Hjemmeeksamen i ENG4365 – The Short Story in English, vår 2013. En pdf av oppgaveteksten finnes her.
James Joyce’s “The Sisters” was first written on commission as an
isolated story for The Irish Homestead
(Gabler xv–xvi). When included as the
first in the short story cycle Dubliners,
the opening paragraph was amended (e.g. Kerins
243; compare the reprint of the original version in Norris, Contexts
204) to include the three concepts of paralysis,
simony, and gnomon, presented by
the young first person narrator. According to Murray McArthur, the purpose of
this and other emendations was to “[shape] ‘The Sisters’ as the macro-index or
riddle that stands as first text or opening frame” not only of Dubliners, but of the entire Joycean
canon (245). Thus one can fairly assume
that all revisions of and additions to the first version of “The Sisters” are important
for understanding the entire cycle – or oeuvre
– it was meant to frame; and that italicized additions to the opening paragraph
are even more so.
