A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man

Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: I thought that A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was a very interesting book. James Joyce was not only able to capture the political turmoil in Ireland at the time of his youth, but also the the alienation that every man with radical ideas went through.
The people living in his time were only open to widely acceped ideas, whether they be political or religious.
Joyce should also be commended of his amazing writing style. None have yet surpassed him.

Rating:
Summary: Look before you leap, think before you read
Review: This book is definately not for everyone. The entire book is like a stream of thoughts invoked when one looks at a self portrait of one's youth. Maybe that's what Joyce was trying to accomplish. The book gets interesting as the chapters progress, intially it is a little hard to grasp. For me it required slow reading and in some cases rereading and excessive stretching of hands towards the dictionary to fully comprehend and enjoy the novel. The novel does not fall under the gambit of light reading, a consistent effort is required on behalf of the reader to continue reading the novel, in order to grasp the artistic spell that the author is trying to invoke on the reader.
Do not expect a story, as such there is no story in the novel. The gist of it is the coming of age of the author but it was written in a way to revolutionize the way novels were written and read. It is much more profound, acute and slower than what most reviews purport it to be, which unfortunately means that for the average reader the book could be very boring.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to read, difficult to follow
Review: This book is easy to read. The language is simple, the sentence structure is concise, and the general plot is relatively linear. It is basically a story of the maturation of a young boy into a young adult in 19th C. England. The title of the book says it all. However, Joyce breaks into several dream-reality tangents that, if closely read, reveal a lot about the characters and the story. If you do not have a group with whom to discuss this book, I do not recommend it. If you are a student who must read this for a class, the more you put in, the more you will get out. It is an excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Very well written.
Review: A Portrait of an Artist was a surprise to me. I read it as a school assignment but I actually
enjoyed it a little. It was a thought provoking book and was very well written. James Joyce's'
fictional but semi- autobiographical novel was very creative. It was written in a style that I have
never read before. It wasn't first person or third person, but it also wasn't quite a third person
omniscient. It was a new style to me but James Joyce made it work.
It is a novel about a boy, Stephen Dedalus and his struggles to grow up, break away from
the confining restrictions of church, family, and country (patriotism), and to ultimately find
himself as an individual and artist. Most of these struggles are very similar to things that all of us
have gone through(with exception of becoming an artist). I think many of the problems he faced
were a little amplified, and that helped show what kind of person Stephen was. He was very
thoughtful and he tried, like many of us to fit into many places that he didn't naturally fit.
All through the book Stephen changes schools and is never accepted by the other kids at
the school. Eventually he decides to stand up for himself by talking to the school master after
being punished unfairly. He is rewarded for his bravery and begins to be accepted by his peers.
But he still doesn't quite fit in.
The thing that stuck out most to me was the jesuit priests and how they preached about
hell and damnation. I thought it was an extreme way to try and control the way the kids act. It
seemed as though they were trying to scare them into being good instead of having them do it for
the right reasons. Ultimately scaring people into something rarely works. If you want them to do
something they have to do it for the right reasons or they will not continue to do it in the future.
One of the most interesting things for me was seeing the way Joyce used the imagery, he
is so good with words. I enjoy reading the vivid descriptions he uses and find myself forming a
mental picture much easier than I do when reading other books. One thing I disliked about this
book was the lack of plot. I t was difficult to find a story line to follow. While the creative style,
imagery and wording of the book interested me I did find it hard at times to continue reading
because there was nothing that made me want to continue to the next chapter. Nothing that
caught my attention and made me want to find out what happens next.
Overall I would recommend this book because of it's creative style and great word usage.
I think if you read this book through and give it a chance, then you will be satisfied. With this
book you do have to read all the way to the end or it will seem like a waste of your time.

Rating:
Summary: A Complex Read, Yet Excellent
Review: Joyce's portrayal of turn of the century Ireland with all of its complex social and political problems is an excellent backdrop for this story, and he vividly describes Stephen Dedalus' role in a complex story. First, I enjoy Joyce's writing style and his ability to develop Stephen's character. It is easy to relate to Stephen's development of thoughts.
I enjoyed how Joyce starts the story with Stephen as a boy, because this shows his vulnerability and dependence upon his parents for his political, religious, and social views. His interaction among the boys at Clongowes brought back my own memories from elementary school and my own interactions with students. He wants to be accepted by his peers, and Joyce shows this by his embarrassments and fears in taking a stand. Stephen is small in stature and in his confidence, but his triumph when he talks to the rector is an excellent scene because it shows Stephen developing his own independent thoughts and being able to stand up for them.
I enjoy Joyce's vivid descriptions because they include the physical realm as well as Stephen's thoughts. This is shown throughout the book - one scene in particular is when Stephen goes to Belvedere College and he has an encounter with Heron, Boland, and Nash. The four are walking on a country road, discussing their favorite authors, when Stephen states that his is Lord Byron. The boys laugh, claiming that Tennyson is the obvious choice. They pin him down and try to get him to revoke the statement, and he refuse to do so. I admire Stephen's strength in his own opinions, this example shows that he has developed his own ideas and will stand for them. Joyce's imagery makes the scenes, including Stephen's emotions, come alive. He writes, "At last after a fury of plunges he wrenched himself free. His tormentors set off towards Jones's Road, laughing and jeering at him, while he, half blinded with tears, stumbled on, clenching his fists madly and sobbing" (57). Stephen's emotions come alive; I can relate to the hot, angry tears he feels.
I also appreciate Joyce's writings concerning the political and religious situation in Ireland. Somewhat unaware of the problems surging in Ireland at this time, Joyce describes indirectly these problems, which fills in the reader as to the political, religious, and social context behind Stephen's life and development. One scene which made these problems clear to me was the Christmas dinner squabble between Dante and Mr. Dedalus. Stephen quietly sits back and soaks in his relatives' opinions in amazement at the scene. This scene is one of those that is when a child realizes that life has problems and the world is not in order, as he hopes. I recognize this mark of change in Stephen's confidence in his family and country.
Stephen's development is one of the greatest aspects of this book. Joyce causes Stephen's thoughts to evolve - he starts with childlike, unconnected thoughts to more complex, opinionated ones. His own desires and opinions are made known as he matures, and his own unrest becomes increasingly apparent. Furthermore, the style of this book is complex - one must read between the lines and have some kind of concept of Irish conflicts and culture in order to truly understand the full meaning behind this book. It is sometimes hard to follow Joyce's jumpy style - there is no full plot structure. This is not the best book if you are looking for a fast, easy romance novel, but it is rewarding in that it causes one to think about its themes and Stephen's development of the independence of his own soul.

Rating:
Summary: not so bad
Review: Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man is an intense book. I realize that it is often at the top of many a best-seller list. But, it will not be at the top of mine, although the book is both well crafted and thought provoking. James Joyce shadows the main character, Stephen Daedalus, through his youth, starting at around six years of age. Joyce shows Stephen's progression from dependent child to free artist in a very unique way. There is a change in the writing style of the piece just about every chapter, which can be very confusing. Showing Stephen's progression as a person through progression in writing style is unique. But, it can cause serious problems for an unsuspecting reader. I for one, upon first picking up the book, found the first few pages just about impossible to decipher. I did not understand what was going on. After a few readings, and some help from friends, I finally understood that Joyce begins his book from the stream of consciousness of a six-year old child. When I understood that, the book had much more worth to me, but until I did, I felt convinced it was a piece of garbage. Another key to note is that in order to fully understand the allusions in the book, one must be familiar with the myth of Icarus and Daedalus.
One of the best things about Portrait of An Artist As a Young Man is the use of language. Joyce is a master with words, and can, in a few short sentences, create very vivid pictures of what he hopes to portray. His bird imagery especially, is developed to such an extent that the reader can follow just the progression of the images to understand what is happening in the plot of the story. Plot, though, for this book, is not the best word to use since Joyce did not create a real plot for the book. There is no real storyline to follow, which made the book difficult for me to read. There is not much to carry you through. It is a fight to stick with the book, because most of the time there is nothing pushing the reader onwards, at least in my opinion. Still, sticking with the book did give me a sense of accomplishment in the end, as I was able to finally put it down and think about it. If I had not been able to think about the true significance later, it is quite possible that I would have missed the point of the book, and for that reason, hated it.

Rating:
Summary: Portrait of My Nightmare of an Intensive Writing Assignment
Review: When I read Joyce's "The Dead" as a senior in high school, it took watching the movie and several class hours of discussion before I was finally able to see meaning in the novel. Now, having read "A Portrait of the Artist," I am convinced that not only is Joyce's style unique, to say the least he is a veritable cubist of contemporary literature.

"Portrait of the Artist" chronicles the coming of age of Stephen Dedalus, a young man in turn-of-the-century Ireland. Joyce opens the book with Stephen as a small child, writing in language befitting of one little older than a toddler. The language matures as Stephen does, however, and soon Joyce has the reader jumping from interesting descriptions of girls on beaches to cataclysmically boring (and LONG!) soliloquies of Stephen's philosophical, emotional, and physical wanderings. Amid tyrannical priests, playground bullies, apathetic parents, and the occasional friend, Stephen is forced to grow up with almost no guidance or example. The progression of Stephen and the novel is eclectic. At times Joyce tosses out sudden bursts of simplicity, signified by a hidden smattering of pivotal epiphanies that ultimately lead up to the climax/close of the book and Stephen's decision to shrug off the limitations of men and become an artist. At others, the only logical thought that follows an idea is ". . .what?" It seems as though Joyce is deliberately trying to confuse the reader, so that they can get an idea of the phases Stephen is going through. An effective, but very frustrating, tool to draw the reader into the plot.

Joyce's style of writing, depending on the reader's frame of mind (or state thereof), can be extremely thought provoking, or just provoking. Joyce expresses Stephen not physically, but rather the reader grows to know him through his thoughts and sometimes, his surroundings. This indirect approach to a very complex individual through abstract description and seemingly meaningless mental tangents is tedious and often frustrating--it seems as though, rather than bring Stephen to the reader, Joyce is dragging the reader to Stephen through a quagmire of politics, philosophy, sex, art, and religion. It is left up to the readers to decide which elements will clarify Stephen's direction for them(and hence the direction of the book),and which will only muddy the waters further.

I feel safe in labeling James Joyce the Picasso of twentieth century literature. "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is one of the strangest and most thought-provoking books I have ever read. The disjointed sentence structure and abstract methods of description he employs are a great detriment to any initial enjoyment of the work. It takes too long to stop after every paragraph and decipher what Joyce is conveying to really like reading it the first time. A second and even third reading is advisable to truly understand the proverbial 'moral of the story.' Some feel that Joyce is the Einstein of the literary world, and he certainly deserves the distinction of being a revolutionary. Whether or not revolution is genius, however, is left to the discretion of his future readers.

Rating:
Summary: Language Parallels
Review: James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical story of Stephen Daedelus as he grows from a young child to a young adult. Virtually every word Joyce uses is deliberate. The novel is not one that a person can read and understand without completely focusing on what Joyce is saying.
Joyce uniquely uses language to portray the young Daedelus as he grows and matures. The language is very simple in the beginning, following a stream of consciousness format that portrays Stephen's young age and undeveloped thought process. As he grows in all aspects of his being - physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and mental - the language reflects his growing complexity. Joyce also uses language to show the changes in Stephen's relationships with others - especially his family - that result from his growth. Throughout the novel, Stephen goes through various periods and levels of alienation. During his early years in boarding school, Stephen feels distant from the other boys and counts the days until he can return home. However, after a heated discussion over Christmas dinner with his family, he feels as though they are somewhat remote. He cannot figure out which adult to side with over the political issues concerning the Catholic Church and the Irish State. Thus, his young mind experiences its first feelings of alienation from his family. These feelings mark the first instance of a desire to break from traditional viewpoints, and the point at which the language begins to change.
Gradually, this emotional separation becomes more pronounced as he starts to notice his father's imperfections, such as his excessive spending habits and the tasteless company he chooses to keep. By looking down on his father's actions, Stephen widens the distance between himself and his father. Thus, he loses his childhood naiveté and sees his father as an imperfect human being. Joyce reflects this change in the language by replacing childish phrases with more experienced reflections.
As the novel progresses, the language Joyce uses becomes even more complex in structure and content. This illustrates Stephen's progression as his ideas and views of life become more his own. As Stephen's family sinks into the slums materially and socially because of his father's excessive spending, Stephen develops the courage to break away from them and stand independent with his own ideals and views.
His emotional separation from his family finally leads to his physical separation from the familial and social environment he was raised in. He embarks from Ireland, leaving everything he opposes: his family, the Catholic Church, Irish Patriotism, and his old self. The language of the novel follows Stephen's internal progression as he moves from simplistic and undefined views, to his eloquent and personal theories about art and life. It is at this point of resolution that Joyce shifts his language from a distant point of view to the first person narration of journal entries - only after Stephen finds his own independent voice.

Rating:
Summary: Joyce- The Master Artist of Literature
Review: The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is one of the great masterpieces of modern literature. Joyce is a true master of diction. While his imagery is complex and metaphorical, it is never banal. Though many of the experiences of Stephen Daedalus are commonplace, Joyce's descriptions give them meaning that is universally applicable.

The basic structure of the book is rather simple. Five chapters each present an important point in the life of Stephen. Each of these segments contains an epiphany that slowly guides Stephen to his vocation as an artist. The language of the chapter's change as Stephen gains maturity and independence. In the first chapter, Stephen is a pre-adolescent boy struggling to be accepted at school. His thoughts center around his family, especially his "Nice Mother" (Joyce, 3). In the second chapter teenage first Stephen addresses issues of sexuality and love. He begins to be drawn to literature as a way of expressing his emotions. Chapters three and four provide a thought provoking analysis of religion. In perhaps the book's most important epiphany Stephen gains an affirmation of his artistic calling. In chapter five we see the development of Stephen's aesthetic philosophy, and his resolve to leave his native country of Ireland.

It is interesting, indeed, to chart the progress of a weak six-year boy until he becomes a liberal minded university student. While the journey Stephen takes is not radically unique, by the end of the novel almost every one of his attitudes is significantly altered- including his love for his mother.

Readers be warned. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, can be laborious as its title. Joyce uses altered syntax (hyphens instead of quotation marks) a makes use of unique word order to show the stages of Stephen's development. In the title itself, many always switch "a" and "the." Joyce's book is not one meant to entertain. It is a philosophical novel that is probably written for completely didactic purposes.
In my College English class, many disliked the novel. I disliked it as well, until I began to click with Joyce's use of stream of consciousness technique. At that point I began to feel as if I was in the mind of Stephen. I realized why some of the various time shifts in the book were occurring. I began to concentrate on the descriptions Joyce was presenting, and began to see some of the reasons for Stephen's development.

All the techniques Joyce uses are aimed at bringing us inside the mind of Stephen Daedalus. Vivid imagery only comes when Stephen concentrates on a particular item, whether it is the stick used by a teacher to slap him, his vision of Hell, or the beautiful girl on the beach who stirs his soul with "profane joy" (123). Most of the attributes of turn of the century Ireland are completely ignored. Cursory descriptions of the land and political situation of time are never expanded, and really of little importance. "The Artist" is the focus of the book. All the remaining characters are flat, and are only used as yard sticks to show Stephen's budding independence. Again, the names and rolls of secondary characters are often of little importance.

Again this book is not for the faint of heart. Speed-reading was an exercise in futility. Any lack of concentration could bring utter confusion if one missed a shift in Stephen's thoughts. I highly recommend using Cliff Notes or other study device to make sure you understand all the main events of the chapter. Understanding the book becomes easier as one becomes familiar with the unique majesty of Joyce's words. Even when describing boredom, they are remarkable.

The drowning voice of the professor continued to wind itself slowly round and round the coils it spoke of, doubling, trebling, quadrupling it somnolent energy as the coil multiplied its ohms of resistance (140).

Boring science lectures are only one of the things the Joyce brings to life. Reading Portrait was definitely a mind-expanded experience, make easier by the short length of the book. I highly recommend it for anyone who is ready to move from great stories, to great works of literature.

Work Cited- Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Dover Publications Inc. New York NY, 1994

Rating:
Summary: Good the Second Time
Review: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is my first exposure to James Joyce. I will admit that while I was reading it, the book was not enjoyable. I started out confused by the jumping around at the beginning and the lack of movement made it hard to stay awake at some parts. The book is about Stephen Dedalus who takes us through his adolescent years. It takes place in Ireland in the midst of the Catholic and Protestant battle. In the first chapter Stephen is trying to fit in with family, friends, and even his country. In the second chapter Stephen starts to separate from his father. At the end of this chapter, Stephen gives in and has his first sexual experience with a prostitute. In chapter three, he listens to Father Arnell's moving sermons. After he hears these sermons, he immediately goes to confess his sin to a priest. In chapter four he discovers art, and in chapter five he alienates himself further from his family and country.
As I mentioned before, my first run through with this book was not a happy one. It may because it was rushed, but as I looked back through it the second time I was amazed at Joyce's style. Although there was not very much movement, Joyce's description and imagery was outstanding. I had never before enjoyed a book with tons of imagery, but Joyce's imagery is what made the book real to me. I also thought the different themes throughout the book were remarkable. While I was reading the book through the first time, I did not pick up on many of the themes and symbols. It was the when I was looking over it later that I saw all the symbol of the birds, the imagery of the water, and I saw how Stephen was moving farther and farther away from his father and gaining freedom. At the beginning of the book, Stephen sees the birds as vicious. When we get closer to the end of the book, he sees them as beautiful. This shows how Stephen is breaking away and his freedom. As the book progresses, you can also see how Stephen comes to know that his feelings of love are normal. At the beginning when Stephen said he wanted to marry Eileen, Dante is appalled, but as Stephen watched the girl in the ocean he realizes that it is all right to love. I also liked the connection to the Greek mythology. I think it ties into the book very well.
In the end, I have to say that I liked the book. If I did read it again, it would be much more pleasurable to be able to pick out all the symbols, themes, connections, and imagery as I went through it instead of waiting until after to see how it all comes together.