Below are three links to short stories by James Joyce.
These are the last texts we will be studying for the coursework.
We will spend the first three coursework lessons studying and discussing these stories. Module 6 students will study the Blake poems on 4 November and we'll begin with the stories 11 November. Module 2 students we'll begin the short stories on Thursday 6 November and Module 1 students on Friday 7 November. Please read all three stories and if possible print them out so that you can annotate and make notes on them.
I will produce a small anthology of the short stories for you after the holiday.
We will study each story in the order given below
Click here for a link to the short story An Encounter by James Joyce.
Click here for a link to the short story Araby by James Joyce
Click here for a link to the short story Eveline by James Joyce
SHORT STORIES - GUIDE LINES
Short stories usually focus on one main character in detail.
Short stories usually include two or three minor characters - usually superficial
Short stories normally have one main plot - they don't usually include sub-plots
Short stories are characterised by concise and economic use of language
Short stories are normally set in one or two locations
Short stories may use a range of different writing formats - such as descriptive, dialogue, narrative, reflection
Short stories generally have a simple structure and will refer to a thesis, antithesis and synthesis in their narrative
Specifically, Joyce uses a writing technique known as Epiphany. An epiphany is a moment of highened awareness and insight into the truth of a situation.
What essay topics are relevant for each of the stories?
As you read the three stories, pay particular attention to the characteristics of the narrator as a character and as a story teller. Also consider the narrative perspective.
Pay close attention to the setting. How is place evoked by the writing?
Consider the presentation of children in each story - both narrator and minor characters.
Comment on the writing style of each story and what effect do these writing techniques have on a reader?
