The Dead in Never too Late to Read Classics

Sep 29, 2023 Sara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: death, ireland, marriage, short-stories-novellas, kindle-purchase, aging

This is a short story that leaves you almost paralyzed by the time you come to its end. It is like a symphony, changing mood and direction unexpectedly but with a seamless flow, which is appropriate because so much of it is wrapped in music and it is a musical interlude that pushes it to its climax and revelation.

The story takes place at a New Year’s Eve party thrown by two aging women. I was mesmerized by the descriptions of both the people at the party and the intimacy Joyce is able to convey This is a short story that leaves you almost paralyzed by the time you come to its end. It is like a symphony, changing mood and direction unexpectedly but with a seamless flow, which is appropriate because so much of it is wrapped in music and it is a musical interlude that pushes it to its climax and revelation.

The story takes place at a New Year’s Eve party thrown by two aging women. I was mesmerized by the descriptions of both the people at the party and the intimacy Joyce is able to convey in such a short piece. Gabriel and Greta are a married couple who are part of the group, and as the story begins to focus on them we are swept into Gabriel’s idea of who they are and what they mean to one another. As is so often true in life, the idea and the reality are not always the same.

He longed to recall to her those moments, to make her forget the years of their dull existence together and remember only their moments of ecstasy.

There seems to be little difference between the dead and the living in the story. In some ways, the dead who are mentioned in stories and memories seem more alive, more vibrant and engaged than the party members, who seem so often to be simply biding time and fighting change.

...there are always in gatherings such as this sadder thoughts that will recur to our minds: thoughts of the past, of youth, of changes, of absent faces that we miss here tonight.

Perhaps it is inevitable that those who continue in life look back and see their youths as brighter, bold and somehow better. Does that happen primarily because the intensity of feeling has faded with the loss of those who shared the memories with us? Or is it because we see ourselves, and those of our age, slowly disappearing as well?

One by one, they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.

It is difficult to answer these questions or to know how we can hold on to the ardor when we have lost the innocence.

This might be one of the most poignant expressions of what it is to love, to yearn, and to come upon a full-view of self awareness, that has ever been written. It is beautiful; it is sad; and yet it is hopeful. It may be perfection.
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Sep 24, 2015 Chrissie rated it liked it

Shelves: love, relationships, fiction, hf, ireland

One more try with James Joyce.

This short story is beautifully written. I appreciated more how Joyce draws a place - a party, laughter, songs and music, friends gathered, a well laden table, snow blanketing the streets - than the character portrayals.

An accurate snapshot of a time past. Pretty. Nostalgic, but too sentimental for me.

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Sep 15, 2020 Brenda rated it really liked it

I’ve not read any James Joyce yet and I saw that this story is « Often cited as the best work of short fiction ever written » so I was curious.

For me it was interesting. I enjoyed the telling of the friends and family that were so close and the love they all had for one another. I could feel myself at similar gatherings in my own life with a same cast of characters.

The story takes a turn at the end to bring us to the title and the crux of the matter. For me, as it didn’t show up until the very ...more

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Sep 15, 2021 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it really liked it

Shelves: european, classics, read-in-2021, short-stories

The Dead is a powerful story by James Joyce, that takes place during a party thrown by sisters in Dublin. This is a story that takes place in conversations and memories. The thing that makes the story work best is the way Joyce illustrates the impact that people can have upon one another, even long after they are gone. I loved the contemplative style, with the in-depth character development despite the short length.

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Oct 18, 2009 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: hf-ireland, novellas, read-2009, audio-books

Available at ThoughtAudio.

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Dec 09, 2020 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: travel-2020

A re-read. The Dead is included in Joyce's Dubliners, which as of right now, is the only book of Joyce I have read. The story takes place during the holidays. It's snowing, but the annual dinner party is warm and hospitable. ...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Z. rated it really liked it

Shelves: modern-fiction, ireland

Expected (perhaps because of its rep as "the greatest short story ever written" ) a drier, somewhat bleaker read. In spite or perhaps because of the themes tackled, this remains a lively not-quite-social-satire in places, navigating identity, self-conception and —through devices such as jealousy, rivalry and class — the resulting anxieties when that carefully hewn self-image turns out to be at odds with how others view us - or more particularly through consideration of the starkly different inte ...more

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Jun 07, 2021 Janet rated it really liked it

This novella is set at a holiday gathering in the early 1900s. It masterfully covers a wide range of emotions, states of life, and the political situation. The main character brings the evening to a painful and provocative end. This is a short but memorable read. It leads me to read the rest of The Dubliners with curiosity peaked.

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