Lucia Joyce
Encyclopedia
Lucia Anna Joyce was the daughter of Irish writer James Joyce
and Nora Barnacle
.
Italian
was her first language and the language in which she corresponded with her father. She studied ballet
while she was a teenager, becoming good enough to train with Isadora Duncan
. She started to show signs of mental illness
in 1930, around the time she began casually dating Samuel Beckett
. Her deteriorating mental state caused him to call off the relationship, and in 1934, Carl Jung
took her in as a patient. Soon after, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia
at the Burghölzli
psychiatric clinic in Zurich
. She was placed in an institution in Ivry-sur-Seine
, France, in 1935.
In 1951 Lucia was sent to St Andrew's Hospital
in Northampton
, where she was visited at times by Beckett. She died at the institution aged 75 in 1982. She is buried in Kingsthorpe
Cemetery.
Her mental state, and documentation pertaining thereto, is the subject of a recent study by Carol Shloss, who believes Lucia to have been her father's muse
for Finnegans Wake
. The study makes heavy reference to the letters between Lucia Joyce and her father, and became the subject of a copyright misuse
suit by the James Joyce estate. On 25 March 2007, this litigation was resolved.
Her life was the subject in 2004 of a West End play, Calico, written by Michael Hastings
.
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
and Nora Barnacle
Nora Barnacle
Nora Barnacle was the lover, companion, inspiration, and eventual wife of author James Joyce.-Biography:Nora Barnacle was born in the town of Galway, Ireland, but the day of her birth is uncertain. Depending on the source, it varies between the 21st and the 24th of March 1884...
.
Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
was her first language and the language in which she corresponded with her father. She studied ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
while she was a teenager, becoming good enough to train with Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life...
. She started to show signs of mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
in 1930, around the time she began casually dating Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
. Her deteriorating mental state caused him to call off the relationship, and in 1934, Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
took her in as a patient. Soon after, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
at the Burghölzli
Burghölzli
Burghölzli is the common name given for the psychiatric hospital of the University of Zürich, Switzerland. The hospital is located on "Burghölzli", a wooded hill in the district of Riesbach of southeastern Zürich....
psychiatric clinic in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. She was placed in an institution in Ivry-sur-Seine
Ivry-sur-Seine
Ivry-sur-Seine is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris....
, France, in 1935.
In 1951 Lucia was sent to St Andrew's Hospital
St Andrew's Hospital
St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton, England is a psychiatric hospital run by a non-profit-making, charitable trust. It is by far the largest mental health facility in UK, providing national specialist services for adolescents, men, women and older people with mental illness, learning disability,...
in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, where she was visited at times by Beckett. She died at the institution aged 75 in 1982. She is buried in Kingsthorpe
Kingsthorpe
Kingsthorpe was once a Northamptonshire village but is now an extremely affluent suburb to the north-west of the major town of Northampton, England. The River Nene flows through the area to the west...
Cemetery.
Her mental state, and documentation pertaining thereto, is the subject of a recent study by Carol Shloss, who believes Lucia to have been her father's muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
for Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
. The study makes heavy reference to the letters between Lucia Joyce and her father, and became the subject of a copyright misuse
Copyright misuse
Copyright misuse is an equitable defense against copyright infringement in the United States. Under this defense, a copyright infringer may avoid infringement liability if the copyright holder has engaged in abusive or improper conduct in exploiting or enforcing the copyright...
suit by the James Joyce estate. On 25 March 2007, this litigation was resolved.
Her life was the subject in 2004 of a West End play, Calico, written by Michael Hastings
Michael Hastings (playwright)
Michael Gerald Hastings was a British playwright, screen-writer, and occasional novelist and poet.He is probably best known for his 1984 play about the poet T.S. Eliot and his wife Vivienne Haigh-Wood, Tom & Viv, which became a motion picture released in 1994.Hastings was born in London...
.
External links
- Lucia Joyce. Collection of articles and reviews.
- The Mystery of the Muse: Anna Livia Plurabelle Uncovered
- Resolution of the litigation. Retrieved December 9, 2007.