Scholarly record

PSYCHOLOGY AND LITERATURE: SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON JOYCE’S THE DEAD

Rosella Tomassoni, Francesco Spilabotte, Monica Alina Lungu, Federico Valente

Abstract

This work aims to present one of the most original and complex characters of the 20th century, the writer James Joyce (1882-1941). The study consists of a careful research and psychological investigation of the Irish writer’s thought through the analysis of one of his best-known works, Dubliners. In particular, the last story of Joyce’s extensive work, The Dead, will be examined. In the course of the work, particular emphasis will be placed on the themes and concepts present and recurring in Joyce’s works and in Dubliners. This study aims to show how James Joyce carefully portrays certain themes belonging to contemporary man and recurring within his stories and how through the combination of narrative techniques such as epiphany, the flow of thought and the use of different linguistic registers, he succeeds in delving into humanity characterised by fragility and weaknesses. Within this work, particular emphasis will be placed on the characters depicted by Joyce and how they represent the expression of his creativity, thanks also to his ability to masterfully bring out their emotions, feelings and inner conflicts. In the course of the analysis, it will be highlighted how the concept of paralysis presented by Joyce is one of the central themes of The Dead. The paralysis represented by Joyce is a paralysis in which the city of Dublin and its inhabitants are immersed. A moral paralysis, the difficulty of changing, of coming out of a structured reality that will lead the Irish writer to move away from the city and escape.

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