JAMES JOYCE

Literature can roughly be divided into two types. One category of literary work is plot-driven. The point of this type of work is to tell a story, as in mystery books or romances. The book exists on one plane only. Once the reader has completed reading, he or she has little reason to revisit the work because the book has been ôsolved.ö The murderer has been identified, the romance has resolved in one way or another. Most important, the book has no need of subtext, the characteristic of the other type of literature.

Books of the second type exist on two separate planes. The narrative plane tells a specific tale, involving the usual accouterments of literary endeavor:plot, character, theme. However, the work also exists on another level. The author, at the same time he or she is telling the story, may be trying to express a more profound condition of humanity. These works deal not only with the corporeal, but with the symbolic. In the first type of book, an apple is only an apple. In the second, the apple not only is an apple, but also can be a symbol of temptation.

Joyce was a master of the second type of narrative. He continually operates on several planes at once, using symbols and double meanings to express convictions he has about humanity. The stories he tells are not merely about the characters within them, but also, invariably, about himself, about humanityÆs past, and about the reader. This is particularly evident in his shor

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g completely aware of life or of the possibilities that await them should they decide to transcend their narrowed mentality and grow emotionally. The monks are a symbol of the characters discussing them. They are a visual image containing a profound statement--a symbol--of the meaningless and trivial lives being led by the characters. That the monks are being discussed by these characters themselves is simply Joycean irony. Joyce is taking a mild potshot at the mores and values and culture that he grew out of. He presents himself as omniscient narrator and, in drawing a parallel between the monks and the characters, is asserting the superiority of his decisions. He has a fondness for the Irish that he cannot sever himself from, but he is not above poking holes in any mild pretensions he perceives. Gabriel Conroy serves many functions in the narrative. He is both the protagonist and the character meant to represent the readerÆs unenlightened sensibility. He also functions as an aspect of Joyce, filled with concerns that Joyce himself may have worried over. As protagonist, Conroy acts as the filter through which the storyÆs events travel. The reader empathizes with Conroy and is meant to experience what Conroy experiences. He i
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Approximate Word count = 1343
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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