Cultural Studies Of James Joyce

The first volume to collect essays from the emergent field of cultural studies that specifically address the work of James Joyce, Cultural Studies of James Joyce includes work from both well-established Joyce scholars such as Margot Norris and Cheryl Herr and by such younger writers as Tracey Teets Schwarze and Paul Saint-Amour. Topics range over the whole field of culture, from “Nipper” the Victrola dog to the statuary of Praxitiles, from the Tank Girl comics to studies of Irish schizophrenia, from the history of University College Dublin to the political ferment over choral singing at the turn of the century. The volume should be of interest to Joyceans, to students of literature and culture in the twentieth century, and especially to those interested in the interactions of different cultural levels between the nineteenth century and our own time. An introductory survey by R. Brandon Kershner discusses the rise of cultural studies and places the issue within modern debates in literary theory.

This book draws on the work of leading contemporary scholars to provide an original and detailed overview of Joyce's life and writings. The essays introduce major works like Ulysses while also address topics like feminism, literary theory, cultural studies, and reception history. The book offers an effective introduction to Joyce's life and work and is useful to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as those seeking to learn more about perhaps the most influential author of the twentieth century. It is written in a lively and accessible format, and is useful both to seasoned scholars as well as novice readers. It provides an overview of Joyce's work while also exploring the major schools of scholarly thought about his books.

This is the first full-length study of James Joyce to subject his work to ethical and political analysis. It addresses important issues in contemporary literary and cultural studies surrounding problems of justice, as well as discussions of gender, homosociality, and the colonial condition. Valente's focus alternates between the details of Joyce's language and the biographical and sociohistorical contexts that inform his writing, with particular attention paid to questions of race and gender.

As a genetic study, this book uncovers the creative DNA of James Joyce's oeuvre by looking at the cultural forces that shaped him and that he in turn shaped in the creation of his books, developing a two-way relationship with history, memory and national identity. Following his development as an author, it revisits and redirects Joyce's attitudes towards the Irish Revival. From Chamber Music, through Ulysses to Finnegans Wake Joyce sought to define a cultural identity that went, in many respects, against the mainstream, but that nonetheless belonged to the wider Revivalist project with which it shared certain characteristics and aspirations. Joyce's historical and genealogical imagination is read through a careful investigation of the cultural materials that went into his work. Based on evidence from his personal library and the extensive archive of reading notes, ideas, sketches and drafts, this book investigates how Joyce used, absorbed and repurposed these materials creatively in his writing; it does so by bringing for the first time the methods of genetic criticism into the domain of cultural memory and the sociology of the text. Thus this books defines “cultural genetics” as an exploration of the textual material that are Joyce's sources interacts with the culture that produced and received them.

This collection charts the vital contextual backgrounds to James Joyce's life and writing. The essays collectively show how Joyce was rooted in his times, how he is both a product and a critic of his multiple contexts, and how important he remains to the world of literature, criticism and culture.

Reading James Joyce is a ready-at-hand compendium and all-encompassing interpretive guide designed for teachers and students approaching Joyce’s writings for the first time, guiding readers to better understand Joyce’s works and the background from which they emerged. Meticulously organized, this text situates readers within the world of Joyce including biographical exploration, discussion of Joyce’s innovations and prominent works such as Dubliners, Ulysses, and Finnegans Wake, surveys of significant critical approaches to Joyce’s writings, and examples of alternative readings and contemporary responses. Each chapter will provide interpretive approaches to contemporary literary theories and key issues, including end-of-chapter strategies and extended readings for further engagement. This book also includes shorter assessments of Joyce’s lesser-known works—critical writings, drama, poetry, letters, epiphanies, and personal recollections—to contextualize the creative and social environments from which his most notable publications arose. This uniquely comprehensive guide to Joyce will be an invaluable and comprehensive resource for readers exploring the influential world of Joyce studies.

In this engaging introduction, Vincent Sherry combines a close reading of Ulysses with new critical arguments. He provides a useful guide to the episodic sequence of Joyce's novel. In addition, he presents a searching interpretation of this masterwork, freshly addressing the major issues in Ulysses criticism. He shows how Joyce's modernist epic remodels Homer's Odyssey; and he examines and explains Joyce's extraordinary verbal experiments. This book is essential reading for all students of Joyce, whether they are approaching Ulysses for the first time or returning to the text.

Re: Joyce offers readers of James Joyce a significant collection of new essays from an international array of prominent and emerging Joyce scholars from around the world. Combining a wide range of theoretical approaches, this collection intervenes with current debates about Joyce's work and the place of Joyce in the academy, while addressing all principal areas of Joycean scholarship. In addition to this, the volume raises issues relevant to the study of Joyce in the context of modernism. Grouped thematically, the essays which comprise Re: Joyce offer all students of Joyce an exciting range of in-depth encounters with the pre-eminent writer of the twentieth century.