Just read pic related for the first time. What is your favorite story? Hard Mode: The Dead is not allowed

Wow, I did not like A Little Cloud very much because I somehow felt that Joyce was too harsh in his portrayal of Little Chandler and looked down on him and his lifestyle. Gallaher also didn't strike me as a character that would have such an impact on anybody. Overall I found the story to be a little far-fetched and too obvious in what 'message' it wanted to convey

>I did not like A Little Cloud very much because I somehow felt that Joyce was too harsh in his portrayal of Little Chandler and looked down on him and his lifestyle.
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It's likely that Joyce was Chandler at one point in time. He is so harsh on him because he knows what it's like to be him. And while we feel for Chandler, he's the little bitch who didn't get up and go like Gallaher did so it's his own fault.

A Painful Case and Araby

I understand that. For me it's more about Gallaher not seeming like an aspirational character but rather unlikeable and shallow

What exactly happens in 'Two Gallants'?
the girl stole from her employer, fine.
she did it for Corley, fine.
will she get anything in exchange? how does/did it work? no sex involved? are they a gang now?

My fav is Eveline btw.

I've only read "The Boarding House" because it was part of a collection of short stories of famous writers. I didn't really get it. There was no point to the entire thing. Was that the point? How do people enjoy this? I'm genuinely curious.

The stories are different to an extent so if you didn't like one that doesn't necessarily mean that you wouldn't like others. What I love about the best of them is Joyce's ability to immerse you in a character's thoughts and feelings. There are also some instances where a story is written towards an epiphany-like moment which I enjoy immensely. Have you read any other Joyce?

I have read most of the stories of this book and I think I've read a bit too much much Borges because the stories, while written beautifully, are a bit anticlimactic.

Maybe I just haven't read enough short stories yet.

I like Borges but you can't really compare the two. Joyce is much more naturalistic and also more melancholic/emotional. Borges always seems to treat literature as a game

True, I really like Borges' landscaping but I don't remember anything I have read that communicated the "am I a dumbass?" Final moment of Araby.

Your reaction is very legit. Generally speaking I think short stories tend to be good when they're funny or supernatural. More like, tales. Now Joyce aimed at something else and I also ended up wondering, wtf, so what? so there's this guy and he's talking to this other guy and then this unsignificant event happens and then that's all? I mean come on it wasn't even actually sad.
However, reading one Dubliners story after each other, slowly and without preconceived ideas, I enjoyed them. They're all about BITTERNESS, I'd say. I can't thing of any better word; there may be one, though; - anyway, it's not exactly failure or pain, it's rather the idea that the world will probably crush your hopes, which doesn't mean that you'll die or anything, but you'll lose your illusions, your honesty, your projects, etc. In 'The Boarding House', the guy fucks up his future because of the girl's mother who's perfectly rational and calculating.
Btw the mother of the singing girl is a terrible person too, in one of the last stories - wouldn't joyce hate his own mother? just wondering.
Bitterness and the loss of illusions - this can be found in all the stories of Dubliners. Cruelty can be very good in short stories, just like laughter, fantasy, supernatural events. However cruelty is more difficult to enjoy because it doesn't explode and show clearly, it's usually here and there in a few words or details. The same kind of thing can be found in some stories by Salinger or Maupassant or certainly other western writers (it's less of a Russian or Asian thing - I may be wrong though).

Definitely. The Sisters as well. Also note how many characters are named James

I seem to be alone in liking The Sisters. The image of the old priest sitting laughing to himself in the dark stuck with me for some reason.

"An Encounter", because imagery reminds me of my childhood

Completely agree! I also think that he just perfectly captures the way a child's mind works and how fear or nervousness builds in that age.

Interesting. For me the stories are really not as dark and bitter as you and something others itt suggest. Many stories contain very comfy and homely scenes and imaginary, the party in The Dead in particular fills me with a strong nostalgic feeling. Of course the end pulls that back but it is still part of the story