Irish scholarship and writing is very sensitive when it comes to the issue of the of English Colonization, colonial forces, independence and the matter of the Post-Colonial. In fact a very Irish consciousness is present in almost all the prose works, poems and dramas of this nation, and all writers in this trend, di-rectly or by implication have sought to portray these matters through their works.
The paper will endeavour to delve into that consciousness of acclaimed Irish writer James Joyce which attempts to create an alternative cultural identity different from the English by orientalising the Irish sensibilities and moulding it as an opposition to English Imperialism. Borrowing heavily from the theories of Edward Said, and from Edward Soja, Bill Ashcroft et al, the paper will look to illustrate how Joyce “writes back” to the Empire trying to destabilize the colonial culture; yet his identification with the Orient as a Romantic Refuge contrastively crumbles into a place of degeneration, despair and depravity pinpointing James Joyce the—‘The European’s’—ambivalence towards the matter of the Orient: as the boy in Araby is made to realise that escapist fascination is a vain attempt. Focussing on the dissolution of Irish Orientalism into English-French Orientalism, I shall attempt to show how Joyce strove to but failed in transforming Dark Rosaleen into a Gaelic Madonna.
Table of Contents
1. The Irish Situation
1.1 The “Paralysis”
2. In looking towards the East
2.1 Irish Orientalism
2.2 The “Lush” East
2.3 A further Answerable Question
3. The East-ing of the West
3.1 Fusing the East into the West
3.2 The Irish Orientalist link
4. “Orientalism”: The project of Edward Said
5. The Fall of the East
6. The Ambivalence
Conclusion
Scope of furthering the Project
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this work is to explore how James Joyce utilized the concept of "Irish Orientalism" as a literary strategy to challenge British imperial influence and redefine Irish cultural identity. The research investigates how Joyce transitioned from an initial romanticized fascination with the East as a refuge from colonial paralysis to a final, ambivalent realization of the futility of such escapist constructions.
- The relationship between colonial paralysis and the Irish search for an alternative identity.
- The influence of Edward Said’s "Orientalism" on the interpretation of Joycean texts.
- The role of "Araby" and other works in the exploration of the "East-ing of the West".
- The transition from romanticized escapism to the critical assessment of imperial binary structures.
- The analysis of Joyce’s "double-vision" regarding cultural and geopolitical boundaries.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Fusing the East into the West
Edward Soja defines Thirdspace as a space where ‘everything comes together...subjectivity and objectivity, the abstract and the concrete, the real and the imagined, the knowable and the unimaginable, the repetitive and differential, structure and agency, mind and body, consciousness and the unconscious, the discipline and the transdisciplinary, everyday life and unending history’(Soja, 1996, p.57). Dubliners acts as such a space where the two perspectives–––––– the realist and the romantic; two languages–––––– the literal and the metaphorical; the reason and the passion, the vertical value-oriented life and the horizontal time-oriented life(Schwarz, 2005, p.136) merge. The stories open with words and phrases which become associated with the culture that is stifling the growth of the Joycean heroes––––––– ‘paralysis’, ‘blind’, ‘musty’, ‘littered’, ‘useless, ‘enclosed’, ‘fragile’, ‘grey’ and so on––––––– the real, the literal, the physical space. Joyce attempts to counteract this with an ‘idea of escape eastwards’ as suggested by Brewster Ghiselin in his pioneering essay “The Unity of Dubliners”.
‘As I walked along in the sun I remembered old Cotter’s words and tried to remember what had happened afterwards in the dream. I remembered that I had noticed long velvet curtains and a swinging lamp of antique fashion. I felt I had been very far away, in some land where the customs were strange–––––– in Persia, I thought....But I could not remember the end of the dream.’(Dubliners, 6)
We see the boy here fusing the “strange” and “antiquated” East into his everyday life, especially into the recollection of certain events which we know are not overly dear to him. Firstly, we know that he had resented every word that old Cotter had said; and secondly we see him ruminating about the “dream”. We know that when it had first appeared to him, the dream had scared him and he had tried to forget it by drawing up his blanket over his face and think of Christmas. But in this passage with the Orient infused into it he rather willingly seeks out the ending of that very dream. There’s a strange sense of romance associated with the recollection, a confused adoration. Persia had given him a strange strength to overcome ‘the heavy grey face of the paralytic’.
Chapter Summaries
1. The Irish Situation: This chapter contextualizes the birth and early life of James Joyce within the complex political landscape of Ireland under British rule, identifying the "Irish Paralysis" as a central theme of his work.
2. In looking towards the East: The chapter explores the intellectual movement of "Irish Orientalism," where Irish nationalists sought to establish a unique cultural origin for the Celts by connecting them to Eastern civilizations.
3. The East-ing of the West: Here, the author analyzes how Joyce incorporates Eastern tropes into the drab realities of Dublin in *Dubliners*, attempting to use the "exotic" as an escape from stagnation.
4. “Orientalism”: The project of Edward Said: This section provides a theoretical framework by examining Edward Said's critique of Western representations of the East and how these discourses influenced colonial power dynamics.
5. The Fall of the East: The analysis focuses on the collapse of the boy’s romanticized visions in *Dubliners*, demonstrating how the Eastern refuge is exposed as a commercialized product of imperial structures.
6. The Ambivalence: The final chapter reflects on Joyce's shift from an affinity for Eastern escapism to a critical, "wisened" ambivalence, ultimately leading him toward the more internal and complex framing found in *Ulysses*.
Keywords
Orient, Paralysis, Irish Orientalism, Orientalism, Dark Rosaleen, Edward Said, James Joyce, Colonialism, Dubliners, Cultural Identity, Escapism, Thirdspace, Imperialism, Romanticism, Ambivalence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research paper?
This paper examines how James Joyce used the concept of the "Orient" as a literary device to navigate and critique the colonial condition of Ireland and to seek an alternative cultural identity.
What are the central themes explored in this work?
The work centers on themes of colonial paralysis, the attempt to "write back" to the empire through exoticized imagery, and the eventual disillusionment with these escapist strategies.
What is the primary research question?
The research asks how Joyce’s engagement with "Irish Orientalism" functions as an anti-imperialist strategy and why this pursuit ultimately results in a sense of profound ambivalence.
Which scientific or theoretical methods are applied?
The author employs postcolonial theory, specifically borrowing from Edward Said’s *Orientalism* and Edward Soja’s *Thirdspace*, to deconstruct the geopolitical and symbolic dimensions of Joyce’s narratives.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body systematically progresses through the definition of the "Irish situation," the development of "Irish Orientalism," the fusion of Eastern myths into Dublin life, and the eventual realization of the futility of these constructions.
What keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include Orient, Paralysis, Irish Orientalism, Dark Rosaleen, Cultural Identity, and Imperialism.
How does the author interpret the term "Paralysis" in the context of Joyce's work?
The author defines paralysis as a condition of spiritual and societal stagnation in Ireland, caused by British colonial control and an oppressive religious environment, which Joyce sought to overcome through artistic creation.
Why does the boy in "Araby" eventually feel disillusioned?
The boy’s disillusionment occurs when he reaches the bazaar and realizes that the "exotic" East he imagined is merely a cheap marketplace influenced by the same commercial and colonial forces he sought to escape.
How does Joyce’s relationship with the Orient evolve from "Dubliners" to "Ulysses"?
The research suggests a movement from an externalized, romantic "looking beyond" in *Dubliners* to a more mature, critical, and internalized "looking within" found in *Ulysses*.
- Citar trabajo
- Sourav Das (Autor), 2016, Joyce and the Irish Stagnation, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/412741
