Araby  text

"Araby" is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection Dubliners.

Theme:

"Araby" touches on a great number of themes:

·         coming of age

·         the loss of innocence

·         the life of the mind versus poverty (both physical and intellectual)

·         the consequences of idealization

·         the Catholic Church's influence to make Dublin a place of asceticism where desire and sensuality are seen as immoral

·         the pain that often comes when one encounters love in reality instead of its elevated form

·         paralysis

These themes build on one another entirely through the thoughts of the young boy, who is portrayed by the first-person narrator, who writes from memory.

 

bazaar → fair市場

chivalry  騎士  → knight

King Arthur: King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians.

Excalibur  石中劍

Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early. In Welsh, the sword is called Caledfwlch; in Cornish, the sword is called Calesvol.

adoration 尊崇；敬愛

 

Virgin Maria  聖母瑪利亞

Elizabeth I → virgin queen

Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called "The Virgin Queen", "Gloriana" or "Good Queen Bess", Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.

 

Chalice → The Holy Grail

 

英國演進:

 

 

The Night Watch  Rembrandt van Rijn

The painting may be more properly titled by its long since forgotten name The Company of captain Frans Banning Cocq and lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch preparing to march out. In the 18th century the painting became known as theNight Watch. It is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as the best known painting in its collection. The Night Watch is one of the most famous paintings in the world.

 

 

 6. I listened to the fall of the coins. Remembering with difficulty why I had come, I went over to one of the stalls and examined porcelain vases and flowered tea-sets. At the door of the stall a young lady was talking and laughing with two young gentlemen. I remarked their English accents and listened vaguely to their conversation.

'O, I never said such a thing!'

'O, but you did!'

'O, but I didn't!'

'Didn't she say that?'

'Yes. I heard her.'

'O, there's a... fib!'

…Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.

 

The passage is cited from almost the end of the story named “Araby,” one of the

collected short stories in Dubliners by James Joyce. The boy came to a sudden understanding of what he has gone through is sometimes called epiphany.

 

Epiphany:

An epiphany is an experience of sudden and striking realization. Generally the term is used to describe scientific breakthrough, religious or philosophical discoveries, but it can apply in any situation in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective. Epiphanies are studied by psychologists and other scholars, particularly those attempting to study the process of innovation.

 

commencement refer to commence 開始的意思

 

graduation

hooding ceremony: A Hooding Ceremony is a special recognition ceremony for doctoral degree.