{"product_id":"james-joyce-a-very-short-introduction-9780192894472","title":"James Joyce: A Very Short Introduction","description":"James Joyce is one of the greatest writers in English. His first book, \u003cem\u003eA Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man\u003c\/em\u003e laid down the template for the Coming of Age novel, while his collection of short stories, \u003cem\u003eDubliners\u003c\/em\u003e, is of perennial interest. His great modern epic, \u003cem\u003eUlysses\u003c\/em\u003e, took the city of Dublin for its setting and all human life for its subject, and its publication in 1922 marked the beginning of the modern novel. Joyce's final work, \u003cem\u003eFinnegans Wake\u003c\/em\u003e is an endless experiment in narrative and language. But if Joyce is a great writer he is also the most difficult writer in English. \u003cem\u003eFinnegans Wake\u003c\/em\u003e is written in a freshly invented language, and \u003cem\u003eUlysses\u003c\/em\u003e exhausts all the forms and styles of English. Even the apparently simple \u003cem\u003eDubliners\u003c\/em\u003e has plots of endless complexity, while the structure of \u003cem\u003eA Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man\u003c\/em\u003e is exceptionally intricate. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis \u003cem\u003eVery Short Introduction\u003c\/em\u003e explores the work of this most influential yet complex writer, and analyses how Joyce's difficulty grew out of his situation as an Irish writer unwilling to accept the traditions of his imperialist oppressor, and contemptuous of the cultural banality of the Gaelic revival. Joyce wanted to investigate and celebrate his own life, but this meant investigating and celebrating the drunks of Dublin's pubs and the prostitutes of Dublin's brothels. No subject was alien to him and he developed the naturalist project of recording all aspects of life with the symbolist project of finding significant correspondences in the most unlikely material. Throughout, Colin MacCabe interweaves Joyce's life and history with his books, and draws out their themes and connections. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eb\u003cem\u003eVery Short Introductions\u003c\/em\u003eb: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring \/b \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eABOUT THE SERIES: The \u003cem\u003eVery Short Introductions\u003c\/em\u003e series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColin MacCabe, \u003cem\u003eDistinguished Professor of English and Film, University of Pittsburgh\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eColin MacCabe is Distinguished Professor of English and Film, University of Pittsburgh. After becoming the youngest professor of English in the UK with a Chair at Strathclyde University in the 1980s, he split his energies between literary criticism at the University of Pittsburgh and producing films at the BFI (1985-1998); Minerva Pictures (1998-2005); and The Derek Jarman Lab (2012-present). Throughout his career he has studied and taught on James Joyce while writing on many other topics in film and literature in subsequent decades. MacCabe's other books include \u003cem\u003eKeywords for Today\u003c\/em\u003e (2019, co-edited with Holly Yanacek), and \u003cem\u003ePerpetual Carnival: Essays on Film and Literature\u003c\/em\u003e (2017).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50554093011218,"sku":"9780192894472","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_32acb061-6b47-4960-8d34-9157a750a40a.jpg?v=1731707286","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/james-joyce-a-very-short-introduction-9780192894472","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}