Gabriel
05-24-2005, 06:07 PM
What to write about such a piece of writing as this? Ah, yes. It is not going to attract a non-traditional reader to enjoy reading, but it is a work of some importance and the narrative is a whole. At times, Joyce revels so much in the idea of "art" that he strangles himself with it. He does not touch on the greater audience. That is not to say that one should write for everyone in the world, but, what Aristotle called, "the learned and the mean," he missed. Only those apt readers will understand and appreciate the subtley and nuiasance of the writing and style. He misses the mean completely, thouroughly, and disgustingly so. How? Yes, he accurately portrays life, but often one looks to literature for an escape from the mundane. It's sad to see this book being...page...after page...page...page...of agonizingly slow material. But read any bio. of Joyce and the fact that he "never comprimised his art" is found throughout. Perhaps Joyce should have listened to his editors more, and his works may have had an even greater impact than they did.