How To Read Joyce

Description

James Joyce is known most widely as a 'difficult' writer, even if he is no longer thought of as a 'dirty' one. Yet many readers - and not just in colleges and universities - have discovered his books to be funny, moving, illuminating, and packed with memorable moments. There are some simple ways to overcome the initial intimidation that Joyce's style can cause. In this book, Derek Attridge shows how even the shortest passage of Joyce's writing can yield its humour and its insights without the need for immense learning or lengthy training. Moving through all of Joyce's major books, from the deceptive clarity of Dubliners to the apparent craziness of Finnegans Wake, he demonstrates that they all, in their different ways, are a pleasure to read - even if we have to make some adjustments to our understanding of what 'reading' is.

Derek Attridge is the author or editor of several books on Joyce, including Peculiar Language, Joyce Effects, James Joyce's 'Ulysses': A Casebook and The Cambridge Companion to Joyce. He is a Professor of English at the University of York, England.

* 'These books let you encounter thinkers eyeball to eyeball by analysing passages from their work' Terry Eagleton, New Statesman * 'These deceptively slim volumes really are a course in "How to Read", not "How to Pretend to Have Read''' John Banville, Irish Times * 'Each author offers a smart take on how to approach reading his subject's works by providing historical and biographical detail, critical debate and sample excerpts of text' Sarah Sennott, Newsweek * 'This will prove an extremely useful series and each title is reasonably priced' Contemporary Review