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The Boarding House
"The Boarding House" is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection Dubliners.
Mrs. Mooney, separated from her husband, a butcher who descended into alcoholism, runs a boarding house for working men. Her daughter Polly entertains the boarders by singing and flirting with them. Mrs. Mooney learns that her daughter is having an affair with Mr. Doran, a man in his mid-thirties who has worked in a Catholic wine-merchant’s office for many years. On Sunday nights Polly, Mrs. Mooney's daughter, would sing with the various guests in the boarding house. It is noted that she sings "I'm a naughty girl," which Zack Bowen suggests foreshadows her affair with Mr. Doran. Mrs. Mooney bides her time before she intervenes, strongly implying that she is deliberately trying to trap Mr. Doran. After much background, the climax of the story commences on a warm Sunday morning. Mrs. Mooney intends to talk to Mr. Doran and demand that he marry Polly or risk open disclosure. The narration then shifts to Doran’s point-of-view as he nervously contemplates losing his job due to the affair and bemoans the girl’s lower-class background and vulgarities of speech. After Polly enters in an agitated state, we learn through Doran’s memories that she initiated the relationship. After Doran leaves the room, Polly seems content, suggesting that she was putting on a show of anguish for his sake. The story closes with Mrs. Mooney calling Polly down so that Mr. Doran can speak to her.
Mrs. Mooney, separated from her husband, a butcher who descended into alcoholism, runs a boarding house for working men. Her daughter Polly entertains the boarders by singing and flirting with them. Mrs. Mooney learns that her daughter is having an affair with Mr. Doran, a man in his mid-thirties who has worked in a Catholic wine-merchant’s office for many years. On Sunday nights Polly, Mrs. Mooney's daughter, would sing with the various guests in the boarding house. It is noted that she sings "I'm a naughty girl," which Zack Bowen suggests foreshadows her affair with Mr. Doran. Mrs. Mooney bides her time before she intervenes, strongly implying that she is deliberately trying to trap Mr. Doran. After much background, the climax of the story commences on a warm Sunday morning. Mrs. Mooney intends to talk to Mr. Doran and demand that he marry Polly or risk open disclosure. The narration then shifts to Doran’s point-of-view as he nervously contemplates losing his job due to the affair and bemoans the girl’s lower-class background and vulgarities of speech. After Polly enters in an agitated state, we learn through Doran’s memories that she initiated the relationship. After Doran leaves the room, Polly seems content, suggesting that she was putting on a show of anguish for his sake. The story closes with Mrs. Mooney calling Polly down so that Mr. Doran can speak to her.
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First published January 1, 1914
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About the author
James Joyce
1,692 books9,441 followersJames Joyce was an Irish novelist, poet, and a pivotal figure in 20th-century modernist literature, renowned for his highly experimental approach to language and narrative structure, particularly his pioneering mastery and popularization of the stream-of-consciousness technique. Born into a middle-class Catholic family in the Rathgar suburb of Dublin in 1882, Joyce spent the majority of his adult life in self-imposed exile across continental Europe—living in Trieste, Zurich, and Paris—yet his entire, meticulous body of work remained obsessively and comprehensively focused on the minutiae of his native city, making Dublin both the meticulously detailed setting and a central, inescapable character in his literary universe. His work is consistently characterized by its technical complexity, rich literary allusion, intricate symbolism, and an unflinching examination of the spectrum of human consciousness. Joyce began his published career with Dubliners (1914), a collection of fifteen short stories offering a naturalistic, often stark, depiction of middle-class Irish life and the moral and spiritual paralysis he observed in its inhabitants, concluding each story with a moment of crucial, sudden self-understanding he termed an "epiphany." This collection was followed by the highly autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), a Bildungsroman that meticulously chronicled the intellectual and artistic awakening of its protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, who would become Joyce's recurring alter ego and intellectual stand-in throughout his major works.
His magnum opus, Ulysses (1922), is universally regarded as a landmark work of fiction that fundamentally revolutionized the novel form. It compressed the events of a single, ordinary day—June 16, 1904, a date now globally celebrated by literary enthusiasts as "Bloomsday"—into a sprawling, epic narrative that structurally and symbolically paralleled Homer's Odyssey, using a dazzling array of distinct styles and linguistic invention across its eighteen episodes to explore the lives of Leopold Bloom, his wife Molly Bloom, and Stephen Dedalus in hyper-minute detail. The novel's explicit content and innovative, challenging structure led to its initial banning for obscenity in the United States and the United Kingdom, turning Joyce into a cause célèbre for artistic freedom and the boundaries of literary expression. His final, most challenging work, Finnegans Wake (1939), pushed the boundaries of language and conventional narrative even further, employing a dense, dream-like prose filled with multilingual puns, invented portmanteau words, and layered allusions that continues to divide and challenge readers and scholars to this day. A dedicated polyglot who reportedly learned several languages, including Norwegian simply to read Ibsen in the original, Joyce approached the English language not as a fixed entity with rigid rules, but as a malleable medium capable of infinite reinvention and expression. His personal life was marked by an unwavering dedication to his literary craft, a complex, devoted relationship with his wife Nora Barnacle, and chronic, debilitating eye problems that necessitated numerous painful surgeries throughout his life, sometimes forcing him to write with crayons on large white paper. Despite these severe physical ailments and financial struggles, his singular literary vision remained sharp, focused, and profoundly revolutionary. Joyce passed away in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1941, shortly after undergoing one of his many eye operations. Today, he is widely regarded as perhaps the most significant and challenging writer of the 20th century. His immense, complex legacy is robustly maintained by global academic study and institutions such as the James Joyce Centre in Dublin, which ensures his complex, demanding, and utterly brilliant work endures, inviting new generations of readers to explore the very essence of what it means to be hum
His magnum opus, Ulysses (1922), is universally regarded as a landmark work of fiction that fundamentally revolutionized the novel form. It compressed the events of a single, ordinary day—June 16, 1904, a date now globally celebrated by literary enthusiasts as "Bloomsday"—into a sprawling, epic narrative that structurally and symbolically paralleled Homer's Odyssey, using a dazzling array of distinct styles and linguistic invention across its eighteen episodes to explore the lives of Leopold Bloom, his wife Molly Bloom, and Stephen Dedalus in hyper-minute detail. The novel's explicit content and innovative, challenging structure led to its initial banning for obscenity in the United States and the United Kingdom, turning Joyce into a cause célèbre for artistic freedom and the boundaries of literary expression. His final, most challenging work, Finnegans Wake (1939), pushed the boundaries of language and conventional narrative even further, employing a dense, dream-like prose filled with multilingual puns, invented portmanteau words, and layered allusions that continues to divide and challenge readers and scholars to this day. A dedicated polyglot who reportedly learned several languages, including Norwegian simply to read Ibsen in the original, Joyce approached the English language not as a fixed entity with rigid rules, but as a malleable medium capable of infinite reinvention and expression. His personal life was marked by an unwavering dedication to his literary craft, a complex, devoted relationship with his wife Nora Barnacle, and chronic, debilitating eye problems that necessitated numerous painful surgeries throughout his life, sometimes forcing him to write with crayons on large white paper. Despite these severe physical ailments and financial struggles, his singular literary vision remained sharp, focused, and profoundly revolutionary. Joyce passed away in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1941, shortly after undergoing one of his many eye operations. Today, he is widely regarded as perhaps the most significant and challenging writer of the 20th century. His immense, complex legacy is robustly maintained by global academic study and institutions such as the James Joyce Centre in Dublin, which ensures his complex, demanding, and utterly brilliant work endures, inviting new generations of readers to explore the very essence of what it means to be hum
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 2, 2018
It is an interesting story tinged with serious and hilarious undertones. After Mrs. Mooney's (money?) father dies, her husband begins to show his true colors. Now her husband is the owner of the shop. He begins to act differently. Soon the situation turns so bad that Mrs. Mooney is left with no option but to leave him. Soon she begins to live independently with her two children.
By leaving her husband, she shows courage and strength which is further shown in how she goes about living. She is probably hardened by her circumstances (one wonders what a pathetic story it would be, had she continued to live like a victim – a good wife – with her abusive husband). In the real world, she knows the tricks of the trade and rather makes her own to establish herself. She knows when to give credit, when to be stern, and when to let things pass. This makes her the stern Madam.
In order to secure a good living for her children and herself, she acts in an unsentimental and pragmatic manner. To an extent one understands this, but such an attitude has consequences. Right at the start, we see her son, Jack. It is clear what sort of man he will eventually become. Likewise, Polly, the daughter, reveals herself through her ditties, “I'm a ... naughty girl. You needn't sham: You know I am.” She goes on to initiate 'interesting seductions' later. This is suggested in a mildly humorous tone when Polly, 'a little perverse madonna' goes to Mr. Doran's room, “she wanted to relight her candle at his for hers had been blown out by a gust.”
As the story unfolds, we see a rather darker and comical side of Mrs. Mooney. She tries to manipulate young men who stay at her place. Finally, she finds a perfect catch in Mr. Doran. Someone who is serious, responsible, and of a certain age; someone whom she can tame into marriage because he has already slept with her daughter. Confident of herself craftiness, Mrs. Mooney knows she will accomplish her mission. She also knows that the public opinion will be on her side if Mr. Doran acts smart with her.
Here she mirrors her own past. In some queer ways, she sets up the same pattern for her daughter that she had lived once. In her prime, she married someone who had worked for her father. Now, she is repeating the same thing for his daughter. Since we do not know how Mrs. Mooney husband's was before his marriage. In the background of this history, one wonders how Mr. Doran will be after he is forced and manipulated into marriage. He might do to Polly what Mrs. Mooney's husband did to her.
The story ends on a Joycean note. Just before Doran goes down to meet Mrs. Mooney – two things happen to him. One, he feels like running away from the situation to a far-off land. Two, more important and Joycean, he thinks about Jack, Polly's rough, hot-headed brother. Here, we also get to know of someone who once alluded to Polly in an indiscreet way. It is not clear what his thoughts meant. Perhaps, Jack evokes fear in him, and the remark of the other guy creates a doubt in his mind concerning the character of Polly.
The final scene when Polly is called beacuse Doran wants to speak to her. We have no clue as to what they will talk about. It could be anything from a calm proposal to something unpleasant.
November 15, 2017
Great read. The shifts in the characters' points of view were so smoothly executed!
October 17, 2024
Mrs Mooney, the proprietor of the boarding house, "had all the weight of social opinion on her side; she was an outraged mother."
Her daughter Polly had confessed all to her mother, but the confession was slightly awkward "because [Polly] did not wish it to be thought that in her wise innocence she had divined the intention behind her mother's tolerance."
Mr. Doran, the offending boarder, was anxious and feeling cornered: "It was not altogether his fault that it had happened." The priest during his confession "had magnified the sin", and Mr. Doran's employment was in jeopardy. Yet Mr. Doran feared his "family would look down on her."
A simple enough tale, skillfully and seamlessly woven from the viewpoints of the three main characters, and molded by the other characters who shape the scene and the setting. Just between you and me, I love the complications of the phrase wise innocence.
Her daughter Polly had confessed all to her mother, but the confession was slightly awkward "because [Polly] did not wish it to be thought that in her wise innocence she had divined the intention behind her mother's tolerance."
Mr. Doran, the offending boarder, was anxious and feeling cornered: "It was not altogether his fault that it had happened." The priest during his confession "had magnified the sin", and Mr. Doran's employment was in jeopardy. Yet Mr. Doran feared his "family would look down on her."
A simple enough tale, skillfully and seamlessly woven from the viewpoints of the three main characters, and molded by the other characters who shape the scene and the setting. Just between you and me, I love the complications of the phrase wise innocence.
October 4, 2025
Meh.
This was ok, but not worth reviewing.
For the moment at least.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1914] [25p] [Classics] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Meh.
Esto estuvo ok , pero no vale la pena reseñarlo.
Al menos por ahora.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1914] [25p] [Clásicos] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
This was ok, but not worth reviewing.
For the moment at least.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1914] [25p] [Classics] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Meh.
Esto estuvo ok , pero no vale la pena reseñarlo.
Al menos por ahora.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1914] [25p] [Clásicos] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
February 23, 2019
But what would grammar matter if he really loved her?
If we're not talking about a second language, well, it matters.
The Boarding House deals with many interesting issues, especially concerning human relationships, it's just that that quote made my mind wander.
This is the first time I read Joyce. I don't think I'd endure his Ulysses. I'd better embark on shorter journeys for now.
Feb 23, 19
* Maybe later on my blog.
January 18, 2020
I don't think I read James Joyce before. This book didn't convince me I should read his works. I didn't like the culmination of the story. I am not talking about how he decided to end it, I am talking about the way he wrote the ending. I waited for a "wow moment" in the end but was disappointed.
Maybe I will read his other works someday, but for now, he is not my favorite short story writer.
Maybe I will read his other works someday, but for now, he is not my favorite short story writer.
March 15, 2020
Spijtig dat het een kortverhaal is want dit smaakt naar meer!
May 9, 2025
Absolutely lovely, a life in a moment
October 18, 2020
Uma curta narrativa que gira em torno da desonra de uma jovem adulta num quarto da pensão da sua mãe. A necessidade do casamento como "reparação" (é este o termo sucessivamente repetido ao longo do conto) de um erro fatal e imperdoável - o de amar alguém que não pode ser amado.
April 1, 2012
James Joyce's specialty seems to be getting inside the mind's of ordinary Irish Catholics pulling the reader into the story through emphasis on the smallest details of the characters. This one is a tale of what appears to be a thought out plan for a mother shamed by a drunk husband trying to find a back door way to get her "UN-marriable" daughter married through the use of guilt and obligation. It feels like the mother almost prostituted her daughter just to shame a man into marrying her. I imagine back around that time it was common. Today we just have reality TV shows like MTV's "Teen Mom" where boys pathetically attempt to be men and marry the girls they knock up only to have the relationship fail. Yet that sense of obligation still persists despite most other social norms of the past having already gone extinct.
February 18, 2019
من كانت له حيلة فليحتال!
July 10, 2016
A butcher's daughter opens a boarding house. Useful too : "She dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat." Highly vivid for a rather mundane backdrop. And a happy ending for the heroine!
July 2, 2016
I have arranged my thoughts into a haiku:
"Manipulation
Running wild amid the pious,
Who know all the rules."
"Manipulation
Running wild amid the pious,
Who know all the rules."
September 19, 2022
polly said gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss
December 14, 2024
Not any of this is getting through me eyes to the frontal lobes.
February 18, 2016
Lit reading. (for the sake of consistency, I'm adding up all the stories I've read)
General review:
As a short story, it didn't present a central conflict nor an antagonist, it was more of a work for the sake of characterization, a sort of guide for writers.
General review:
As a short story, it didn't present a central conflict nor an antagonist, it was more of a work for the sake of characterization, a sort of guide for writers.
October 11, 2016
I've read this as part of the collection of stories in the Dubliners ages ago. Was great to reinvestigate it on its own. Like with the other stories - Joyce investigates class and power through a shifting narration.
July 30, 2013
This story is really questionable and worth being discussed with others. You can't just read it and then forget. You do want to argue and discuss it.
June 8, 2016
I liked it!!!
August 25, 2025
lol this was so tea i love james joyce giving us messy drama in early 20th century dublin
July 29, 2025
The Boarding House by James Joyce
Resilience, bravery
„MRS. MOONEY was a butcher's daughter. She was a woman who was quite able to keep things to herself: a determined woman. She had married her father's foreman and opened a butcher's shop near Spring Gardens. But as soon as his father-in-law was dead Mr. Mooney began to go to the devil.”
This is the exciting start to The Boarding House. We have humor and religion, from the very beginning and we continue with…horror:
„One night he went for his wife with the cleaver
After that, Mrs. Mooney gets a separation and opens up a Boarding House, for her husband had ruined the butcher shop.
She is a “cunning, firm woman”
She also has a very high Emotional Intelligence, resilience and bravery.
You wouldn’t be able to run a boarding house otherwise.
I would even say any business needs a woman with the abilities that Mrs. Mooney possesses. One has to know when to extend credit and when to collect; otherwise ruin is the final result.
Polly is the daughter of Mrs. Mooney and together with her mother and Mr. Doran is part of the trio that gives the main characters of the tale.
The girl is nineteen and flirting with the young men who were clients of the boarding house, but her mother has an eye on her.
But then, something started going on with one of the young men.
Mrs. Mooney did not interfere and we can imagine that she was watching like a hunter, who is waiting for the prey to come at the right spot at the right moment.
Mrs. Mooney intervened:
“She dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat” and she “had social opinion on her side…she was an outraged mother”
This seems to me both funny and dead serious.
Humorous because it feels like she had placed a banana peel on the floor and watched the man fall, only to be later “outraged” that he fell on her carpet.
Serious, because the “reparation „she seeks is that man’s life.
I mean, he has to marry the daughter.
We are also made to witness the thoughts of Mr. Doran, who feels both guilty and a little shortchanged:
“He had a notion that he was being had”
“Polly came to him to take light for the candle one time- She wore a loose open combing- jacket of printed flannel”
To me, that sounds prett provoking.
After we hear the toughts of Mr. Doran, we are witnessing what Polly feels like:
„...There was no longer any perturbation visible on her face...
She waited on patiently, almost cheerfully, without alarm. her memories gradually giving place to hopes and visions of the future.
I have the feeling that the poor man stood no chance. And at this point in my life, that is the way I see what happened to me: I got married for all the wrong reasons, only to find myself used and abused. But hey, maybe I am wrong and it is all a nightmare...or that is the exact definition of marriage.
You can read this adorable story at:
http://www.online-literature.com/jame...
Resilience, bravery
„MRS. MOONEY was a butcher's daughter. She was a woman who was quite able to keep things to herself: a determined woman. She had married her father's foreman and opened a butcher's shop near Spring Gardens. But as soon as his father-in-law was dead Mr. Mooney began to go to the devil.”
This is the exciting start to The Boarding House. We have humor and religion, from the very beginning and we continue with…horror:
„One night he went for his wife with the cleaver
After that, Mrs. Mooney gets a separation and opens up a Boarding House, for her husband had ruined the butcher shop.
She is a “cunning, firm woman”
She also has a very high Emotional Intelligence, resilience and bravery.
You wouldn’t be able to run a boarding house otherwise.
I would even say any business needs a woman with the abilities that Mrs. Mooney possesses. One has to know when to extend credit and when to collect; otherwise ruin is the final result.
Polly is the daughter of Mrs. Mooney and together with her mother and Mr. Doran is part of the trio that gives the main characters of the tale.
The girl is nineteen and flirting with the young men who were clients of the boarding house, but her mother has an eye on her.
But then, something started going on with one of the young men.
Mrs. Mooney did not interfere and we can imagine that she was watching like a hunter, who is waiting for the prey to come at the right spot at the right moment.
Mrs. Mooney intervened:
“She dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat” and she “had social opinion on her side…she was an outraged mother”
This seems to me both funny and dead serious.
Humorous because it feels like she had placed a banana peel on the floor and watched the man fall, only to be later “outraged” that he fell on her carpet.
Serious, because the “reparation „she seeks is that man’s life.
I mean, he has to marry the daughter.
We are also made to witness the thoughts of Mr. Doran, who feels both guilty and a little shortchanged:
“He had a notion that he was being had”
“Polly came to him to take light for the candle one time- She wore a loose open combing- jacket of printed flannel”
To me, that sounds prett provoking.
After we hear the toughts of Mr. Doran, we are witnessing what Polly feels like:
„...There was no longer any perturbation visible on her face...
She waited on patiently, almost cheerfully, without alarm. her memories gradually giving place to hopes and visions of the future.
I have the feeling that the poor man stood no chance. And at this point in my life, that is the way I see what happened to me: I got married for all the wrong reasons, only to find myself used and abused. But hey, maybe I am wrong and it is all a nightmare...or that is the exact definition of marriage.
You can read this adorable story at:
http://www.online-literature.com/jame...
January 3, 2025
3.5
Well, that was probably the happiest (?) ending amongst all these short stories.
I say happy. Polly, daughter of a boarding house madam, begins an affair with a tenant.
Arguably, there are points to be made that she seduced him (her being the instigator of the affair, the allusions to her being a "naughty girl" when she sings etc) with the goal of forcing his hand in marriage, but the tenant himself seems to be morally developing with his age and so goes through with it despite any misgivings and takes responsibility for his own part in the affair (he seems to want for the celibate life).
The mother-daughter relationship was rather subtle and quite interesting to read, they were seemingly complicit in their eventual goal. As I mentioned, compared to other tales within "Dubliners" this one isn't wholly negative as there is a connection between the couple, as recounted by the male tenant. It was also pretty entertaining to read and I was more engaged than I've been with some others in the collection.
Well, that was probably the happiest (?) ending amongst all these short stories.
I say happy. Polly, daughter of a boarding house madam, begins an affair with a tenant.
Arguably, there are points to be made that she seduced him (her being the instigator of the affair, the allusions to her being a "naughty girl" when she sings etc) with the goal of forcing his hand in marriage, but the tenant himself seems to be morally developing with his age and so goes through with it despite any misgivings and takes responsibility for his own part in the affair (he seems to want for the celibate life).
The mother-daughter relationship was rather subtle and quite interesting to read, they were seemingly complicit in their eventual goal. As I mentioned, compared to other tales within "Dubliners" this one isn't wholly negative as there is a connection between the couple, as recounted by the male tenant. It was also pretty entertaining to read and I was more engaged than I've been with some others in the collection.
August 23, 2023
The boarding house. James Joyce.
Πρόκειται για ένα πολύ σύντομο διήγημα μέρος της συλλογής ιστοριών Dubliners, τις οποίες, όπως ο ίδιος ο Joyce αναφέρει, έγραψε για να "εξαναγκάσει" την κοινωνία του Δουβλίνου της εποχής του να καθρεφτίσει τον εαυτό της και να δει την αλήθεια της.
Ρίχνει λοιπόν τα βέλη του στους θεσμούς εκείνους που στηρίζουν ένα σαθρό κοινωνικό οικοδόμημα με την αμφισβητούμενη ηθική τους, όπως η εκκλησία και η οικογένεια, αλλά παράλληλα ξεμασκαρεύει την ιδέα του έρωτα από τις εξιδανικευμένες εκφράσεις των συναισθημάτων και την ίδια στιγμή αποκαλύπτει την τραγική θέση της γυναίκας, που πρέπει να προσαρμόζεται είτε σε εξευτελιστικά για την υπόστασή της υπολογιστικά -ξελογιαστικά τερτίπια, είτε σε μια καταπιεστική υπεράσπιση ενός δήθεν ενάρατου τρόπου ζωής όπου το λόγο έχει η τυπολατρία, οι νόμοι και οι κανόνες μιας κοινωνίας που και καλά ζει σύμφωνα με ηθική και δεν της επιτρέπουν ούτε την ελάχιστη αυτονομία της.
Πρόκειται για ένα πολύ σύντομο διήγημα μέρος της συλλογής ιστοριών Dubliners, τις οποίες, όπως ο ίδιος ο Joyce αναφέρει, έγραψε για να "εξαναγκάσει" την κοινωνία του Δουβλίνου της εποχής του να καθρεφτίσει τον εαυτό της και να δει την αλήθεια της.
Ρίχνει λοιπόν τα βέλη του στους θεσμούς εκείνους που στηρίζουν ένα σαθρό κοινωνικό οικοδόμημα με την αμφισβητούμενη ηθική τους, όπως η εκκλησία και η οικογένεια, αλλά παράλληλα ξεμασκαρεύει την ιδέα του έρωτα από τις εξιδανικευμένες εκφράσεις των συναισθημάτων και την ίδια στιγμή αποκαλύπτει την τραγική θέση της γυναίκας, που πρέπει να προσαρμόζεται είτε σε εξευτελιστικά για την υπόστασή της υπολογιστικά -ξελογιαστικά τερτίπια, είτε σε μια καταπιεστική υπεράσπιση ενός δήθεν ενάρατου τρόπου ζωής όπου το λόγο έχει η τυπολατρία, οι νόμοι και οι κανόνες μιας κοινωνίας που και καλά ζει σύμφωνα με ηθική και δεν της επιτρέπουν ούτε την ελάχιστη αυτονομία της.
December 25, 2025
Fools rush in; fools stay trapped.
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ Mr. Doran, the ever-respectable clerk with a heart as twitchy as a trapped mouse, indulges in a scandalous dalliance with Polly, the landlady’s cunningly compliant daughter.
𓇼 What follows is a symphony of anxiety: he frets over social disgrace, trembles at potential job loss, and wrestles with the unbearable burden of “doing the right thing.”
༘⋆✿ Polly is comfortably ensconced in domestic victory, and poor Mr. Doran… well, he is now a fully licensed prisoner of polite society, sighing elegantly under the gilded cage of expectation.
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ Mr. Doran, the ever-respectable clerk with a heart as twitchy as a trapped mouse, indulges in a scandalous dalliance with Polly, the landlady’s cunningly compliant daughter.
𓇼 What follows is a symphony of anxiety: he frets over social disgrace, trembles at potential job loss, and wrestles with the unbearable burden of “doing the right thing.”
༘⋆✿ Polly is comfortably ensconced in domestic victory, and poor Mr. Doran… well, he is now a fully licensed prisoner of polite society, sighing elegantly under the gilded cage of expectation.
March 30, 2018
Read in Dubliners.
A young man staying at a boarding house is found to be having an affair with the daughter of the woman who runs the boarding house. Due to his guilt, he agrees to marry the daughter, even though he doesn't love her.
A young man staying at a boarding house is found to be having an affair with the daughter of the woman who runs the boarding house. Due to his guilt, he agrees to marry the daughter, even though he doesn't love her.
March 28, 2019
The short story allows the reader to experience a writer like James Joyce whose novels may be impenetrable! The shifting point of view allows us to see life in this Irish boarding house from different perspectives. One of my favorite lines in all of fiction describes the main character "Mrs. Mooney dealt with moral problems as a butcher deals with meat."
July 6, 2023
CLASIFICATION: 1.0 ESTRELLAS
Creo que voy a dejar de leer clasicos que encuentro por ahi. este mes lo poco que lei fue "Clasicos" Solo dos me llamaron la atencion ... (Este no esta entre ellos) .... Btw, hace menos de una semana que lo lei y ni me acuerdo de que era. de no ser porque lo tenia anotado ni estaria aqui.
Creo que voy a dejar de leer clasicos que encuentro por ahi. este mes lo poco que lei fue "Clasicos" Solo dos me llamaron la atencion ... (Este no esta entre ellos) .... Btw, hace menos de una semana que lo lei y ni me acuerdo de que era. de no ser porque lo tenia anotado ni estaria aqui.
February 12, 2019
An likable short story of a woman who has a difficult life because of a bad choice in marriage, who looks to continue the same path for her daughter. The sins of the parents are passed down to the children.
October 19, 2024
The Boarding House: Short Story
James Joyce
A chapter or short story excerpted from Dubliners.
Not so much about the boarding house itself but the Madam’s attempt to entrap a young man in marriage to her promiscuous daughter.
James Joyce
A chapter or short story excerpted from Dubliners.
Not so much about the boarding house itself but the Madam’s attempt to entrap a young man in marriage to her promiscuous daughter.
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