James Joyce's "Dubliners".

Larissa Zhurakovskya With a population of 1,009,100 today Dublin has always been a large city. It is only logical that the daily thought processes and life force of its people inevitably produce certain spiritual energy, a collective consciousness. This collective consciousness does not disappear after it is created. It is absorbed by the city itself, as it has nowhere else to go. The roads, the buildings, the bridges, and the trees gobble up this life energy. …

…groups of stories. James Joyce said "I've put in so many enigmas and puzzles into this book that it will keep the professors busy for centuries." One of the puzzles is the revelation of Dublin's will and creation of a Dubliner that is regressive and paralyzed. Organization, setting, and characterization of this book are the vehicles of Joyce's purpose, the theme of stagnation. Thus at least one of the puzzles in this book becomes evident.