07 Jul narrative essay- channneling joyce
James Joyce wrote in a style termed scrupulously mean. It was mean because he honestly revealed his characters flaws, and many of his characters were based on people he knew in real life. It was scrupulous because he indicated some reason why the character could not succeed. For example, in the story Eveline, she failed to get on the boat with Frank, but we also know why. In fact, we know many reasons why. She was afraid of change because even though her life sucked, it was a suck she was familiar with, and Buenos Ayres was unknown, a place she might drown. She promised her mother, she had duties to family, she didn’t really love Frank, and the church would not approve. We know why she fails.
For this assignment, tell a story about someone you know, something they did that reveals their flaws, and try to indicate along the way why they made that mistake or did what they did. You don’t have to emulate Joyce directly in an artistic or stylistic sense unless you feel you can. The main thing is to tell the story of your family member or friend, someone you know, in a scrupulously mean way. Try to use the good writing techniques you learned from chapter 7 of P & E.
As mentioned in the Syllabus, this is a 900 word assignment or three pages.
