“Dubliners”
is one of my favourite short story collection books for three main reasons. Firstly,
James Joyce wrote it and I really like reading James Joyce. Secondly, the
stories are amazing and full of different lives and challenges. Lastly, the
setting in all these stories is Dublin and it is a wonderland for me to explore.
I guess I
would have not read Dubliners if the writer of it had not been James Joyce. I
like his style and the way he deals with the topics related to society in his
writing. Some people say that “Dubliners” shows a negative picture of Dublin
and criticize James Joyce because of this. In fact, that negative picture comes
from the circumstances of the years when Joyce wrote these stories. The country
suffered from the economy and the policy, which influenced the society
negatively. Nevertheless, thanks to Joyce, we can enlighten a part of history
in Dublin now. I admire his honesty and realistic observations. James Joyce studied
language and philosophy when he was a student. Hence, he is good at playing
with the words and he has a unique effect on readers. While reading his
stories, I feel like I am there as one of the characters living all the things
he planned. In addition, I can find a character similar to me in each story. That
makes reading fast and exciting.
There are
fifteen short stories in “Dubliners”. They are about the difficulty of life, making
a decision and taking an action. Every story has different characters. There are
people of all ages and sexes, yet they are connected to each other
interestingly. If I were a historian or a sociologist, it would be a great
pleasure for me to read Dubliners and think on it because it is a mirror to the
social and cultural life in Dublin and people living there. Every sentence
gives clues about the whole picture and genuine feelings of the characters. These
short stories are really easy to read because they are written in a simple
language. On the other hand, all stories are so complicated and deep that I
cannot hide my astonishment after analyzing them. “Araby”, “Eveline”, “A
Painful Case” and “The Dead” are the most stunning stories according to me. However,
it would be unfair not to say that all these stories are impressive enough to
remember all the time. In my “Introduction to Literature” class, “Eveline” was
among the short stories we read. It may seem like a love story, but I do not
agree that it tells the story of a girl who cannot escape with his lover. Instead,
it tells the story of a girl who does not know who she is and what to do
because there is a big burden on her shoulders such as promises, chores and
taking care of her family. She does not have her own life. She has to live the
life that others created for her. “Eveline” can be interpreted with feministic
and humanistic approaches. It is unbelievable to find many messages in such a
short story. That is why I like it so much.
Dublin is the
capital of Ireland. Ireland is a fascinating country with its nature. It is one
of the places I want to visit. I wonder Irish pubs and Irish food. However, reading “Dubliners” helped me figure
out how the real life in Dublin may be. I tried to imagine Dublin considering
its economy, family affairs, etc. I made a journey from my chair to Dublin
through pages of my precious book. Even when I finished the book, I found
myself wandering in Dublin and thinking. I think James Joyce is totally right: "For
myself, I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of
Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular
is contained the universal."
To sum up, “Dubliners”
is a special book for me because of the writer, the stories and Dublin. In my
opinion, these three things make this collection a masterpiece. I am sure that
you will never forget Joyce’s Dubliners once you read it.
Above, you
can watch a short film adapted from the short story “The Dead” from “Dubliners”.
This is absolutely a sad story, but we all can face such things in life. The reason
why I like this short film and also the story is that sometimes I hear a song
or listen to a song that reminds me of something or somebody. If it is a good
memory, I smile. If it is not, I just get silent and think. So, I can
understand the characters in the story. This is the story of everyone because
it is real. Additionally, after reading “The Dead”, watching this short film
makes me feel the sorrow of the dead lover, the wife and the husband. I hope
you will like the story and the film.
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