James Joyce

Kursbeschreibung / -kommentar

This seminar aims to provide an introduction to the life and oeuvre of one of the world’s most famous and most talked about writers of the 20th century, James Joyce (1881-1941). Joyce’s novels are often viewed as some of the most difficult and inaccessible texts of modern literature.
The course will try to work against these prejudices by offering the opportunity to consider Joyce’s writing within the cultural and political framework of early 20th century Ireland. The focus of the seminar will, of course, be on Joyce’s most famous novel Ulysses (1921) and one of the seminar’s highlights will be the celebration of “Bloomsday” on 16 June (the day in the life of Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses). Additionally, we will consider Joyce’s early writings such as Dubliners (1914) and the novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) as well as the novel that has earned the reputation to have put an end to the genre, Finnegans Wake (1939).
Students should read Dubliners and A Portrait and begin reading Ulysses during the semester break.
Primary Reading:
Joyce, James. Dubliners. Bantham Classics. New York: Bantham 2005. (BUY!)
----. A Portrait of the Author as a Young Man. Wadsworth Collection. Wadsworth, 1992.
----. Ulysses. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin, 2000. (BUY!)
----. Finnegans Wake. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin, 1999.
Suggested Secondary Reading:
Students are advised to also buy: Ellmann, Richard: James Joyce. (any edition, also in German)
A bibliography with other relevant secondary texts will be made available in the first session of the course.
Assessment: Regular and active participation, an expert session and a term paper
2 Kreditpunkte: Expert session and book review OR participation in Bloomsday Open Reading (details tba, reading to take place around AR campus, with possible evening session at “Shamrock” Irish Pub, Tuesday 16 June)
5 Kreditpunkte: Expert session and exam
7 Kreditpunkte: Expert session and term paper