First Published in 1914, Dubliners is a beautiful collection of vignettes describing Irish middle class life in and around Dublin at the end of the 19th century. Joyce's intention in writing Dubliners, in his own words, was to write a chapter of the moral history of his own country and he chose Dublin for the scene because the city appeared to him the centre of paralysis and decay. He tried to present it to the apathetic public under four of it's aspects: childhood, adolescence, maturity and public life. 'The Sisters, " An Encounter' and 'Araby' are stories from childhood. "Eveline,' 'After the Race,' 'Two Gallants' and 'The Boarding House' are stories from adolescence. 'A Little Cloud. '' Counterparts, ''Clay and 'A Painful Case' are all Stories concerned with mature life. Stories from public life are 'Ivy Day in the Committee Room. ' ' A Mother' and 'Grace. '' The Dead' is the last story in the collection and most certainly Joyce's greatest. It stands alone and as the Title would suggest, is concerned with death.
