QuoteProject
It is a symbol of Irish art. The cracked looking-glass of a servant.
James Joyce
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the complexity of identity and perception in art, particularly within the context of Irish culture.

James Joyce's quote alludes to how Irish art can be seen as a reflection of societal conditions and personal experiences. The 'cracked looking-glass' metaphor suggests that what we perceive is not always clear or perfect; it implies that the experiences of those in service and their perspectives are often distorted, yet they still represent a significant aspect of Irish identity and artistic expression.

Themes

Irish ArtIdentityPerceptionReflectionSociety

In practice

Example use cases

During a lecture on Irish literature, one might use this quote to illustrate the relationship between art and cultural identity.

More from James Joyce

The heaventree of stars hung with humid nightblue fruit.
James JoyceRead
I think a child should be allowed to take his father's or mother's name at will on coming of age. Paternity is a legal fiction.
James JoyceRead
If he had smiled why would he have smiled? To reflect that each one who enters imagines himself to be the first to enter whereas he is always the last term of a preceding series even if the first term of a succeeding one, each imagining himself to be first, last, only and alone whereas he is neither first nor last nor only nor alone in a series originating in and repeated to infinity.
James JoyceRead
Gentle lady, do not sing Sad songs about the end of love; Lay aside sadness and sing How love that passes is enough. Sing about the long deep sleep Of lovers that are dead, and how In the grave all love shall sleep: Love is aweary now.
James JoyceRead
I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.
James JoyceRead
The movements which work revolutions in the world are born out of the dreams and visions in a peasant's heart on the hillside.
James JoyceRead

Similar quotes

If there is such a thing for Sparks as a mission statement, it's more general in that we want each new album to be musically and lyrically provocative. We want to really go at it as though this might be the first album that anyone will ever hear of Sparks.
Russell MaelRead
I've tried a few times to depart from what I know I can do, and I've failed. I've tried to work outside the studio, but it introduces too many variables that I can't control. I'm really quite narrow, you know.
Irving PennRead
That afternoon he told me that the difference between human beings and animals was that human beings were able to dream while awake. He said the purpose of books was to permit us to exercise that faculty. Art, he said, was a controlled madness… He said books weren't made of themes, which you could write essays about, but of images that inserted themselves into your brain and replaced what you were seeing with your eyes.
Steven MillhauserRead
The essence of style is how you live your life
Oscar De La RentaRead
If something comes along that is totally outside of horror, fine, but I find there's an immense amount of freedom within the genre.
Wes CravenRead
CBS really wants me on TV. That's their aim. My aim is to have an all-gay sitcom someday, with heterosexuals as token guest stars. Let them be the next-door neighbors for a change.
Harvey FiersteinRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by James Joyce | QuoteProject