Free Indirect Style in James Joyce’s Novella The Dead: Narrative Means for Identity Ends

Abstract

This project tackles the narrative voice in the modernist Irish writer James Joyce’s short story The Dead. This narrative voice is free indirect discourse, A narrative mode that blends third and first person narration. The main objective of this work is to submit James Joyce’s The Dead to a narratological analysis in order to prove the existence of a point of view (Internal focalization) that is conveyed to the reader. Gerard Genette’s narrative theory is the theoretical framework. The findings show that James Joyce’s style works well for the purpose of the story that was in search for identity for the Irish. Besides most important features of free indirect speech are realized: - This style is in serve of irony. - The story The Dead is narrated in the past and in the third person point of view. - Joyce used this style to enable the reader to become more involved in the story and to sympathize more closely with the protagonist’s emotions.