Post 9

As we talked about in class back during the Joyce unit, its obvious that Joyce is one of the most prolific writers in human history. The guy’s writing in this novel is exceptional. He uses, perhaps, too many contemporary allusions, but you can hardly fault a guy for not writing for an audience decades after his novel was published. The writing style of this novel reminded me considerably of both Soyinka and Desani. It is so episodic and stream of consciousness-oriented that you really get a sense that real people, in real places, feel similarly to the characters. I think that is one of the most important aspects of writing in a novel that criticizes an institution. I’m reminded of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Even though Joyce and Lee’s characters aren’t really historical figures, they feel like they are, which makes it far easier for people to get behind them, and take a serious role in activism, which is, of course, the purpose of each of these authors, in one way or another.