James Joyce was not the first writer to use stream of consciousness, but the sensory experience in such novels as Ulysses and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was revolutionary in the literary world. Learn more about the exceptional and bawdy Irish writer with a video analysis of his life and works.

 

Concepts

james joyce, british literature

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the video's discussion of Ulysses and its protagonist to inspire learners to write down the small moments of their own lives, sharing the beauty of ordinary tasks
• Incorporate the resource, or at least the section on stream of consciousness at the 6:48 mark, into a creative writing workshop

Classroom Considerations

• The video maintains the racy nature of Joyce's writing; a nearly explicit illustration around the 2:00 mark (and the 7:33 mark) may not be appropriate for younger classes
• The first few minutes discuss Joyce's life, and the rest of the video addresses the literary themes and plot points of his literature

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Expands an exploration of Joyce's literary themes to relate to learners' lives
• Animation and footage is engaging for pupils of all levels
• Ideal for a biographical lesson or when teaching any of Joyce's novel; Ulysses in particular
• The end of the video makes some sense of the language in Finnegan's Wake

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.2 RL.11-12.2 RI.9-10.2 RI.11-12.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2