James Joyce is probably the single most influential author of twentieth-century literature and certainly one of its most radical innovators. In less than four decades he went through every stage from symbolism through realism to modernism and postmodernism in 'fast forward' mode, creating some of the greatest works in literary history, such as

Dubliners

(1914),

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

(1914-15),

Ulysses

(1922) and

Finnegans Wake

(1939). Characterized by an extraordinarily rapid development, these works have to a large extent determined the face of literary modernism and left a decisive mark on much of the ensuing literature.

James Joyce was the oldest son of John Stanislaus Joyce and May Murray. He was born on 2 February 1882 in Rathgar, a Dublin suburb. The family moved

1969 words

Citation: Van Hulle, Dirk. "James Joyce". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 March 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5181, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5181 James Joyce 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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