The saying goes that, “Behind every successful man there is a woman” but history is often about men and women are often all but written out of historical narratives.  Pat Murphy tries to change this by making films that bring important historical women to the forefront.  Murphy tries to give a reliable account of these women when there is essentially nothing written about them.  Using Brenda Maddox’s biography of Nora Barnacle, Murphy brings ‘herstory’ to the screen and presents the life of Nora, James Joyce’s wife who was a key figure in a lot of his work.  Like most wives of famous men, Nora was sufficiently covered in the biographies of her husband.   Nora deals with a strong willed young woman, which allows Murphy, as a female director to bring a distinctively resilient female voice to Nora Barnacle.   Hélène Cixous, a French feminist feels that there is a need for a new feminine way of writing and that women must write about women,  for too long writing has essentially been fashioned by men for men.   Cixous’s call to arms in her concept of the Ecriture Feminine is seen in Murphy’s film Nora where the story of Nora Barnacle is written and directed from a feminist perspective, emphasizing the role of the female character.

Nora Barnacle claims her own identity in this film, and it’s made clear that she was Joyce’s inspiration, although she rarely read anything he wrote.

The story begins with their meeting in Dublin in 1904, where she is a chambermaid and has recently left home in Galway..   He convinces her to go away with him to Trieste to live outside of matrimony, a taboo for an Irish Catholic girl.  The film takes the audience through her life with Joyce in Trieste, as she puts up with his drinking and jealousy.   I recommend this movie, even if you are not familiar with James Joyce and Nora Barnacle. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sources:

Cixous, Hélène.  “The Laugh of the Medusa.”  Signs.  1.4. 1976. P 875-893.

Trailer:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT367gsMEvo