Furthermore, the relevant functions of the setting will be explained in order to show in which ways they can be fulfilled by elements of it. That definition will serve as reference for distinguishing exactly between elements that belong to the setting and elements that are not a part of it. In order to answer these questions, first of all, a clear definition for the term setting will be given. Because of that, this term paper deals with the questions of whether the setting is used to contribute to a certain mood and whether it is exerted to characterise the main character of the short story. In conclusion, the setting could perform the function of characterisation as well.
Furthermore, the setting appears to be very relevant for understanding the character of the protagonist since it is the background for his action. The reason for that is that it seems to be important for the general mood of several episodes. During reading that short story, a reader may have the impression that the setting is fulfilling the additional function of supporting a certain atmosphere. “I am trying to give people some kind of intellectual pleasure or spiritual enjoyment by converting the bread of every day life into something that has a permanent artistic life on its own” (Joyce 1958: 103f.)Ī significant element of the artistic form of “An Encounter” is the setting because it could have more functions than only providing a context for the short story to occur in. Four years before he started working on Dubliners he was recorded as saying: When writing those short stories, artistic form and symbolic significance were important to Joyce (Leatherwood 1976: 71). This is because it portrays a boy who is looking for “doors of escape” (Joyce 1976: 20) to get out of that wearisome world. Although one can read the short story “An Encounter” on its own, it fits into the pattern of Dubliners. Joyce's intention was to reveal the situations of people being trapped and thus “betray the soul of that paralysis which many consider a city“ (Gilbert 1966: 55).
The short stories in this collection deal with the everyday life in Dublin. His first literary works appeared in a collection called Dubliners. The Irish born author James Joyce was one of the most important representatives of modernism (Kreutzer 2005: 171).
Analysing the setting in “An Encounter” regarding its function
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