'Dubliners' by James Joyce

 

The book consists of a compilation of fifteen short stories. The stories are set in the city of Dublin at the beginning of the twentieth century. The thread that ensembles the stories is Dublin. Characters evolve in that stage. Each story develops its own themes. Thus in ‘Two gallants’, a couple of friends walks by Dublin while they consider whether they have had autonomy in their lives or have lived at the expense of other people. ‘The boarding house’ explains the story of an innkeeper's daughter whose honour has been sullied. In ‘The little cloud’, a fellow feels discontent about his life in comparison with a friend’s life who has travelled abroad a lot. The strength of the book is how Joyce draws Dublin. Not only does he draw its landscape, but its geography. Another strong point is the resort to symbolism. The weak point, if there is any, is that the style is a little distant. They say it is boring. I recommend reading this book with the help of an external essay so that you can get through its symbolism. It is for all fans of classics.