James Joyce was one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. This book explores his novels and short stories, and analyses the literary traditions and social factors influencing his distinctive complex style. Interweaving Joyce's life and history with his books, it also shows how Joyce celebrated his own experiences in Dublin.

Colin MacCabe is Distinguished Professor of English and Film, University of Pittsburgh. After becoming the youngest professor of English in the UK with a Chair at Strathclyde University in the 1980s, he split his energies between literary criticism at the University of Pittsburgh and producing films at the BFI (1985-1998); Minerva Pictures (1998-2005); and The Derek Jarman Lab (2012-present). Throughout his career he has studied and taught on James Joyce while writing on many other topics in film and literature in subsequent decades. MacCabe's other books include Keywords for Today (2019, co-edited with Holly Yanacek), and Perpetual Carnival:Essays on Film and Literature (2017).

• 1: Story and sound


• 2: Dubliners


• 3: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man


• 4: Ulysses


• 5: Finnegans Wake


• 6: Conclusion: Elite past or democratic future?


• Further Reading


• Index