A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man

Rating:
Summary: A young man: sure; A portrait: maybe; An artist: no way!
Review: Listen to your professors. They'll tell, this is a book written by someone that they consider as one of the three or four greatest writers of the twentieth century. If they would be more accurate it would be: a book by a writer, that wrote a book that may be considered among the most provocative of the twentieth century. Provocative to thoughts, adoration, cultism, dislike, disgust etc. etc. But whatever you can say about "a portrait", Ulysses it's not. In addition it takes a truly artistic imagination to see "a portrait" as any type of precursor to Ulysses. My problem with "a portrait" is that most in it had been done before, and often in a better way. I know that if you share Joyce's cultural, political and religious background, and deal with those "inputs" in a similar way as the writer, you may have no greater hero. As such, "a portrait" could be considered as the first major chapter in the history of your hero. Lacking his background, "a portrait" failed to create any type of resonance in me, even after a careful rereading. Compare for example with the picture that Louis Ferdinand Celine- I don't share his background either- paints of his childhood in "the Journey..." and "Dead...". That's literature, written art: it turns the individual emotion into a general one. Okay, many Joyce lovers will say, but read this line, this passage, this page that is only a small step from.... Maybe, but what may be a small step for you, may be a giant step for mankind. Finally, a small advice for the like-minded reader. It maybe tomorrow, a week from now, a year from now, who knows. You'll walk into that devout Joyce follower, that tries to convince you that there is something wrong with not only your taste, but with your brain in general. Don't worry, just think back and try to remember that "60 minutes" issue a few years ago about the scene of accepted modern art in New York City. I, at least, can still remember that look in Morley Safer's face when that older lady with the 9-figure bank account went into a state of rapture upon seeing an artwork consisting of a urinal not hooked up to water or sewer line (the magic was in this none-hook-up). Morley was right when he brought up the "Emperor's new clothes". And this may be at the center of the cult surrounding "a portrait", it may provide a sounding-board for those lacking the ability to put their own thoughts/feelings/life in order on their own. This may proof the significance of this book as the father of all self-help books. But a great read, or great literature, I am afraid not.

Rating:
Summary: Portrait of the Artist As a Convoluted Writer
Review: If you were to dissect this book line by line and write essays upon essays about its themes and symbolism, this could be a very good book. If you are the type of person that enjoys pondering every aspect, every page, and every word - this could be right up your alley. If, however, you enjoy reading for the sake of reading, skip this book.

It's almost as if Joyce took pains to confuse and annoy the reader. Though filled with good chunks of reading, the sentence structure is very awkward, and the progression of the book is disjoint and puzzling at times. Joyce will capture you with some aspect of the main character's childhood, and then switch to an extremely boring dialogue about philosophy.

I truly understand what Joyce was trying to convey, and is the reason why it's two stars. The themes of religion, politics, sex, and money all come in to play, and affect the main character as he moves from childhood, to adolescence, then to his teen years. If this message was delivered in an easier package, I might have really enjoyed this book.

Basically, if I were to write in the same style as Joyce, I would be fired from my job right on the spot.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Introduction to Stream of Consciousness
Review: As a high school senior, I have just started grappling with more difficult literature. Reading Portrait and Faulkner's As I Lay Dying provided a sound basis for more difficult works, like Morrison's Beloved. All of these works, with their use of the stream of consciousness so popular in modernist literature, powerfully express their authors ideas.

Also, this is probably one of the best works about teenage rebellion, ever.

Rating:
Summary: mild interest here
Review: Upon finishing Portrait one understands much better Joyce's seguay into Ulysses. Ulysses turns ordinary people in an ordinary day into an experimental novel. Portrait, much the same, uses the very ordinary life of its author as a model for the main character. Unlike Ulysses, Portrait simply fails to generate a whole lot of interest, unless one is specifically enthralled with the relation of young men to their priests, or interested in the mundane conversations of university students. The book begins strongly enough with a clever rendition of the earliest years of Stephen Daedelus. But, as the book curves more to Joyce's struggles with his Catholic upbringing, my interest begain to wain, and by the end, suspecting Joyce had lost enthusiasm in his own book, I was quite happy to have only a few more pargraphs before me. Now, I have an equal disinterest in sailing, but have read books on sailing which captured my interest against my will. Portrait never reaches this point, and while understanding it on an intellectual level, for me there is a distinct lack of passion, drama, story line, or the basic subtle artistry that makes for a good book. There were some high points highlighted by a sermon so explicit an exposition of the Christian Religion as to expose that religion. Certainly Joyce with this rendition of the sermon proves his ability to outwrite and outpersuade anybody who had written of Christiantity to date, and so flashes a bit of his great talent. In the end, I felt that Portrait contained a few very well written parts, and while the writing certainly is on a high plain, in the panopy of literature this was barely average.

Rating:
Summary: jaysus marrry and joseph!
Review: okay this is a review for all of you teenager like people out there. i too must confess to being of this obscure species! but, unlike other people my age, i actually am chosing to read this book. i can only imagine what would happen if it were assigned to my english class... im sure they would riot. i admit i have a greater understanding of the irish language and culture, having lived in cork when i was 16 (and now im 17... geez the time flies..)

so what i have to say about this story is this: in the teenage world of the intellectual, the interested, and the apathetic, i fall under the categorie of interested. this book ranges from the highly interested to the intellegent. in other words, you have to be really interested in irish culture and/or the coming of age of one james joyce, or really intellectually inclined to the extent of thoroughly understanding joyce's stream-of-consciousness style of writing. i admit that i do not truly understand it. actually, i am not quite done the book and i am praying that the end will bring it all together, but im not holding my breath. i've heard finnegan's wake is worse though... anyway, i recommend this book not to everyone, but to people with high attention spans or keen interest in ireland at the turn of the 20th century or people who like challeneges or literature professors or people with lots of time on their hands or kids who want to prove they're really smart...

i dont see why they say james joyce is such a genius, if only a select few of us will truly understand his work...? and believe me he is hailed as a genius in ireland, he's on the ten pound note. i'd give this book a B-

Rating:
Summary: ¿The Study of a developing Mind¿
Review: With its rich symbolism and sensual, impressionisticstream-of-conscious language, the novel 'A Portrait of the Artistas a young Man' is seen as one of the greatest and most influentialmasterpieces of world literature. Before this autobiographical storywas finally published in 1916, it had been rewritten many times,because James Joyce, the author, wasn't satisfied with it.

JamesJoyce was born in Dublin, capitol of Ireland and the place where mostof the story takes places, in 1882. He was one of a large family, justas Stephen Dedalus, the maincharacter of the story is. James andStephan both visited Clongowes Wood College, Belvedere College andDublin college of the Royal University. After he did some writing fortheatre, Joyce moved to Paris -at the end of story Stephen alsogoes to Paris -, but returns when his mother becomes sick. He becomesone of the most famous authors ever, especially be writing'Ulysses', the story which follows up 'A Portrait of the Artistas a young Man', in which Stephen Dedalus reappears.

This novelchronicles Stephen's life from his early years at Clongowes School tothe university, when he decides to leave Dublin. Joyce describes theDedalus family fantastically. Young Stephen's education by theJesuits, his sexual awakening, his intellectual development and hiseventual 'being against' the religion, in which he has beenraised.

Stephen has been far from a good Catholic boy. Among otherthings, he's been visiting the brothels. All this has made himfrightened ... . He thinks he will end up there and can't stopthinking about the punishment he'll get. '....at the command ofGod, the fire of hell, while retaining the intensity of its heat,burns eternally in darkness. It's an never ending storm of darkness,dark flames and dark smoke of burning brimstone, amid which the bodiesare heaped one upon another without even a glimpse of air.' is whatStephen imagines hell's like.

Fortunately the sermon hits him with aspecial intensity, so much so that it changes his life forever. Beforethis, he's completely absorbed in the 'physical'. After it, hebecomes just as absorbed in the 'spiritual world' - it's likegoing from the first end to the other. He's being offered a positionas priest. When Stephen decides he doesn't want to be a priest, theidea of becoming an artist really starts to take hold. And when hesees a girl on the beach, his life is set for good. He revolts againstthe religion and moves to Paris.

The story, which comes from thetime of the modernism, the stream of consciousness, has been writtenin a third person view. You only read the things Stephen sees, hearsand especially the things he thinks. All the time the story switchesfrom reality to imagination without letting you know it does, whichsometimes takes care of some confusion and misunderstanding.

Joyce'smastery of literary style and the richness of the language -as wellEnglish as Latin- make the story very hard to read, without keeping onlooking at a dictionary, but it's worth the effort. Like everyonesays, it's a masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: A Remakably Rich Study Of A Developing Mind
Review: Perhaps considered by many as one Joyce's most personal work. Through a series of brillant epiphanies that parallel the development of his own aesthetic consciousness Joyce evokes Stephen Dedalus's youth,from his impressionable years as the youngest student at the "Clongowes Wood" school to the deep religious conflict he experiences at a day school in Dublin(which in my opinion was the most profound part of the book, and the most enjoyable to read.)and finally to his college studies where he challenges the conventions of his upbringing and his understanding of faith and intellectual freedom. It's this part of the book which makes me think of "Catcher in the Rye". The mere idea of "breaking loose" to find one's self and setting yourself apart from others by doing what YOU want. A fantasic book filled with rich and wonderful details as only a master like Joyce could have done. Anyone in the mood for a enjoyable, thought-provoking read has to read this! Joyce has left an indelible mark on literature, and aren't we all lucky for that.

Rating:
Summary: Modernism defined
Review: If the phrase "stream of consciouness" strikes fear in your heart, then RUN, and don't look back. PORTRAIT could have been a simple, sweet coming-of-age story but, like an Eliot poem or similar modernist offering, one can't read it without stopping every twenty seconds, referencing footnote, endnote and outside resource to get the big picture. On the one hand--what a rich novel. But yet, one has to ask oneself, which book do you want your nose in: a Latin-English dictionary, or the novel in question?

In essence, PORTRAIT is a stolen glimpse into the mind of a genius, and the pains and pursuits of his adolescent life. And through this we endure the broad spectrum of male puberty, in all its unabashed glory. (Meanwhile, I'm sitting here asking myself 'wasn't it painful enough the first time?')

A deceptively dense volume and keen insight into Joyce the Man and turn-of-the-century Ireland. Tedious, but fascinating nonetheless. Indispensible for anyone who seeks to learn about James Joyce or the Modernists.

Rating:
Summary: Literature at it's finest
Review: The first time I read this book was my senior year in high school. Each time I read it I catch something I didn't notice before. What makes this book wonderful isn't the plot, but the revolutionary style of writing used by Joyce. "A Portrait of the Artist..." is a challenging book, but very satisfying to read.

Rating:
Summary: A Different Kind of Poetic Portrait
Review: This man's writing is GENIUS. I read this book about seven years ago; and, it still impresses itself upon my mind as a favorite.

Some people have trouble with his writing: they find it hard to understand.

(With the obvious exception of Finnegan's Wake) I find Joyce's writing to be more understandable than most. I relate to his style very easily. He SAYS more than most writers using the same amount of words. In "A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man", there is a lot of depth here in terms of metaphors and all sorts of sensations the writing invokes from your being.

I think Joyce was able to transcend the typical semantic limitations of the English language and add motion as well as layers of understanding to his composition. The connections between the words ... phrases... all of their subtle meanings ... their INTERACTIONS ... their colors and sounds... this is like music in writing!! I don't know of any other author capable of this. When I read James Joyce, the pages come to life. His rhyming style in "A Portrait..." particularly fancies my attention. ;) I am sensitive to that rhythm. It is very child-like and fun - but not to be read superficially or you'll miss something...

This book discusses themes including struggling with the sensual world versus perfectionistic ideals ... within the context of Old Irish Catholic upbringing and the struggles inherent therein. Tied in with that are also issues of rebellion/going your own way versus trying to "fit in". Perhaps the latter of that is not so clearly stated in the book; but, I see it in there. These issues are explored - most appropriately - through the story of a maturing, intelligent, adolescent boy in Dublin who no doubt parallels Joyce himself. This is a story about personal growth: some of the metaphors illustrate the sensation of being born again and again and again ... cold, wet and naked into the world ... with each new experience and insight. These insights - epiphanies - are explored in a way that resonated greatly with me, impressing that deep, joyful sense of appreciation of this beautiful element in Life.

I particularly enjoyed the point in the book in which the main character, Stephen Dedalus, begins indulging in Aristotle's theory of aesthetics. This is where the book peaked for me because the very style of writing ... as well as its descriptions of how life interacts with itself ... all of these layers were explained from an aesthetic context in Stephen's conversational discourses on the nature of beauty. I guess I could most simply describe the sensation as the old idea of a mirror reflecting (something) within a mirror reflecting within another mirror, and on ... or perhaps "waking" from a dream successively ... this is part of the effect it has on you. The reason for this is because you are forced back from the text and see a crystallization of the writing style itself that the main character of the book expounds in the theory. The beauty of the book is consummated at this point because of the understanding - the definition of it. I don't think I have explained it sufficiently here; but, I'll say that there was great irony at this point in the book for me. Oh, I loved this book...

Not for everyone, I still think everyone should be exposed to this style of writing at some point. I think that perhaps the people who are deep-thinking artists (of all varieties) might get the most from this book, on average. This is still definitely a classic.