Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A to Z Challenge: My Favorite Storytellers-- J

If you've read Max and Menna, you may have a good hint for my "J" storyteller, because I just couldn't resist working a reference into my first novel.

James Joyce

Joyce is an anomaly in my list because  I believe he is the only storyteller thus far that was born before 1900. This is not to say that I am not a fan of the classics-- quite the contrary, I love the bases of our current canon (despite John Donne being superseded by Matt Damon in this month's challenge). However, I am typically more moved by the contemporaries with the exception of James Joyce.

And by James Joyce, I mean the last 8 paragraphs of "The Dead," the final story in The Dubliners.

Seriously, its open source, you can find it online. If you haven't read this short story, go now. Read it. Don't stop. You will be astounded.

This is one of the most beautiful and moving passages in any piece of reading. I've read it over and over and over again and can never get enough.

It makes me feel infinite.

Any passages like this for you?

1 comment:

  1. I remember someone telling me about James Joyce and I read The Dead and loved it but then there was some erotic passage somewhere that I couldn't find. Where is it?

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