James Joyce Research Paper

James Joyce was one of the most distinguished Irish authors of the twentieth

century. He is known for his literary styles, such as a direct narrative and indirect style.

Although his writing style changed throughout his life, James Joyce was greatly changed

from his transition from childhood into adulthood and this influenced his writing. He

brought multiple writing methods that were not easy to compare to others.

On February 2, 1882, James Joyce was the first born of a soon to be large family

of ten. Joyce was brought up in Dublin, Ireland, where his father obtained the position as

a failed entrepreneur; and his mother obtained the title of a well-known pianist. Although

the Joyce family was extremely poor, they kept the title

Joyce took initiative to excel in his readings beyond the school

requirements.

James Joyce earned his secondary degree from Belvedere College, and later

attended the University College Dublin. Studying the different styles of writings, he felt

connected with the writings of a specific Norwegian dramatist. Henrik Ibsen’s works

encouraged him to step out of his comfort zone and publish articles, write plays, and

review poetry. In 1902, James Joyce graduated from University College Dublin with a

degree in modern language. Within the same year, Joyce signed up to study medicine at

the Royal University. In high hopes to leave Dublin, he signed up for medical school in

Paris. Joyce was uncertain about his future and stated, “I do not know what will happen

to me in Paris but my case can hardly be worse than it is here” (Foster). He spent his days

there sitting in lectures and reading literature, instead of studying medicine. Traveling

home for the holidays, James met Oliver St John Gogarty, a poet and also a medical

student. James Joyce portrayed Oliver as a character in his book Ulysses. James quickly

gave up on his medical path and returned home to

This choice affected Joyces’ financial situation and caused him his

medical school degree. The tragic event caused James to have more animosity towards

his hometown. He was beginning to find himself slowly disagreeing with the Roman

Catholic Church. His mother however was a devout Catholic, and in return it caused

heavy tension between the two. Although he did not want to cause any discomfort

between his mother, Joyce was not sorry for the decisions that he made towards religion.

James Joyce was close to a well-known writer and publisher Lady Gregory. He

expresses to her, "I want to achieve myself—little or great as I may be—for I know that

there is no heresy or no philosophy which is so abhorrent to my church as a human being,

and accordingly I am going to Paris” (Foster).

Joyce started his collection by publishing work for the Irish Homestead. Later, his

style become to blunt and eager for readers and was quickly turned away by publishers.

His writing Dubliners was turned away by twelve publishers for its sexuality, immorality,

and anti-Catholicism, and especially strong objections were raised to "The Boarding

House" and "An Encounter" (Ulin). In New York, 1914, Grant Richards released