The Dead

by James Joyce, Thomas Fasano

Overview

Described by T.S. Eliot as “one of the greatest short stories ever written,” The Dead is a beautifully crafted novella by Irish novelist and literary critic, James Joyce.

It’s Christmastime in Dublin. The snow is falling. And a thirty-year strong annual Christmas party is underway. Gabriel Conroy, nephew to the hosts, frets over his impending after-dinner speech, while Gretta, his wife, wanders the affair thinking of her childhood home. The lavish festivities proceed in full swing, Gabriel’s long-awaited speech ends in a rousing rendition of “For They Are Jolly Gay Fellow,” and as the party winds to a close, the guests spill out into the winter night…all except for Gretta.

At the top of the stairs she stands chillingly still, seemingly mesmerized by the sounds of a soft song being sung in another room. And while the Conroys eventually leave, Gretta’s mind remains with the music—haunted by a long-lost memory that will shake her husband to his core.

James Joyce’s The Dead is a critically acclaimed novella that explores how much of living we owe to lives of the dead and how much the ghosts of our past truly shape us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780979660795
Publisher:	Coyote Canyon Press
Publication date:	10/28/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	380,291
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

James Joyce (1882-1941) was an Irish author, poet, teacher, and critic. Joyce centered most of his work around the city of Dublin, and portrays characters inspired by the author’s family, friends, enemies, and acquaintances. After a drunken fight and misunderstanding, Joyce and his wife, Nora Barnacle, self-exiled, leaving their home and traveling from country to country. Though he moved way from Ireland, Joyce continued to write about the region and was popular among the rise of Irish nationalism. Joyce is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. While his most famous work is his novel Ulysses, Joyce wrote many novels and poetry collections, including some that were published posthumously.

Date of Birth:

February 2, 1882

Date of Death:

January 13, 1941

Place of Birth:

Dublin, Ireland

Place of Death:

Zurich, Switzerland

Education:

B.A., University College, Dublin, 1902

Website:

http://www.jamesjoyce.ie

Table of Contents

About the Series
About This Volume

PART ONE: "THE DEAD": THE COMPLETE TEXT

Introduction: Biographical and Historical Contexts

The Complete Text [1967 Viking Compass Edition, prepared by Robert Scholes]

PART TWO: "THE DEAD": A CASE STUDY IN CONTEMPORARY CRITICISM

A Critical History of "The Dead"

Psychoanalytic Criticism and "The Dead"
What Is Psychoanalytic Criticism?
Psychoanalytic Criticism: A Selected Bibliography A Psychoanalytic Perspective:
Daniel R. Schwarz, Gabriel Contoy's Psyche: Character as Concept in Joyce's "The Dead"

Reader-Response Criticism and "The Dead"
What Is Reader-Response Criticism?
Reader-Response Criticism: A Selected Bibliography A Reader-Response Perspective:
Peter J. Rabinowitz, "A Symbol of Something": Interpretive Vertigo in "The Dead"

New Historicism and "The Dead"
What Is New Historicism?
New Historicism: A Selected Bibliography A New Historicist Perspective:
Michael Levenson, Living History in "The Dead"

Feminist Criticism and "The Dead"
What Is Feminist Criticism?
Feminist Criticism: A Selected Bibliography A Feminist Perspective:
Margot Norris, Not the Girl She Was at All: Women in "The Dead"

Deconstruction and "The Dead"
What Is Deconstruction?
Deconstruction: A Selected Bibliography A Deconstructionist Perspective:
John Paul Riquelme, For Whom the Snow Taps: Style and Repetition in "The Dead"

Glossary of Critical and Theoretical Terms

About the Contributors

Editorial Reviews

"Just about the finest short story in the English language" The New York Times

"One of greatest short stories ever written" T. S. Eliot

From the Publisher