13. ‘The Dead’ by James Joyce
What a beautiful Monday! Yes, I have lots of work to do, but I woke up full of energy and one by one all sorts of tasks on my to-do list got completed. I wrote the last thing I had to write for my MA application - I’m waiting to hear back a bit of feedback and then it’s good to go. I also wrote an article about Generosity for someone. Plus many other bits I had to work on.
I almost can’t wait to finish everything I have to do and reward myself by reading a bit!
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Joyce’s Christmas is so different and yet so similar to Dickens’s. They are both fabulous storytellers, and the themes of this story and ‘What Christmas is as We Grow Older’ are very similar. But while Dickens presents an almost idealised holiday, Joyce talks about arguments and grief (see also the Christmas dinner in ‘A Portrait...’). We all had different Christmas experiences, so allow yourself to be transported in Joyce’s world too. It might not be as happy, but that’s one of the ways to learn and understand how others might experience this.
Check out the full calendar here: https://www.bside.blog/advent-calendar-2021
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