Araby by James Joyce

 Hey everyone, 

              This blog is based on our paper "Study of English Literature" 's unit named "Araby".

          James Joyce was haibodend  writer and he is famous for his experimental writing. He was born in catholic family.

Born : 2nd February 1882

Died : 18 JANUARY 1941

His higher education was done in "Clongowes wood college" & " Catholic National University". Very soon he became literary celebrity . In his last work Finnegans wake" which was published in 1939 during its writing he faced opthalmic problem and that is why he quoted that,

"Sound of words matter more than the site of them."

Joyce's all works are somewhere intertextual that is why it is very hard to identify that who was influenced him. Still Gustave Flaubert and Henrik Insen's style reflects more.

Joyce exposes the world movement named "Avant-garde art" such as expressionism, dadaism, cubism. He knows multiple languages like Latin, Italian, Irish. Joyce also known for fictional writing, his first novel rather autobiographical novel was " A portrait of the Artist as a young man". Then he wrote 'EXILES'. 

      Joyce most famous novel was "Ulysses" published in 16 June 1994 which was also celebrated as a Bloosom Day. He wrote in the style of stream of consciousness and with the help of technical narration.

"I've put in so many onigams and puzzles that it will keep the proffesor,busy for centuries arguing over what I ment, and that's the only way of insuring one's immorality."

* A critical summary of Araby:

       

  

               Dubliners published in 1914,it comes up with fifteen stories. All the stories present life in Irish capital in terms of moral and material milence in Dubliners destiny. 

"My intention was to write a chapter of the moral history of my country and I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis."

Joyce uses style in all story like Scorpius meanness. All Stories organised like,

1. Childhood

2. Adolescence

3. Maturity 

4. Public life 

Araby is last of the childhood's story, it's narrated in first person from the perspective of an unnamed boy who is verge of adolescents. First person helps the author to caaptures boy's complex and changing mood sensitivity. Araby title came from orientation fair which came to Dublin when Joyce was 12 years old.

The opening of the story= North Richment street.

Boy narrator lives with his uncle and aunt. He is remembering former tenant who was priest and he is highly influenced by his liberary some of his favourite books are..,

1. A Romance by sir Walter Scotl.

2. A Religious Tract.

3. A police agent's memoirs.

During this narrator infatuated by Mangan's sister and because of his shy nature he is not able to talk with her. But one day she came and asked him Weather he is going to Araby bazar? because she has already committed to attain school retreat.

Narrator told his desire to visit Araby market but when he found his uncle drunked he himself became upset. In this Joyce reflecting insansitivity of adult world towards need of young.

# Nagative Epiphany:

Joyce record movement of negative epiphany or movement of realisation. At the Araby bazar as soon as he entered there he realised Epiphany and his romentic idolised vision , attraction of Mangan's sister and also idea of love was destroyed. He leaves the bazar with shame and anger rising in him and the story ends with disappointment.

* Interpreting of Araby: 

       Araby is part of general apience of frustration and failure in the capital Dublin. In this for protagonist childhood encounters containent in Dublin. The obstacle of the boy is the insansative attitude of the elders in the household, it shows that even adults desire remain unfulfilled like his desire to buy love token for his beloved.

Northrichment street:

 it's representing blind and suggesting dead end also a gloomy atmosphere. 

The settings of the story: 

representing atmosphere dark and rary Dublin. The crucible of failure and disillusionment. 

The mejor part of the story is talking about delay and frustration. 

Negative epiphany occurs in it when boy realise failure of his dreams. Trivial objects are capable of epiphany . Story has strong romantic elements. Idea of love was personified in Mangan's sister.

Both the movement 

1. Romance to realism 

2. Childhood phantasy to hard reality to adolescence. 

Reflects here.The world has lost its magic. Main message of the story is nobody is interested in others life.

 *Themes :

1.  The Discrepancy between the ideal and the real:

There is constant struggle in boy's mind about what is ideal and what is real. At the end when he realised the reality his innocence were lost. He idealized Mangan's sister but somehow she didn't have same feeling. He just infatuated by her and that physical attraction lead him to the harsh reality.

2. Coming of age or the movement from innocence to experience: 

Hormonal changes as well as outer world effect the most in childhood times. So the narrator passes through various stages and experience help him to to be mature.

3. Routine and Escape:

The other all characters are so much happy with their routine like boys used to play , aunt do household, uncle has work burden. Due to this all people started escaption.

4. Religion and spirituality: 

In the story Joyce trying to connect it with religious aspects like priest, unnamed narrator is also like priest and he de worshing of Mangan's sister who is presenting both ideal women to love as well religion class which people love to worship. So somehow it is connected to spirituality.  In historical context of catholic movement Joyce write it. There is also question of faith like do people believing in religion or not..?

Thank you.