I honestly don't understand why he is considered so great.

>>9705575
What literature do you like, OP?

>>9705575
His style gets progressively less and less like Dubliners. The end of The Dead is the best part of Dubliners.

>one livid final flame
How many authors could make a phrase like that?

What's hard to understand about Dubliners?

>>9705575
>but I'm getting nothing from his writing

then stop reading it and find things you enjoy more
if you're feeling somehow alienated from literature afficianados or something because you "cant into joyce", that isn't a proper attitude

you don't have to love all the things that any so named "elite" love

i happen to love joyce but you don't have to, find you're own tastes

>>9705726
*your

pardon im drunk atm

>>9705575
it's okay to have bad taste, but portrait and especially ulysses are more exciting than dubliners and might still lead you to appreciate good writing

Youre too fuckin stupid

>>9705869
Or Joyce just sucks. Honestly his writing is equal parts, "look how clever I am" and totally incomprehensible, deeply personal symbolism. OP, instead of asking "Why don't I like this?" Ask: "What is there to like?"
The answer for most people will be: "Nothing find something else to read."

>>9705933
No. You're too fucking stupid. The sooner you realise this, the better for you.

>>9706060
Or you've imagined some kind of order in what is a deeply idiosyncratic work that only James Joyce is really capable of understanding. The sooner you realize this the sooner you can go back to reading books you'll enjoy. Or we could knock off the personal attacks and just acknowledge that Joyce is not for everyone and taste can differ without some arbitrary ruling on what's superior or not. Whichever.

>>9705575
if you struggle with dubliners there really is no hope for you

>>9705575
If you don't like Dubliners there's a good chance you won't like Portrait. You certainly won't like Ulysses.

You're too stupid. I can understand people disliking Ulysses (while still admitting that it was an immense accomplishment), but the fact that Dubliners is hard to read for you means that you have no hope. Go back to YA. Please don't start saying "hurr durr taste is subjective everything is equal," you're embarrassing yourself

I personally found that the majority of the stories in Dubliners to be very boring, while some were actually a lot of fun. Honestly, if you find his prose challenging maybe you should try to read some easier things and work your way up to Joyce. Like Dubliners, I found Portrait to be rather boring, but his prose is absolutely fantastic, and like Dubliners, it has some interesting parts.

>>9705933
Or you can change that question from "i dont like/get this, why are others so stupid?" to "i dont like/get this, so what am I missing?"
That change in question will produce more intellectual growth, understanding, and openness than anything.

Of course OP, if Joyce isn't for you, it isn't for you, but try to look at what you might be missing and then you can come to at least appreciate good art you don't like