From the Bookshelf of Reading the Classics…

Dubliners

James Joyce

Start date: May 1, 2013

Finish date: May 31, 2013

Discussion: Past Group Reads

Why we're reading this: Tied in the April polls, so now it is the May Group Read.
[close] Tied in the April polls, so now it is the May Group Read.

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Past Group Reads

* Washington Square - Reading Schedule
By Brian , co-moderator · 3 posts · 28 views

last updated May 08, 2021 11:27AM

* Rebecca Reading Schedule
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last updated Feb 04, 2021 10:42AM

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What Members Thought

Jan 19, 2014 Bogdan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: brits

Interesting and at the same time a pretty difficult read for me, as I not a native English speaker and Joyce's works are based on language fineness. I also wasn't prepared regarding what to expect at my first encounter with his prose.

As I lately look into several aspects of the novels I read, now I will be discussing about the premise. This was pretty simple as the author wanted mostly to show how the middle class Dubliners were, as he knew them. Perhaps this helped him to know them better. I be Interesting and at the same time a pretty difficult read for me, as I not a native English speaker and Joyce's works are based on language fineness. I also wasn't prepared regarding what to expect at my first encounter with his prose.

As I lately look into several aspects of the novels I read, now I will be discussing about the premise. This was pretty simple as the author wanted mostly to show how the middle class Dubliners were, as he knew them. Perhaps this helped him to know them better. I believe this premise is admirably delivered and this is why I will give it a 5.

Regarding the form, Joyce used naturalism to display the people as they are, without giving any conclusions to the reader. It worked out interesting, and fully supported the scope of the novel. I had some minor issues with some not so common words, but I believe I managed pretty well for a non-native reader. I will give it a 4 for form.

In terms of originality, I did not read before a similar book about Irish people, especially about Dubliners. I managed to learn many things about them and their national identity. But in the end, the model of the book is pretty simple and common, and I guess each national literature has its own Dubliners. I will give it a 4 at originality.

The characters are all unique and carefully constructed. It is almost clear that most of them were actual persons or inspired by actual persons. In such a situation, I will rate it with a 5.

Regarding the complexity and difficulty, I noticed the great attention to detail in these short stories. They were polished and worked upon until almost reached a perfect state. I wish I could write like that. On the other hand, the short stories are most of them pretty simple and not at all intricate. So I will rate it with a 4 for complexity and difficulty.

In terms of credibility I believe that if James Joyce did not knew his fellow Dubliners, then no one else knew a thing about them. This is why I will rate it with a 5.

The last criteria is edition. I had an eBook with some minor flaws. Due to the copyright laws, I obtained it free of charge, so I cannot be too harsh on it. Due to this, I will rate it with a 4.

To summarize, I liked this short story collection and barely waiting for my next encounter with James Joyce. All in all, my final rating for this collection is 4.43, which I will round to a 4 on Goodreads system.


+--------------------------+-----------------+
| Criteria | Rating |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Premise | 5 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Form | 4 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Originality | 4 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Characters | 5 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Difficulty/Complexity | 4 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Credibility | 5 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Edition | 4 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+
|Total | 4.43 |
+--------------------------+-----------------+

For more details on how I rated and reviewed this novel, please read these guidelines. ...more

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Jan 09, 2008 A rated it liked it

I can't say I loved this book as much as I hoped I would, though there's a technical brilliance to the way he crafts his stories. I was hoping to love these stories as much as I've enjoyed the stories of master Irish story fiction writers Trevor and McGahern, but perhaps he paved the way for them. ...more

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