4. Masculinity

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, Nicholas considers the idea of 'masculinity' in Dubliners, focusing in particular on two stories: ‘A Little Cloud’ and 'Counterparts'. Both stories feature characters who feel threatened in their masculinity, but whose understanding of masculinity turns out to be mistaken.

Course

In this course, we look at James Joyce's collection of short stories, Dubliners. In particular, we explore key themes in the collection by looking at groups of 2-3 stories. Having given an introduction to the Dublin of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, we then look at the themes of colonialism and imperialism, women, masculinity, and the use and abuse of alcohol. The final module concentrates on the last story in the collection, 'The Dead', and ask what clues this final story may give us in how we understand Dubliners as a whole.

Lecturer

Nicholas is a final-year doctoral student at the University of Warwick. He conducts his research in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies. His main research areas are early modern literature (including Shakespeare), twentieth-century Irish literature and critical theory.