James Joyce and the Exilic Imagination
by Michael Patrick Gillespie
“As Gillespie combines national, geographical, and historical contexts with close readings of Joyce’s works, the theme of exile takes on unexpected nuances.”—Margot Norris, editor of Dubliners
“Casts significant new light on Joyce’s writings.”—John Paul Riquelme, editor of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
James Joyce left Ireland in 1904 in self-imposed exile. Though he never permanently returned to Dublin, he continued to characterize the city in his prose throughout the rest of his life with conflicting bitterness and affection. While this is a common contradiction in the writing of expatriate authors, this duality has not been explored in Joyce’s work until now. James Joyce and the Exilic Imagination showcases the often-overlooked range of emotional attitudes imbuing Joyce’s work and produces a fuller understanding of Joyce’s canon.