Absolutely love Ray Bradbury’s work. I’ve read this a few times and it always hits different. Great his time the “ouch” was this future was sad and lonely in 2026…
I love the animated version (this one is missing English subtitles, but it’s a much higher quality than other versions; here’s one with English subs).
I think the former version is maybe an AI remaster of a recently discovered film reel? Either that or it’s been recolored by hand. I know they found a film reel with There Will Come Soft Rains a few years ago, however iirc the colors were very faded and almost non-existent. Anyway, I think that’s why the colors on the former are different than the latter in some places.
I was already a depressed kid. But the story hit different. Most kids stories have happy endings, and Ray Bradbury was probably the first author I read that had more thought provoking stories.
Same here. Bradbury was always a little darker and more horror oriented than I usually liked. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, this one was a little too possible.
So I tried reading a few James Joyce books a couple decades ago and I was so bored with both of them that I haven’t gone back, this is the first Joyce I’ve read since then.
And holy cow, was I bored.
Can you shed some light as to what I missed regarding the point or emotional impact of this short story and in general why so many people love his writing?
The way he’s talked about, I assume I’m missing something.
So sorry I wasn’t on Lemmy for a while, so didn’t see this comment. Honestly I don’t think anyone should force themselves to like an author or a style, that’s what leads to people reading less. Read what you enjoy and occasionally venture further and try smth new.
As for why people love Joyce, the one important reason imo is how he essentially created stream of consciousness as a writing style which is an immersive way of writing and you get sucked into a characters mind. It can be taken for granted now since many have done it since and we got used to it, but it was as a revolutionart technique.
Then there’s his precise lyrical prose. This could be subjective but most people do tend to enjoy the powerful prose he writes.
I wanna say symbolism too, but everyone does that. But you will definitely have a more rewarding experience if you remember Joyce purposefully uses symbolism, and uses it well.
If and that’s a not if, you want to retry Joyce go for Araby or Eveline, smth short.
Both short, both powerful.
Summary: potential spoilers
Araby: ‘Araby’ is narrated by a young boy, who describes the Dublin street where he lives. As the story progresses, the narrator realises that he has feelings for his neighbour’s sister and watches her from his house, daydreaming about her, wondering if she will ever speak to him. When they eventually talk, she suggests that he visit a bazaar, Araby, on her behalf as she cannot go herself.
The boy plans to buy her a present while at Araby, but he arrives late to the bazaar and, disappointed to find that most of the stalls are packing up, ends up buying nothing.
Eveline: Eveline is a young woman living in Dublin with her father. Her mother is dead. Dreaming of a better life beyond the shores of Ireland, Eveline plans to elope with Frank, a sailor who is her secret lover (Eveline’s father having forbade Eveline to see Frank after the two men fell out), and start a new life in Argentina.
With her mother gone, Eveline is responsible for the day-to-day running of the household: her father is drunk and only reluctantly tips up his share of the weekly housekeeping money, and her brother Harry is busy working and is away a lot on business (another brother, Ernest, has died).
Eveline herself keeps down a job working in a shop. On Saturday nights, when she asks her father for some money, he tends to unleash a tirade of verbal abuse, and is often drunk. When he eventually hands over his housekeeping money, Eveline has to go to the shops and buy the food for the Sunday dinner at the last minute.
Eveline is tired of this life, and so she and Frank book onto a ship leaving for Argentina. But as she is just about to board the ship, Eveline suffers a failure of resolve, and cannot go through with it. She wordlessly turns round and goes home, leaving Frank to board the ship alone.
I could’ve sworn I had read this before, but I can’t be certain. Getting an odd sense of deja vu here. Maybe heard it on the podcast in the background and didn’t concentrate well enough?
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