Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
James Joyce and Heraldry demonstrates that heraldry is an essential key to the symbols of Joyce s major works. It is a clear, witty introduction to heraldry and the use of heraldic imagery by Western writers, including Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Jonson, and Sterne.
Michael O Shea shifts the focus from the aural imagery of Joyce to reveal the visual impact deriving from Joyce s use of the symbols and language of heraldry. He cites biographical and textual evidence of Joyce s deep interest in coats of arms, crests, and other heraldic emblems; and demonstrates that Joyce used these visual symbols as well as the curious jargons of heraldry in his writings. O Shea succeeds in compiling an indispensable reference work that sheds new light on Joyce s major texts, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses, and Finnegans Wake. His commentary is thoroughly illustrated and includes a glossary of heraldic terms keyed to Joyce s usage of them."