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"Dubliners" by James Joyce

12/3/2014

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Title: Dubliners
Author: James Joyce
Genre: Fiction/Short Story
# Pages: 256
Date Published: 1914
5-Star Rating: 5
Would you recommend it?: Yes

Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, each story describing the lives of different characters in Dublin. With the variety of characters and situations featured, one could argue that the central character of the work is the city itself. This is not a cold and impersonal Dublin; the city feels alive in this book, like I could walk the streets myself, because each story was built from personal experience. With its unpredictable, emotional air, Dubliners feels both natural and authentic. There is an honesty in each of the characters’ experiences that feels realistic, even to those who have never been to Dublin or experienced Joyce’s twentieth century.

The book also offers insight into Joyce’s other work. For instance, “The Dead”, the final short story in the collection, describes the conflict between an intellectual and an Irish identity, a struggle Joyce himself felt.  

I highly recommend this collection. Each story unfolds beautifully. Reading through them is like looking at a Monet painting; nothing in it seems forced, everything is smooth and natural, though unique as well. Though complicated, these vignettes are also fun to read; the characters are very curious and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Each story is wonderful, honest and beautiful and definitely worth reading.


Review by Michael Solah, A&S '15

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"The Plague" by Albert Camus

12/3/2014

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Title: The Plague
Author: Albert Camus
Genre: Fiction
# Pages: 308
Date Published: 1947
5-Star Rating: 4
Would you recommend it?: Yes

Albert Camus’s novel The Plague tells the story of Oran, an Algerian city overcome by a bubonic plague. This fatal illness first presents itself when hundreds of sick rats crawl out of the sewers, only to quickly die in the streets. From there, the illness spreads to humans, despite the efforts of a determined Dr. Bernard Rieux, the novel’s narrator, to battle the oncoming illness.

This tale, filled with sickness, death, and human weaknesses, is not for light reading. With his grave subject matter, Camus poses an even graver philosophical question: is the individual morally responsible for the well-being of the public? Each of the tale’s characters explores different answers to this question. Rambert, for example, is a young journalist preoccupied with his own suffering, whereas Father Paneloux is a didactic priest who blames the plague on people’s sins.

Adding yet another layer to this novel’s purpose, is its historical context: written during World War II, The Plague serves as an allegory for a German occupied Paris, and its 308 pages serve as a call to action. Camus, himself a leader of the resistance, urges people to act against German occupation.

This book, though quite grim, offers us a poignant examination of moral obligation that is well worth reading.


Review by Lauren Schlacks, A&S '16

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