A Carnival Reading Of Dubliners

James Joyce is one of the most important writers in modern European literature. Althoughhis masterpieces, Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake have gained numerous praises and reputations,they win few acquaintances for their difficult stream-of-consciousness technique andexperimental prose. It is his apprentice work, Dubliners, that enjoys the greatest popularity forits simple language and unique art, which has got embrace and acclaim from readers andcritics alike. The present thesis intends to apply Bakhtin’s carnival theory and analyze somecarnival elements as well as the superb art of composition in Dubliners. It consists of fiveparts. The introduction part traces the general research background of Dubliners at home andabroad, Bakthtin’s some terms of carnival: crowning vs. decrowning, laughter vs. parody andcarnival square which will be discussed in detail later. The following three parts areexplorations of15stories in detail one by one chronologically. Part I mainly explores out thecarnival ritual: crowning and decrowning elements and argues that all stories share a moreand more diversified and strong tendency. Crowning and decrowning is divided into threegroups: children VS adults, women VS men and secular VS religious. Part II analyzes thecarnival language: parody and carnival laughter which gradually accumulates more and moreforce as time passes by. Chapter III digs out carnival space: windows, stairs and streets inDubliners. Windows connects the inner world and outer world together; stairs reflecthierarchal structure and corresponding carnival subversion; streets play roles of relaxation andpreparation between different carnival ceremonies. Based upon these readings, the conclusioninterprets how carnival elements operate interactively among different stories, which unitesindividual stories into a whole.