‘the Dead’ - a Social Critic and a Glimpse over This Society Joyce Criticizes

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The techniques and themes of the modern novel were affected by social changes and a very different point of view towards the world. They knew an unprecedented series of innovations, starting from the subjects chosen until the way they were presented. These changes took the form of the two most important revelations of modern literature: the concept of “epiphany” and “stream of consciousness” technique. They were put in action by many of the twentieth century novelists, such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, being the most relevant. The perspective from which the writer tells the story "The Dead'' is in the third-person limited point of view. Although the narrator describes the action of many of the characters and even situations of some events Gabriel does not witness, only Gabriel's thoughts are given. Joyce's writing style is also relevant when discussing the theme proposed. In his short story ‘‘The Dead,’’ James Joyce symbolically presents his critical view of Dublin society, and it is noticeable that Joyce’s Irish experiences are essential to his writings and provide all of the settings for his fiction and much of their subject matter. To better understand the society he criticizes it is important to know that in the nineteenth century the European society was essentially bourgeois and the literature was solidly anchored in this social world. Therefore, to understand the living and Joyce’s critics about the society he lived in, it is necessary to understand how this society worked and in what principles it was based on. In that society women were represented as ideal Victorian ladies, who endured the ups and downs of life, in the name of a social code. Respectability was achieved only through marriage. Genuine love and respect had nothing to do with family, since the outside signs of respectability were more important, than its essence. By showing us Gretta
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