"Eveline" by James Joyce

Wendy and Amy find the love in James Joyce's Eveline, / But is this forbidden, secret love a happiness lifeline? / Or does a stronger love triangle have Eveline's devotion? / Pop a cork to the ties that bind and also leave us broken.

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Show Notes:
Oliver Fox's "Four Pillars of Romance" article
A fun reading of Eveline with an interesting discussion: Trev Downey from The Great Stories Podcast.

Next Episode:  One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid paired with Conte Priuli Prosecco Rose

Transcript

Prosecco N Prose | Season 4 | Episode 32 | “Eveline” by James Joyce

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Co-hosts: Wendy and Amy

Wendy (W): Welcome to Prosecco and Prose Episode 32.

Amy (A): This week’s prosecco is Tesoro Della Regina Prosecco Rosé. 

W: This week’s prose is “Eveline” by James Joyce.                        

A: We’ve got another classic piece of prose this week.

W: A free piece of literature you can find via google search or our show notes and, might I add, another pretty pink prosecco to try.

A: Such a pretty, Evelineesque label on this bottle of bubbly, wouldn’t you say?

W: I do. This elegant pink swirly design on a white label. So today we’re sipping Tesoro Della Regina Prosecco Rosé.

A: Which translates to “treasure of the queen.” I think we’re worthy of such a treasure.

W: If not, I don’t want to know. So, basics on our rosy refreshment …. It’s a DOC, extra dry, 11%, and this one was on the high end for us, $19.99—

A: I’d say priced for a queen! 

W: But it’s rated a 4.1, so with that price point and rating, we’ve got some high expectations for this one. You did say it means treasure of the queen and on the back, it says here, “True to its name, you too will treasure it.” 

A: We’ll be the judge of that…Since Queen Wendy always makes me pop and pour, this one had a nice foamy mousse; it nearly went over the top of the glass…dissipated very quickly though. And now I have nice, tiny, full, persistent bubbles all over the place. 

W: I agree; it doesn’t really have streams of perlage; it’s all over and everywhere, like you said. 

A: The bubbles sort of look like chandelier crystals coming down in a grand ballroom. So sparkly…so pretty.

W: Agree and the color is really pretty as well. I’d call it a pale, petal pink.

A: It’s like you called it, a rosy refreshment. Or at least it appears to be because I have to tell you … I’m not getting any nose on it yet. You getting anything?

W: Not really. I’m going to need to get my nose in this one.

A: You know…I can’t remember having a bubbly where we couldn’t smell anything.

W: I know …. Wait…I think I’m getting something …. Maybe honey? It’s like you sniff and then the smell is gone before you can actually catch what it is.

A: It just kind of goes away before you know what it is. Let’s taste and see if that brings something up… Wait …. I’m getting a hint …. It’s very, very faint, but it makes me think of a Hawaiian flower … Maybe a Gardenia?

W: I’m not getting that, but I do think I’m getting honeysuckle.

A: No, wait, not gardenia. It’s like this lotion I buy at Bath & Body Works.

W: So, a bit perfumey?

A: Maybe like a floral perfume. 

W: Interesting. I pick out a hint of bitterness on the nose now…

A: Plumeria! That’s it. Hoo boy! Hard one to sniff out. I’m sort of in overload…Definitely need a swill after all that sniffing. Blood Hound I am not.

W: Definitely not, but I’d say we both need a ladylike swill. 

A: It’s light, it's tart. I’m getting some, some berry fruit, I mean nothing specific yet, and I’m also getting something florally.

W: I’ve got your tartness, but also there’s something a little bitter in the taste. Some berry fruit, but nothing specific for me either, and I also get the floral.

A: Fortunately, no bitter notes for me, maybe that’s the acidity you’re grabbing.

W: Maybe so.

A: You know how I like to swill it all around my tongue; I think that's kind of where I’m getting the acidity. It’s more like a feeling not a taste.

W: It’s got a nice dryness. It’s off to a good start, I’d say.

A: I do agree. So, let’s talk about Sir James Augustine Aloysius Migillicutty Joyce.

W: Sir? Migillicutty? I think you went a bit overboard and might be making stuff up … again.

A: Well, it sounds good and Josh’s stepdad had an Aloysius Migillicutty in his name so I went with it just to ruffle your feathers a bit. I don’t believe he was ever knighted though, but the sir seems to fit him nicely.

W: It does roll off the tongue. And his writing is a treasure. If not to the queen, then certainly to many others.

A: Cheers to that. Our author…James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, poet, and literary critic, born February 1882, died January 1941, just one month shy of his 59th birthday. Grew up in Dublin, but lived all over Europe as an adult.

W: He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is known for his experimental use of language and exploration of new literary methods, such as interior monologue, symbolic parallels, invented words, puns, and allusions. Joyce is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century.

A: His most well-known works include Ulysses, Finnegan’s Wake, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which is considered by many the greatest bildungsroman in the English language.

W: Wow. High praise. As well as Dubliners, his collection of short stories depicting the Irish middle class in and around Dublin in the early 1900s. Our short story for this episode, “Eveline,” comes from this collection and was written in 1904. 

A: So, Joyce may be considered one of the greats now, but there was some drama in the publishing of Dubliners. 

W: Of course, there was and leave it to you to find it. 

A: Get this! He submitted it 18 times to 15 publishers before it was finally published in 1914. The first publisher wanted some changes; Joyce resisted, then conceded, then they decided not to publish anyway. THEN He found a new publisher, but they too, wanted changes. Drama ensued, and Joyce offered to pay printing costs if they would return his work. But they refused to do that and burned his work.

W: Good grief! What was it about these stories?

A: Not sure, but Joyce did manage to save a copy, and they were eventually published by the original publisher. How’s that for 60 seconds of drama? 

W: After all that, they probably felt like they had a bestseller on their hands. That kind of publicity nowadays would have you at the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

A: No doubt.

W: I’ve got a fun Joyce fact for you.

A: Oooh, lay it on me, baby.

W: Perfect choice of words, and this one is just for you. So Joyce met his lady, Miss Nora, on June 10th,1904. Six days later, on June 16th, they went for a walk, and Miss Nora gave him a handy.

A: OMG like a real handy?!? 

W: Yes, Amy…a real handy!

A: You gotta be kidding me…I’m kind of offended you’d think that was just for me. Nothing wrong with a woman knowing what she wants. James knew he had a keeper on his hands, no pun intended. He had to put a ring on that finger.

W: Well, he didn’t exactly jump to make an honest woman of her, as they said in the day. They were together for 27 years and had two children before they married. 

A: That does seem quite scandalous for the times.

W: They were just ahead of their time. Joyce only finally married Nora because his son had gotten married and Joyce wanted to ensure he’d get his inheritance. So, after 27 years together, James and Nora finally made it official July 4th, 1931.

A: Well cheers to doing it their way, especially after it started with a handy. 

W: Cheers! I’m getting a bit of cranberry on the nose now. From handies to cranberries, we’re moving into dangerous territory. So, moving on…I canalso taste some cranberry/strawberry.

A: Hmmm…. Not getting that, but the smell has really opened up for me. It’s really delightful. I’m getting a sausage and hard-boiled eggs…Amy. Just kidding… I’ve got to say though, I’m really enjoying the taste of this treasure.

W: Me, too. Okay, quick summary of “Eveline.” It’s a very quick read, only four pages long.

A: Hey Wendy, before we summarize, I’d like to give a little shout out to a podcast that read and also discussed this short story …. Great Stories with Trev Downey. I’ll put a link in our show notes to the episode. It’s really impressive!

W: Oh yes. If you would like to have this story read to you, and there are lots that do it, we think Trev’s voice is the best for this read aloud.

A: I could fall asleep to that delicious voice. It’s just so soothing. He’s Irish, reading an Irish piece of work, it’s so fitting.

W: Very much so. He did raise one dilemma for us, though.

A: Yes, he did. The pronunciation of our title character’s name. I pronounced it, Evelyn; you pronounced it—

W: Eveline.

A: And then he comes along and pronounces it Eveleen.

W: So, then I asked my sister, who’s married to an Irish chap, and she said Eveline as they have a family member with a similar name and that’s how they pronounce it.

A: So, it seems like there could be several ways and you may hear different ones from us, once in a while, but Evelyn, Eveline, Eveleen …. They are all the same person.

W: Potato, potaughto, tomato, tomaughto…Hopefully that clears things up.

A: Anyway, go check out Great Stories with Trev Downey and give him a star rating and review. I know he’ll appreciate it. 

W: And it only takes a second or two.

A: Downey, in his episode, discusses themes, symbols, gender roles. I especially loved the discussion on Eveline’s paralysis, the thing that makes in-action easier than action, such as her staying in an unhappy place versus taking a risk for her happiness and jumping on the boat with Frank. Good stuff.

W: It was a very interesting discussion and different than how we’re going to approach it with our love tropes and pillars of romance.

A: Trev also has a whole series on James Joyce, for anyone wanting even more about this incredible author.

W: And who wouldn’t? With that voice?

A: Right? I noticed he also did “Speech Sounds” by Octavia Butler. I’ll have to take a listen and see if he hit on any of the things, we did in our episode back in Season 1.

W: Oooooh, I’d be interested to check that out as well. But yeah, it’s called Great Stories with Trev Downey and well worth a listen. Alright, to our summary.

A: Eveline, our titular protagonist, around 20, the story says she was over 19 like she was now so ancient …

W:That was the implication I certainly got. That old spinster Eveline.

A: I know, but things might be changing for dear Eveline. She’s sitting at the window of the home she shares with her often drunk and sometimes abusive father. Her mother and her older brother have passed. She mentions sisters one time, but there is no mention of where they are now, and another brother who is in the church decorating business. 

W: That, to me, was some humor in the story. I mean, I kind of feel like all churches look pretty much the same. The job couldn’t have been too taxing.

A: Well, think about it… it’s like do we go with the Cruciform setup, the barn style, or the circular…use a little pop of purple here, not too much red there…couple-stained glasses…bless this mess! Hallelujah…Can I get an Amen?

W: Amen! And someone sounds like they’ve had a little too much time on their hands to study church layout…

A: Well, I did have CQ…you know Covid quarantine…carry on soldier Eveline’s reminiscing about her life there, past and present, which hasn’t really been easy. She works a job in a shop | takes care of two children left in her charge | takes care of her difficult father, the house. But … she’s met a young man, a sailor, his name’s Frank…so boring…come on Joyce you can do better than that…maybe that’s why his stories initially didn’t sell. 

W: I love the name Frank! I have an Uncle Frank! I think there’s probably meaning behind that name, miss voodoo name book.

A: You’re probably right. Now I’m going to have to go look that up. Anyway, they’ve made plans to go away to Buenos Ayres, where Frank has a home.

W: They plan to marry and she’ll start a new life with him. He’s a traveled man and they’ve been seeing each other for a bit now while Frank’s back in Ireland on a holiday. When Eveline’s father found out, he forbade Eveline from seeing Frank, so they started meeting secretly.

A: So now, as the time approaches for Eveline to leave, she starts to remember happier times in the home and a promise she made to her mother before she passed that she, Eveline, would keep the home together as long as she could. 

W: She thinks her father will maybe miss her, that people will think she’s a fool for running away with a fellow …

A: …But when she thinks of her mother’s life, Eveline has a moment of panic. She feels she must escape, and Frank is the one who can save her from her mother’s fate.

W: The irony in that moment.

A: I know, right? Then she’s down at the pier with Frank, ready to board the boat, but at the last second, she clings to the railing and Frank, shouted at to move along, boards the boat alone, calling out for Eveline to come. 

W: And she doesn’t even wave goodbye. That last line …. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition. 

A: Nope. Nothing from dear Eveline. Trev Downey’s discussion focuses on why Eveline can’t leave. You know the paralysis we mentioned earlier. Very interesting discussion.

W: It was.

A: But we are all about the love this season, whether it works out or not, so let’s talk tropes in this short.

W: We had mentioned first love as one of tropes, but then felt we couldn’t really confirm whether this was Eveline’s first love or not.

A: No, but I agree, it did kind of feel like her first love experience.

W: It does. She talked about how it had been an excitement for her to have a fellow and that she started to like him.

A: Maybe he washer first love. Doesn’t seem like she’s had much of a chance at love with all of her duties.

W: I doubt she has. I personally feel like it was her first love, at least her first adult love.

A: But if you're looking at the first love trope, it normally goes like this: it’s their first love, it doesn’t work out, but then they meet again later in life and their love is renewed. That’s different than first love experience.

W: Oh yes. Okay. I wasn’t thinking that way, so no first love trope, possible first love experience. Sort of confusing if you’re not familiar with tropes. I agree, but we do have forbidden love and secret love.

A: Most definitely. Forbidden by Eveline’s father, because Frank was a sailor and her father knew these sailor chap types. It was very clear he looked down on Frank for that.

W: And that caused the relationship to turn into a secret romance.

A: Exactly. Eveline and Frank continue to meet, but only in secret. To not raise the wrath of dear old dad.

W: Right. So, we’ve got a forbidden-by-her-father-romance with a sailor that turns into a secret romance.

A: I feel like those two tropes might frequently go hand-in-hand. The secret romance could start secret, but wouldn’t most forbidden romances then lead to a secret one?

W: I don’t know, but it certainly makes sense. I’m going to be on the lookout for the rest of our reads this season to see if they show up separately. 

A: Me, too. But I’ve got a third trope to consider.

W: A third one? What are you about to spring on me now?

A: Hear me out …. How about a good ole love triangle?

W: A love triangle? But haven’t we already established that Frank is in all likelihood Eveline’s first love?

A: Yes, but I’m not talking about a traditional love triangle, as in Eveline has two beaus.

W: Okaaay …

A: Why can’t Eveline leave with Frank?

W: Because of her promise to her mother. She’s all her father has left.

A: Exactly.

W: Wait? What do you mean?

A: Frank loves Eveline, Father loves Eveline, Eveline is torn between these two loves. Father and Frank. It’s a filial and romantic love triangle.

W: Ick, but I suppose. And clearly the filial love is stronger.

A: It might not truly be stronger, but it’s safer. It goes back to Eveline’s paralysis. It’s easier to stay with what she knows than take a risk for what she doesn’t.

W: Very interesting indeed. Definitely would not have thought of a love triangle for this one, but you make a very good argument for one. 

A: You’ve just got to think outside of the normal sometimes.

W: Not even going to touch that.

A: Probably best you don’t. Let’s get to our Pillars of Romance from Oliver Fox on the Writers Write blog. I’ll link that again this week to make it easy for listeners to find. 

W: Great idea…so Pillar 1, The Couple: Lover and Beloved. Frank, our lover and Eveline, our beloved.

A: I just didn’t really feel like Eveline ever truly loved Frank. Did you?

W: No, she talks about the excitement of having a fellow and she likes the things they do together. But she’s really quite detached, I felt. The only indication we get of feelings from Eveline, is when she acknowledges that she began to like him. Not a ringing endorsement of love.

A: Not so much. I did feel she liked the idea of being in love as an escape from the chains that bind her at home. That stagnation, that powerlessness. I think she wanted and dreamed of freedom, but that was the extent of it for her. She can never leave.

W: I don’t think she can.

A: I just had an idea of another couple.

W: From your triangle?

A: No, but we’ll get to that. How about Eveline as lover and Freedom as the beloved.

W: Oh, I can see that. That might be her only real love. At least the fantasy or dream of freedom.

A: She does want her freedom and she knows her time is running out. She has that moment of panic; I think Joyce specifically wrote terror

W: He did.

A: Terror that she’ll end up like her mother. In a pitiful version of her mother’s life. Oppressed and then dead. 

W: That would cause a moment of terror.

A: We might have one more love triangle here …. Eveline—Freedom—Oppression.

W: Maybe so.

A: And speaking of people love triangles ….

W: That love triangle is all yours to explain.

A: Happy to oblige. So…Father is lover and Eveline is beloved. See, not so hard.

W: Just the ick factor, but I agree.

A: It doesn’t have to be ick. Father was overly protective of Eveline and with her mother gone, Eveline is the woman of the house. I’m not saying Father had inappropriate thoughts of her, but the story does talk of abuse, which could potentially include physical, emotional and maybe sexual. It was never explicitly stated.

W: True.

A: And there were two instances that gave me pause to think this. First, Father forbids her from seeing Frank simply because he's a sailor, and second, he’s “begun to threaten her and say what he would do to her only for her dead mother’s sake.” There’s your ick factor if you want to go there…I don’t! And he never remarried, which somehow sat wrong for me in this piece. Trev Downey mentions the patriarchal roles of the time.

W: He did. You’ve definitely thought this out. Interesting take for sure. Pillar 2?

A: Pillar 2: The Obstacles: Rivals, Taboos, and Loved Ones — Oh My!

W: Eveline has some obstacles. The main one being herself.

A: She is her own obstacle. Good one…hadn’t really thought about that. But her father’s one, the children she cares for are another …. Who are those children?

W: I thought they were just some neighbors’ kids. 

A: I don’t think she’s just babysitting a couple of neighborhood kids. They’ve been left in her care. By whom though? Her dead brother Ernest? Her father’s children out of wedlock? Who knows?

W: That’s right. She was ensuring they got off to school and got meals. I forgot it was a bit more involved.

A: Quite involved. We also have the obstacle of alcohol — that seems like a constant in Joyce’s work.

W: I feel like that’s kind of a constant in a lot of Irish authors of that time.

A: Yeah, but it’s definitely an obstacle for not just Eveline, the abused, but also her father, the abuser. Eveline seems to have the fear of the unknown.

W: Definitely she does. I think she fears happiness. It’s just a dream for her. I mean, she’s reminiscing that she’s had it, but has she had it as an adult? That’s different. I couldn’t help but wonder if she thought she maybe wasn’t capable of real happiness so why even go after it?

A: Well, Eveline is weak. She’s afraid to escape. She’d rather be left entrapped in what she knows than take a risk with a suitor who really seems perfect for her and could give her the world. In her eyes, she was questioning whether he really was perfect.

W: I think she has to raise those questions. It gives her an out.

A: Yeah, it kind of does. Pillar 3?

W: Pillar 3: The Romantic Arc: Winning and Losing and … Winning Back Again. Maybe.

A: So …. Frank comes to town on holiday and starts courting Eveline.

W: Then Father puts the kibosh on that, can’t have his daughter cavorting with a sailor chap.

A: But they carry on in secret. First obstacle overcome.

W: I guess I have a hard time believing Frank ever really won over Eveline. She only admits to liking him.

A: True. And there is zero emotion from her at the end when Frank calls to her from the other side of the barrier at the boat. But he’s been trying to win her and continues to, right up until the end. And they do grow closer when Eveline starts to like him.

W: Yeah …. So, I would say Frank’s initial win over the beloved is when she agrees to continue to see him in secret.

A: I think so. But ultimately, he loses his beloved as Eveline does not get on board with him.

W: So then to look at your love triangle situation with the father, I guess you could kind of say he won in the end because Eveline chooses to stay with him.

A: I think you can. Father initially lost to Frank, but then when Eveline stays, he wins back his beloved.

W: Ugh. I could not believe she stayed.

A: I was disappointed, but I also understood why. Like Trev says, she’s paralyzed.

W: Well, she lost my sympathy vote. And poor Frank got off in my opinion getting away from sure drama. Pillar 4?

A: Pillar 4: The Lover’s Sacrifice. 

W: If Frank and Father are the lover’s, what exactly did they sacrifice? I suppose Frank sacrificed being with Eveline. Can you say that?

A: I suppose you could, but did he have a choice? They weren’t strong enough to achieve their goal is what it boils down to. Frank was, but Eveline wasn’t.

W: No, she wasn’t.

A: And maybe Frank wasn’t her goal. She doesn’t love him enough for that.

W: I think that’s it. Frank never really was her goal. Freedom was her goal.

A: Right. Frank was simply a conduit to freedom. But Eveline wasn’t in love with freedom enough to really go for it and achieve her goal.

W: Well, she does have that thought about how by going with Frank she could still end up like her mother, but now away from a place she knows, surrounded by strangers. She has doubts she’ll truly be free.

A: Very true.

W: And what about Father?

A: Well, his goal was to just keep Eveline in the house. She’s assumed her mother’s role in taking care of him and making sure he’s fed; the man seems to do nothing but complain and try to stiff her every week for the groceries. He doesn’t care about Eveline in any real sense except for in the sense that her leaving would upset his world.

W: So then, it would definitely seem like he achieved his goal and actually sacrificed nothing.

A: He really didn’t. Father for sure won in this romance.

W: Ick. He sure did. Anything else?

A: Only that we’d love it if our listeners would sacrifice a minute of their time and rate and review us.

W: Oh yes! We would love that. It’s very easy and you can do it right from your phone.

A: Easy peasy. And this prosecco …. It’s good. You mentioned stickiness earlier and I’m getting a little honey on the finish, but it’s light. It sticks on your tongue …. Gives it sort of a lasting flavor. What would you pair it with?

W: Well, it was excellent with the dark chocolate. That seems to be a go-to for this prosecco rosé stuff.

A: Prosecco rosé stuff? Stuff? 

W: Yeah. Prosecco rosé stuff. What would you prefer?

A: Maybe just …. Dark chocolate seems to be an excellent pairing for Prosecco rosé.

W: Okay. What she said. And also, I’m thinking sushi with wasabi. Thinking the spice of the wasabi might be really good.

A: Spicy would be good. Like an enchilada with lots of cheese and green chili sauce or a spicy queso or even a spicy crusted salmon.

W: I’m with you on the salmon. I think that would be really good. 

A: And a hard cheese and sopressata. Gosh, now I’m hungry. 

W: Me, too. No bubbles on the end for this one, though.

A: Nope. Bubbles are all gone. They all escaped at the beginning, I guess. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we should’ve drank faster to enjoy the perlage. Like prosecco shooters.

W: Maybe we should’ve. Next time. Rating?

A: It’s good. I give it a 3.9. I can’t say a 4.1 like Vivino, but it’s good. I’d definitely swill this spirit again. Can I get an Amen?

W: I would as well, but I’m giving it a 3.8.

A: Okay. Fair. You’re tough to please.

W: I just know what I like and so do you.

A: That we do. And we’d like it if you joined us in two weeks for One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid which we will pair with Conti Priuli Prosecco Rosé.

Cheers!