An imaginary interview to James Joyce
After having seen a video on RAIPLAY James Joyce punto di svolta the students have created an imaginary interview to James Joyce.
Here's the assignment
Watching the video figure out an interview to
James Joyce. These are the topics you’re expected to ask for and Joyce will
give you the answers related to your questions.
PART 1 until -33
1.
the comment of Jacques Derrida on
his works
2.
the people who appreciate him
still today
3.
the importance of Dublin for him
4.
his relation with the Catholic
religion
5.
his obsession with Dublin
6.
his family, especially his mother
7.
his letters to Nora and the
content of them
8.
his hate for praying
9.
the first story of Dubliners
10.
the connection of death with sleep
1)-Lots of people appreciate your works still
today. Jacques Derrida thinks that they are more innovative than current
technology. Did you expect that?
-
Well, no. I didn’t expect them to
be so meaningful for the next generation but I appreciate those comments from a
Philosopher
2) -However, even lots of people, who aren't keen
on literature, love your works
-
That’s interesting! I’ve always
said that we have to open our mind to other cultures and tradition, after all. We don’t have to be stuck in to our
own customs.
3) -Although you went in a voluntary exile, you
have always written about Dublin and The Irish culture. Is the city of Dublin
so important to you?
-
Yes, it is. I think that
understanding the core of Dublin means understanding all the cities in the
whole world. To make it simple: the universal dimension is enclosed in the
details.
4)-What makes you stand out from the Irish people
is your being against the catholic religion.Why?
-
My mind rejects the current
society and the moral stances the Catholic religion imposes. My mother became a
victim of this system and I can’t stand that. Above all, Catholicism doesn’t
give the opportunity to express the artist’s real thoughts, because most of
them could be declined for immorality.
5)-Saying so, you make me believe that you talk
about Dublin as a city city
where the authority of the Church has the principle role, isn’t it?
-
Not only, but Dublin represents
the repression in itself, caused by Catholic Church and the english Imperial
domination. In my works, I’ve tried to free my hometown from that
power this powers in order to save the
mankind. However, the problem lies in the people’s people
morality which follows the didacticism dicatism
of Catholic Church.
6)What was your familiar relationship like? Did
you have a good connection with your siblings?
-
My family was composed of 17
people, however nobody could couldn’t
understand me but one. My relationship with my mother was of the classic one, I
loved her. However, when she was about to die she asked me to pray for her and
I refused. This thing made her sad, but I couldn’t give up on my thoughts about
Catholic Church. I played the piano for her, instead. I hope she appreciated
that.
7)-What about your love relationship?
-
The relationship with Nora was one
of the most faithful I have ever had. I used to write her letters about my
life, my education and my thoughts about politics and so on. I think she loved
me for this because we got married then!
8)-So she shared with you your hate for the
Church Church and your thoughts about
Irish culture, isn’t it?
-
I don’t know for sure.I don’t like to pray,
9)-What was your first story of Dubliners?
-
It was “The Sister” . It talks
about three sisters sister who are about to celebrate
the funeral of a priest.
10)- Lots of intellectuals have found a
connection between death and sleep. You have did the same, however what is your
vision about that?
-
I think that death and sleep have
a connection between ,which is the awakening. From your sleep you wake up
normally, but from your death you may get your soul awaken, which oppresses the life of
those who are still alive.
PART 2 from -32 till the end
- the language spoken by his children
- the connection of Ulysses with the Odyssey
- the authors he took inspiration from
- the famous date 16/06/1904
- his obsession with dates
- Leopold Bloom, his origins and his characteristics
- the reasons why he gave such aspects to him
- his family situation
- the way in which he used the language, for example in the episode of the hospital
- some of the weird things he wrote about in Ulyssses
E: Good morning, Mr. Joyce! I’m really happy to have
the honour to talk to you and to answer those
questions that all your readers have been asking since the publication of Ulysses!
the honour to talk to you and to answer those
questions that all your readers have been asking since the publication of Ulysses!
Joyce: Good morning, and thank you so much for inviting me.
E.: So, let’s start immediately. First of all, lots of people
are curious to know more about your private life:
how are things at home? Your children? How did they react to this new life in Paris?
are curious to know more about your private life:
how are things at home? Your children? How did they react to this new life in Paris?
J.: We’re all okay. Surely it has been a bit difficult to relocate,
to create new habits. In fact, we keep on talking italian at home!
Italy will be always in our heart, we love Italy, we love Trieste,
and obviously we miss a lot our friend Italo Svevo!
to create new habits. In fact, we keep on talking italian at home!
Italy will be always in our heart, we love Italy, we love Trieste,
and obviously we miss a lot our friend Italo Svevo!
E.: I can imagine, it isn’t always simple to change life, to change city.
But let’s focus on your last publication: Ulysses.
Why do you think it has been so successful, why do people people read it in your opinion?
But let’s focus on your last publication: Ulysses.
Why do you think it has been so successful, why do people people read it in your opinion?
J.: I really don’t think I can answer objectively this question!
I consider it my masterpiece: I have been really involved in the writing of this work,
and surely readers could find lots of references to other authors and other texts
that have inspired me, such as Bruno, Shakespeare, Homer, the Bible.
Probably readers are also attracted by some “strange”
images proposed in the book:
images proposed in the book:
the sirens bariste, that dream of Leopold becoming
a woman and giving birth to eight children, the gramophone that connects
dead people with living people.
a woman and giving birth to eight children, the gramophone that connects
dead people with living people.
E.: Focusing on Homer, what is the relation between Odyssey and Ulysses?
J.: In order to understand this connection, it is very important to focus
on the two main characters: in the Odyssey we can find a real hero,
who live lots of adventures and risks his life. While, Leopold,
our main character in Ulysses, seems to be the opposite: he lives an ordinary life, nothing important happens during his days. He’s just an advertising salesman who lives in this centre of paralysis, Dublin.
E.: What about the other characters, about Leopold’s family?
J.: The situation lived by Leopold at home is very sad, he has lost his son and Molly, his wife, is unfaithful to him.
E.: Very dramatic situation. And what about the date you chose? The 16th of June of 1904?
J.: Oh, what a day! It is the date when I went out for the first time with my lovely Nora! I’m really obsessed with date and coincidences, I always remember all the birthdays of my friends and relatives, and I think my readers can understand it through this book.
In fact, through my work I try to make readers understand all those signs hidden in our everyday life, I try to make people think about the coincidences of our lives.
E.: Really interesting! A last question: what do you think about the language you used in our book?
J.: Mhh… it can appear such as a strange similarity, but I consider it such as a child, a fetus that with time grows more and more, evolves.
From this point of view, i think the part that most surprises the reader is the last one, Molly’s thought, or better “stream of consciousness”, as my dear William James would call it.
In that part, I wanted to transmit the real meaning of the book, it seems to take a trip inside the mind of the character. Spectacular!
E.: Thank you so much for everything Mr. Joyce. I will definitely go to buy your book as soon as possible, to take a trip into the minds of Leopold, Stephen and Molly!
