Joyce’s Perceptive Analysis of the Paralysed City

Abstract

Joyce once bragged that if Dublin were to be destroyed by some catastrophe, it could be rebuilt brick by brick, using his works. Without a doubt, the city's streets, landmarks and denizens inhabit Joyce's mammoth works, in such a scrupulous, honest approach that Dublin appears transformed into a living personality. He also remarked that his sole intention was to write a chapter of the moral history of his country and he chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to him the centre of paralysis. His other expressive quote goes: “When I die Dublin will be written in my heart”. Thus, he did not attempt to describe the beauty of his own city like any other writer but eyed on the spiritual liberation of his country citizens. This essay critically examines Joyce’s knack of creating and inspecting the panorama of city Dublin in all the aforementioned aspects.

Keywords: Paralysis, Dublin, City, Streets, Nativity.