ABSTRACT
Proust and Joyce sat beside each other and later, in the company of a few others, shared a cab home. It is perhaps not surprising that there should be differing versions of what the two said to each other. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the ways in which dialogue is transgressed, through rupture, deceit, silence. As the old adage goes 'silence speaks volumes'. How is a message conveyed? How does communication either pass, or become impeded? The bookpresents a study based on the idea that Modernism takes dialogue in two directions: we witness both an interiorization of dialogue, as well as an explosion of background noise. Sometimes the former will try to absorb the latter as an individual's subjectivity tries to reassert itself. The book illustrates the different levels at which dialogue happens: it will be a synchronic rather than a diachronic approach.
