tale of connection and of alienation, reflecting, in the words of Stanislaus Joyce (James’s brother and confidant), “the nostalgic love of a rejected exile.”

The present volume highlights “The Dead” for readers who wish to focus on that great work in a concise volume―and for university courses in which it is not possible to cover all of Dubliners. But it also gives a strong sense of how that story is part of a larger whole. Stories from each of the other sections of Dubliners have been included, and a wide range of background materials is included as well, providing a vivid sense of the literary and historical context out of which the work emerged.

About this title

About the Author

Contributing Editor Melissa Free, an Assistant Professor of English at Arizona State University, has published widely on late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century English, Irish, and colonial literature.

From AudioFile

It's hard to explain what gives some readers a friendly, reassuring voice, but Ralph Cosham possesses such a natural appeal. Perhaps it's the lightness of his cadence or the pleasing, understated Irish accent he brings to these five short stories, including the famous final story, from Joyce's DUBLINERS. Cosham (or his director) falters only occasionally, as when he fails to pronounce with three syllables, as the narration indicates, Gabriel Conroy's surname "Con-o-roy," which was Joyce's way of showing the working-class speech of the caretaker's daughter, and when some of the spirited exchanges at the Morkans' annual New Year's Eve dinner are rendered a bit ordinarily. On the whole, however, a satisfying collection that also includes "Araby," "Eveline," "A Mother," and "Clay." G.H. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Broadview Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1554811651
• ISBN 13: 9781554811656
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 136
• Editor: Free Melissa, Black Joseph, Conolly Leonard, Flint Kate, Grundy Isobel, LePan Don, Liuzza Roy, McGann Jerome J., Lake Prescott Anne, Qualls Barry V., Waters Claire