A Painful Case (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: James Joyce
- First Published: 1914
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: 1899-1903
- Setting: Dublin, Ireland
- Principal Characters: James Duffy, Emily Sinico
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Love or romance, Twentieth century, Death or dying, Catholics or Catholic Church, Ireland or Irish people
- Locales: Dublin, Ireland
The Story
James Duffy, a middle-aged bachelor without family or friends, is a cashier in a private bank and lives a spartan existence in a Dublin suburb. He dislikes physical and mental disorder, ignores beggars’ pleas for alms, and does not attend church. His only luxuries are playing Mozart's music on his landlady's piano and attending an opera or concert. At three such concerts, he sees Emily Sinico, the wife of a ship captain who has “dismissed [her] from his gallery of pleasures.” The pair begin meeting for evening walks, but because Duffy objects to stealth, he...
[The entire page is 1564 words long]
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