James Joyce
February 2, 1882 –
January 13, 1941
Family Background
 Born in Dublin, Ireland
 Son of John Joyce and Mary Murray
 Joyce’s father was an impoverish man who
fought through various careers and failed at
many
 Joyce’s mother was an accomplished pianist
 Strongly upheld the beliefs of the Roman
Catholic Church
Religious Beliefs
 Being the eldest of ten surviving children,
Joyce’s family devoted their lives to the Roman
Catholic Church.
 For Education, Joyce turned to the Jesuits and
followed their beliefs for many years
 When Joyce graduated college he rejected his
religious beliefs and those of the Roman
Catholic Church.
 He separated himself from his family and
homeland and dedicated his life to his
literature.
Educational Experiences




Clongowes College, Clane
Belvedere College, Dublin
University College Dublin
Final graduation from
University College Dublin
was in 1902 at age 20.
 “One thing I could
never get
accustomed to in
my youth was the
difference between
life and literature.”
–Joyce
Life after college…
 Upon graduation, Joyce moves to Paris to study
medicine however quickly realizes that his only passion
is in literature.
 He returns to Ireland for the first time when his mother
passes away in 1904.
 There he meets Nora Barnacle. She becomes the
character ‘Bloomsday’ in one of his famous works,
Ulysses.
 Joyce was opposed to marriage but due to the beliefs
of the time, him and Nora could not live together.
 Later that year, Joyce and Barnacle move to Trieste
and spend their next ten years living together.
Famous Works
 Chamber Music (1907)
 Dubliners (1914)
 A Portrait of a Young Artist
(1916)
 Exiles (1918)
 Ulysses (1920)
 Finneganns Wake (1939)
An insight into his
literature…
 Almost all of Joyce’s work include his personal
experiences.
 The characters in his literature, especially
Dubliners and Ulysses represent important
people in his life.
 Many of his writings take place in Ireland and
are reflections of the Catholic Church, these
are two important characteristics of his
upbringing.
 “I will not serve that in which I no longer
believe whether it call itself home, my
fatherland or my church: and I will try to
express myself in some mode of life or art
as freely as I can and as wholly as I can,
using for my defense the only arms I allow
myself to use, silence, exile, and cunning.”
(A Portrait of a Young Artist)
“It is as painful perhaps to be awakened from a vision as to be born “ (Ulysses)
Accomplishments
 He is most well-known
among authors for his
experimental language.
 He was awarded the Bronze
Medal of Feis Ceoil in 1904.
 Today, there are ,many pubs
and restaurants in his honor.
 He died on January 13, 1941
but his life is still celebrated
in Ireland annually on June
16. This day has become
known as Bloomsday.
Works Cited
 “The Brazen Head” The Modern World 16 June 1995 <
www.themodernworld.com/joyce >
 “James Joyce” The Literature Network 18 January
2007 < www.online-literature.come/james_joyce >
 Gray, Paul “James Joyce” Time 8 June 1998 <
www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/joyce.htm >
 “James Joyce” Wikipedia 18 January 2007 <
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce >