This SDG will explore the innovations of modernist fiction through the short stories of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. We’ll examine themes of consciousness, social constraint, and epiphany—comparing Joyce’s vivid, gritty portraits of Dublin life with Woolf’s lyrical, rhythmic explorations of perception and memory.
Each session will pair selected stories to encourage conversation about narrative form and language. Though these works stand as literary landmarks, we’ll approach them as short stories to be read and enjoyed in their own right.
Whether you’re revisiting modernism or encountering it for the first time, this SDG will deepen your appreciation of these two literary giants and the artistry that shaped twentieth-century fiction.
Week 1: James Joyce: The Sisters; & Virginia Woolf: The Death of the Moth1. (Subtle approaches to mortality)
Week 2: Joyce: Araby; & Woolf: Kew Gardens. (The search for meaning in small moments)
Week 3: Joyce: Eveline; & Woolf: A Haunted House. (Home, memory, and loss)
Week 4: Joyce: A Little Cloud; & Woolf: The Mark on the Wall. (Desire, disappointment, and the ordinary)
Week 5: Joyce: A Painful Case; & Woolf: An Unwritten Novel. (Inner lives in sharp contrast to external reality)
Week 6: Joyce: Grace; & Woolf: The New Dress. (Dissection of social ritual)
Week 7: Joyce: The Dead; and Woolf: The Lady in the Looking Glass. (Outward appearances and inner truths)
James Joyce: The Dubliners: Centennial Edition, Penguin Classics
Virginia Woolf: Short Stories. Kindle edition Urban Romantics 2015 (paperback editions available)
1Virginia Woolf: The Death of the Moth. https://biblioklept.org/2014/02/25/the-death-of-the-moth-virginia-woolf/