The word according to James Joyce

Cordell D. K. Yee

This book argues for a more conservative view of Joyce's place in the history of critical theory than the view held by scholars. For years interpretation of Joyce's views on language has proceeded on the assumption that an avant-garde writer requires an avant garde theory. It has been suggested that critical theory has just begun to catch up with Joyce, and that we are now able to see Joyce for what he was. In his denial that language refers to anything but itself and in his undoing representation, Joyce anticipates contemporary developments in the history of critical theory. Contrary to modern criticism, Joyce does not abandon representation, the idea that language affords access to reality. This study finds an Aristotelian underpinning for much of Joyce's thinking on language and representation. Language is primarily an aural phenomenon, but knowledge, according to Aristotle, is...

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