"The Boarding House" is a Modernist short story and a prime example of naturalist fiction. Beginning in the 19th century, naturalism was a literary movement that expounded the need for objective and scientific means of examining human behavior. This objectivism in the service of social commentary is obvious in "The Boarding House," as well as in the other stories in Dubliners. Despite the use of naturalist writing techniques throughout Dubliners, Joyce himself was not a pure naturalist, employing what would be later described as the Joycean epiphany technique to chart a character's realizations and revelations in service of larger social commentary. These epiphanies, however shrewd in their broader implications, are by their very nature subjective. The true line between subjectivity and objectivity is blurred in Joyce's work, despite his penchant for a more removed style of narration in stories like "The Boarding House."
In addition to embodying certain characteristics of naturalism, "The Boarding House" is also an example of modernist literature. The modernist literary movement began around the turn of the 20th century, and reflected on the changes in social values, morals, and technology that occurred during this particular time period. Themes often found in modernist literature include the increased independence of women and their presence in the workplace; war and globalization; and science and genetic technology (including eugenics), among others.
