The beginning of the 20th century was a time when enormous changes took place. The Industrial Revolution brought technological advancements while Darwin's evolutionary theories completely overturned traditional scientific beliefs. Undergoing such an immense transition at the turn of the century, the emphasis of modernist writings shifted from realism to experimental techniques such as fragmentation and defamiliarization. Modernist writers no longer wanted to describe the city in the Victorian manner. In the following paragraphs, short stories from “Dubliners” written by James Joyce and an excerpt from the poem “La Cuve” by Charles Baudelaire will be discussed and analyzed to illustrate how Dublin and Paris are described as cities of paralysis and paralysis. city ​​of darkness respectively. James Joyce not only chose Dublin as the setting for his short stories, but more importantly, he wanted to "show the paralysis of Ireland's psyche, society and politics." (Daniels, 2) In “Selected Letters of James Joyce,” Joyce clearly suggested that “[his] intention was to write a moral history of [his] country and [he] chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to [him] the center of paralysis. (Thwaites, 14). Colonized by Britain for 800 years, Dublin and its inhabitants were constantly subjected to political and religious oppression. Besides "[telling] the world about the crippled and dependent situation of the Irish people under English oppression", Joyce intended to "[invent] a unified Irish society which could resist" the force through his short stories in " Dubliners.” (Thwaites, 11, 1) Various aspects of Dubliners will be explored to study how Dublin is portrayed as a city of paralysis, including the depiction of...... middle of paper...... the city and the future. Joyce and Baudelaire invite readers to witness the significant changes occurring in Dublin and Paris through their depiction of the city of paralysis and the city of darkness, respectively. This is described in detail in their short stories and poems so that contemporary readers can gain insight into the difficult lives led by the citizens of that era. Works Cited Brannigan, J. (1998) Dubliners/James Joyce; notes by John Brannigan. London: York Press. Daniels, PJ (2001) The voice of the oppressed in the language of the oppressor – A discussion of selected postcolonial literature from Ireland, Africa and America. New York: Routledge. Joyce, J. Dubliners. Lloyd, R. (2002). Baudelaire's world. New York: Cornell University Press. Thwaites, T. (2001) Joycean Temporalities – Debts, Promises and Countersignatures. Florida: The University Press of Florida.