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
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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
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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