Joycean

Joycean

A text is deemed Joycean when it is reminiscent of the writings of James Joyce, particularly "Ulysses" or "Finnegans Wake". Joycean fiction exhibits a high degree of verbal play, usually within the framework of stream of consciousness. Works that are "Joycean" may also be technically eclectic, employing multiple technical shifts as a form of thematic or subject development. In this latter respect, it is not merely an opaque or evident technique, such as is characteristic of avant garde prose, but technical shifts that are meant to be recognized by the reader and considered as part of the narrative itself. More than anything, however, Joycean has come to denote a form of extreme verbal inventiveness which tends to push the English language towards multi-lingual polysemy or impenetrability. ["The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought" Second edition, 1986. 448 ] Joycean word play frequently seeks to imply linguistic and literary history on a single plane of communication. It therefore denies readers the simple denotative message traditional in prose in favor of the ambiguity and equivocal signification of poetry.

This is one of a whole series of adjectives based on authors' names, such as Brechtian, Kafkaesque, Orwellian and Pinteresque.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Joycean — adjective see Joyce …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Joycean — /joy see euhn/, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of James Joyce or his work. n. 2. a student of the life and work of James Joyce. 3. a person who favors or advocates the work, style, or methods of James Joyce. 4. an imitator of James… …   Universalium

  • Joycean — adjective a) Of or pertaining to (1882 1941) or his writings. b) In a verbally inventive style similar to that of James Joyce …   Wiktionary

  • joycean — joyc·ean …   English syllables

  • Joycean — /ˈdʒɔɪsiən/ (say joyseeuhn) adjective of or relating to James Joyce or his works …  

  • joycean — adj. & n. adj. of or characteristic of James Joyce, Irish poet and novelist (d. 1941) or his writings. n. a specialist in or admirer of Joyce s works …   Useful english dictionary

  • Pre-Joycean Fellowship — Several writers known for fantasy and science fiction have semi seriously called themselves the Pre Joycean Fellowship to indicate that they value 19th century values of storytelling, including clarity, called by Jane Yolen the lovely limpid… …   Wikipedia

  • Irish literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced by the Irish. This article discusses Irish literature written in English from about 1690; its history is closely linked with that of English literature. Irish language literature is treated… …   Universalium

  • James Joyce — This article is about the 20th century writer. For other people with the same name, see James Joyce (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Finnegans Wake — infobox Book | name = Finnegans Wake title orig = translator = author = James Joyce cover artist = country = language = English series = genre = Sui generis publisher = Faber and Faber release date = 4 May 1939 media type = Print (Hardcover… …   Wikipedia

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