“her figure defined by light”: An Analysis of Light and Music in James Joyce’s “Araby” and Dennis Courtney’s Araby

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This essay explores how light and music are deployed in Joyce’s “Araby” and its film adaptation Araby by Dennis Courtney. In Joyce’s short story, both light and music are utilized in order to heighten the boy’s enchantment with Mangan’s sister and his subsequent disillusion. The lights that illuminate her on the stairs, for example, blind the boy to her real person and desire, causing him to perceive her only as an object for his own desire. Meanwhile, references to music in “Araby” reveal how the boy interacts with the world. According to Hass, music in Dubliners not only helps define the reality, but also has the characters transcend reality and reveal themselves. Jok, on the other hand, explores music and musicality within Joyce’s language. In adapting “Araby” into his short film, Courtney seems to be aware of the role of light and music. This essay thus argues that he skillfully adopts such cinematic techniques as lighting, music, and other sound effects in order to deliver and enhance the theme of the story, thereby narrating how the boy romanticizes his love, experiences discord with reality, and ultimately faces the moment of disillusionment more effectively than any storytelling does.

참고문헌 (Reference)

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16 Dennis Courtney, "Araby"

17 Williams, Keith, "A New & Complex Sensation: Essays on Joyce’s Dubliners" The Lilliput P 154-168, 2004