Grace

by James Joyce

Grace: Style 1 key example

Style
Explanation and Analysis:

Joyce’s writing style in “Grace” features simple, unadorned language as well as heavy dialogue between characters. The following passage—which comes as Power, Cunningham, and M’Coy are visiting their injured friend Kernan—demonstrates both aspects of Joyce’s style:

Mr Cunningham said that he had once known a similar case. A man of seventy had bitten off a piece of his tongue during an epileptic fit and the tongue had filled in again so that no one could see a trace of the bite.

—Well, I’m not seventy, said the invalid.

—God forbid, said Mr Cunningham.

—It doesn’t pain you now? asked Mr M’Coy.

Mr M’Coy had been at one time a tenor of some reputation. His wife, who had been a soprano, still taught young children to play the piano at low terms.