Gabriel Conroy (novel)
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"The Dead" is the final short story in the 1914 collection '' Dubliners'' by James Joyce. It is by far the longest story in the collection and, at 15,952 words, is almost long enough to be described as a
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
. The story deals with themes of love and loss, as well as raising questions about the nature of the Irish identity. The story was well-received by critics and academics and reputedly described by
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...
as "one of the greatest short stories ever written". It was later adapted into a one-act play by Hugh Leonard and into the 1987 film ''
The Dead The Dead may refer to: * The dead, those who have experienced death Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''The Dead'' (Higson novel), 2010 novel by Charlie Higson * ''The Dead'' (Kracht novel), 2016 novel by Christian Kracht * "The Dead ...
'' written by Tony Huston and directed by
John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...
.


Characters

* Gabriel Conroy – the main character of the story. * Kate Morkan and Julia Morkan – Gabriel and Mary Jane's aunts. They are elderly sisters who throw a party every year during Christmas time. * Mary Jane Morkan – niece of Kate and Julia Morkan. * Lily – the caretaker's daughter. * Gretta Conroy – Gabriel's wife. * Molly Ivors – a long-time acquaintance of the family * Mr Browne – only Protestant guest at the party. * Freddy Malins – an alcoholic and friend of the family. * Mrs Malins – Freddy Malins' mother. * Bartell D'Arcy – a tenor. Gabriel Conroy, Gretta Conroy, Kate and Julia Morkan, and Bartell d'Arcy are all alluded to in James Joyce's later work, ''Ulysses'', though no character from "The Dead" makes a direct appearance in the novel.


Plot summary

The story centres on Gabriel Conroy, a teacher and part-time book reviewer, and explores the relationships he has with his family and friends. Gabriel and his wife, Gretta, arrive late to an annual Christmas party, hosted by his aunts, Kate and Julia Morkan, who eagerly receive him. After an awkward encounter with Lily, the caretaker's daughter, Gabriel goes upstairs, and joins the rest of the party attendees. Gabriel worries about the speech he has to give, especially because it contains academic references, that he fears his audience will not understand. When Freddy Malins arrives drunk, as the hosts of the party had feared, Aunt Kate asks Gabriel to make sure he is all right. As the party moves on, Gabriel is confronted by Miss Ivors, an Irish nationalist, about his publishing a weekly literary column in the Unionist newspaper '' The Daily Express''. She teases him as a " West Briton", that is, a supporter of English political control of Ireland. Gabriel points out that he gets 15 shillings a week, and "the books he received for review were almost more welcome than the paltry cheque". He thinks this charge is highly unfair, but fails to offer a satisfactory rejoinder. The encounter ends awkwardly, which bothers Gabriel the rest of the night. He becomes more disaffected, when he tells his wife of the encounter, and she expresses an interest in returning to visit her childhood home of Galway. The music and party continue; but Gabriel retreats into himself, thinking of the snow outside and his impending speech. Dinner begins, with Gabriel seated at the head of the table. The guests discuss music and the practices of certain monks. Once the dining has died down, Gabriel thinks once more about the snow - and begins his speech, praising traditional Irish hospitality, observing that "we are living in a sceptical...thought-tormented age", and referring to Aunt Kate, Aunt Julia, and Mary Jane as the Three Graces. The speech ends with a toast, and the guests sing " For they are jolly gay fellows". As the party winds down, the guests filter out, and Gabriel prepares to leave. He finds his wife standing, apparently lost in thought, at the top of the stairs. In another room Bartell D'Arcy sings " The Lass of Aughrim". The Conroys leave; and Gabriel is excited, for it has been a long time since he and Gretta have had a night in a hotel to themselves. When they arrive at the hotel, Gabriel's aspirations of passionate lovemaking are conclusively dashed by Gretta's lack of interest. He presses her about what is bothering her, and she admits that she is "thinking about that song, ''The Lass of Aughrim''". She admits that it reminds her of someone, a young man named Michael Furey, who had courted her in her youth in Galway. He used to sing "The Lass of Aughrim" for her. Furey died at seventeen, early in their relationship; and she had been very much in love with him. She believes that it was his insistence on coming to meet her in the winter and the rain, while already sick, that killed him. After telling these things to Gabriel, Gretta falls asleep. At first, Gabriel is shocked and dismayed that there was something of such significance in his wife's life that he never knew about. He ponders the role of the countless dead in living people's lives, and observes that everyone he knows, himself included, will one day only be a memory. He finds in this fact a profound affirmation of life. Gabriel stands at the window, watching the snow fall; and the narrative expands past him, edging into the surreal, and encompassing the entirety of Ireland. As the story ends, we are told that "His soul swooned slowly, as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe, and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead".


Critique and analysis

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...
called "The Dead" one of the greatest short stories ever written. Joyce biographer and critic Richard Ellmann wrote: "In its lyrical, melancholy acceptance of all that life and death offer, 'The Dead' is a linchpin in Joyce's work." Cornell University Joyce scholar Daniel R. Schwarz described it as "that magnificent short novel of tenderness and passion but also of disappointed love and frustrated personal and career expectations". On the centennial of the release of '' Dubliners'', Dan Barry of '' The New York Times'' called "The Dead" "just about the finest short story in the English language". This story offers a critique of a society that has been gripped by a deadening paralysis of the spirit, while also offering a juxtaposed,
memento mori ''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'
's 1973 story, "The Dead", makes many allusions to Joyce's story. In 1987, it was adapted into the film ''
The Dead The Dead may refer to: * The dead, those who have experienced death Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''The Dead'' (Higson novel), 2010 novel by Charlie Higson * ''The Dead'' (Kracht novel), 2016 novel by Christian Kracht * "The Dead ...
'' directed by
John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...
, starring
Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress and director. Known for often portraying eccentric and distinctive characters, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as no ...
as Gretta Conroy and Donal McCann as Gabriel Conroy. In 1990, the story was used as the core narrative for season 4, episode 10 of '' Thirtysomething'' titled "Happy New Year". It is referenced in the '' Father Ted'' episode " Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest", when Ted quotes from the end of the story on the night before Father Jack's funeral, as it begins to snow. In 1999, it was adapted into a Broadway musical by Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey. The original production starred
Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
as Gabriel Conroy and won a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. In 2012, playwright Frank McGuinness's two-act dramatic adaptation premiered at Dublin's Abbey Theatre, the National Theatre of Ireland, in a production starring Stanley Townsend as Gabriel and Derbhle Crotty as Gretta. In 2019, the story was adapted into a Bengali film named ''Basu Poribar'' starring
Soumitra Chatterjee Soumitra Chatterjee (also spelt as Chattopadhyay; 16 June 193515 November 2020) was an Indian film actor, play-director, playwright, writer, thespian and poet. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of ...
and Aparna Sen.


References


Further reading

*Bowen, Zack (1974)
''Musical Allusions in the Works of James Joyce: Early Poetry Through Ulysses.''
Albany: SUNY Press, pp. 11–13, 18–23. *
Maddox, Brenda Brenda, Lady Maddox ( Murphy; February 24, 1932 – June 16, 2019) was an American writer and biographer, who spent most of her adult life living and working in the UK, from 1959 until her death. She is best known for her biographies, includin ...
(1988). ''Nora – A biography of Nora Joyce'', 1988. * O'Dowd, Peadar, "James Joyce's 'The Dead' and its Galway Connections" in ''
Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Galway Archaeological and Historical Society was founded on 21 March 1900, at the Railway Hotel, Galway. It promotes the study of the archaeology and history of the west of Ireland. Since 1900, the Society has published 70 volumes of the ...
'', Volume 51, 1999, pp. 189–193.


External links

* Annotated hypertext version
''The Dead''
*
SparkNotes: Dubliners: "The Dead"SparkNotes



Joyce's Dublin: An Exploration of ''The Dead''

Joyce's Dublin, a selection of podcasts, interviews, and contextual material (held in UCD repositories and elsewhere) in relation to James Joyce's short story "The Dead".
A UCD Digital Library Collection. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dead, The Short stories by James Joyce Irish short stories Christmas short stories 1914 short stories Short stories adapted into films Ireland in fiction