Joyce and Militarism

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Joyce and Militarism considers Joyce's fiction with regard to one of the most prevalent ideologies of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Starting from an overview of militarism in Irish and European life, this book considers how Joyce reveals and responds to its presence in such disparate social realms and cultural fields as education, athletics, marriage and family life, sexual commerce, and public space. Previous readings of Joyce's work in the context of warfare or military history have generally concentrated on the Great War; Joyce and Militarism considers his writing in the general, longstanding shadows militarism cast over Europe as political philosophy and social reality. To that end, the study builds upon historical and cultural approaches to Joyce that have taken shape over the last two decades. As literary studies undergo redefinition in the twenty-first century, militarism is a prevalent and pressing global concern. Seeing Joyce's work through such a frame reveals his significant response to his own time and demonstrates a context that remains quite relevant to our own.