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A Study Guide for James Joyce's "Leslie Marmon Silko's Dead"
A Study Guide for James Joyce's "Leslie Marmon Silko's Dead"
A Study Guide for James Joyce's "Leslie Marmon Silko's Dead"
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A Study Guide for James Joyce's "Leslie Marmon Silko's Dead"

By Gale and Cengage

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A Study Guide for James Joyce's "Leslie Marmon Silko's Dead," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 6, 2016
ISBN9781535827294
A Study Guide for James Joyce's "Leslie Marmon Silko's Dead"

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    A Study Guide for James Joyce's "Leslie Marmon Silko's Dead" - Gale

    2

    The Dead

    James Joyce

    1914

    Introduction

    James Joyce wrote The Dead in 1907, three years after writing the fourteen other stories that were eventually published with it in his collection The Dead is the last story in the collection, and it unites the themes found in the earlier stories. In his book, Joyce wanted to give the history of Ireland. The prominent characteristic he saw in Ireland, and particularly in Dublin, was the spiritual paralysis of its people. The plot of The Dead presents the thoughts and actions of one man, Gabriel Conroy, on a night he and his wife attend a party given by his two aunts. With its meticulous detail, the story is realistic in style, focusing less on great events than on subtle symbolism. Conroy is presented as a rather awkward, condescending, and self-absorbed man, but he later has a moment of self-realization when his wife tells him about a relationship she had as a young girl with a youth who loved her passionately. Joyce does not make it clear, however, what kind of change Gabriel’s revelation, or epiphany, brings in him. Critics disagree as to whether this change involves an acceptance of his own self-consciousness or whether he has a moment of spiritual growth, becoming a more compassionate and humane person. The story has many characters and a number of references to the dead, and many of the characters are based on people Joyce knew—his friends and family members. A great deal of critical attention has been given to the story over the years since it was published.

    Author Biography

    James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was born the oldest of eight children on February 2, 1882, in Rathgar, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. His parents were John Stanislaus Joyce and Mary Jane Murray Joyce. From both parents Joyce inherited musical talent and, particularly from his father, a talent for playing with words and telling stories. Unfortunately, John Joyce liked to drink and spend money, which caused the family’s gradual descent into poverty and forced them to move many times. Having lived in so many different addresses in and around Dublin (nearly twenty) allowed Joyce to gain an intimate knowledge of the city. Joyce dedicated his life to writing about the city and its people.

    Despite the family’s poverty, Joyce managed to get a good education at a series of Jesuit schools, where he was always an outstanding student. His academic career culminated in a degree in modern languages from University College, Dublin. While at the university he published an

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