- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (25 Jan 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140622306
- ISBN-13: 978-0140622300
- Product Dimensions: 17.9 x 1.9 x 11.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 258,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
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Product Description
Product Description
The portrayal of Stephen Dedalus's Dublin childhood and youth, his quest for identity through art and his gradual emancipation from the claims of family, religion and Ireland itself, is also an oblique self-portrait of the young James Joyce and a universal testament to the artist's 'eternal imagination'.
From the Back Cover
Published in 1916, 'A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man' follows the progress of Stephen Dedalus from infancy to early manhood. The richness of the language and Joyce's mastery of literary style as he describes the Dedalus family, young Stephen's education by the Jesuits, his sexual awakening, his intellectual development and his eventual revolt against the religion in which he has been raised have ensured the novel's place as one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century literature.
John Lynch has appeared in 'Cal, Railway Station Man' and 'Hardware.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great account of the coming of age of a poet.,
By
This review is from: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)
"A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man" was published in 1914, Joyce's first novel. Though the hero's name is given as Stephen Dedalus, to a great extent he is Joyce, and this is autobiography, chronicling approximately the first 20 years of Joyce's life.
Joyce is famous for the difficulties of his prose, but this applies primarily to "Ulysses" and "Finnegan's Wake." "Portrait" is a relatively easy read. The opening page is perhaps the most unorthodox and difficult of the whole book, as it is an attempt to represent the consciousness of the infant Stephen. Following this is a long account of Stephen at boarding school, under the tuition of the Jesuits. Stephen is a timid, sensitive boy, ill-suited to the harsh regime of the brothers or the rough-and-tumble interaction of his schoolmates. The main preoccupation of the book is the spiritual and sexual angst of the adolescent and post-adolescent Stephen. Though as a young boy he is religiously-inclined, the awakening of his sexual instincts leads to a prolonged internal struggle. Stephen frequently seeks the company of members of the prostitute class, and then indulges in much tortured self-recrimination. As a previous reviewer mentioned, the sermon Stephen hears at a school retreat is incredibly powerful and vivid- detailing the infinity of horrors that await all transgressors from God's law. If churchmen really were able to speak so powerfully it is little wonder that Ireland fell so obsequiously under the Church's thumb. But Stephen openly rebels against the sexual and philosophical repression of the Church when he becomes a college student; he renounces all the ideals of his native society and avows "to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race." In short, he becomes a poet. For a first novel, "Portrait" is extremely self-important, as even the title reveals: Joyce is "The Artist," without irony. History would appear to have justified his opinion, however. In my opinion no one who intends to read "Ulysses" should do so without reading "Portrait" first. In fact, if you only intend to read one book by Joyce, I would recommend this one. It is not difficult, despite Joyce's reputation, and is a fascinating account of the coming of age of a poet, who is revealed as a young man of typical human frailties who, through pride, determination and a rejection of all surrounding influences, became the most influential, if not the most widely-read, author of the Twentieth Century.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Out of 'darkness' comes illumination,
By Uncle Moley "reddit" (Haverhill, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)
I also really struggled with this book. It's very static. The subject and content overall is very limited and thus the reader's imagination is not stretched.
Certainly no page-turner, this book took me weeks on end of bite-sized sittings. Strangely, nothing enthused me about the book - however, like other reviewers, I was attracted to the emotional grasp and wonderful choice/usage of language/words in this challenging piece of work. Very much a work of art, full of bland narrative hiding behind some beautiful strokes of genius. The autobiographical work draws attention to a young man growing up in Ireland - highlighting his struggles with his peers, Catholicism and worldly desires that lie within. This is a truly reflective book of a great artist as a boy, adolescent and man. It is very personal and expressive. A clear metamorphosis can be seen from childhood through to adulthood - almost from a caterpillar developing into a butterfly with the freedom of flight. The last pages of this book spoke to me in a very personal and upfront way - that within the 'darkness' of everday life, an individual should have a free, clear and expressive mind to make his or her ambitions in life and not be governed by others. Hit-and-miss, not everyone's cup of camomile.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great use of language,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Essential Penguin) (Paperback)
"Portrait of the Artist.." is perhaps one of the more accesable of James Joyces books, and also, for me one of the most enjoyable. The actual "story" of the book, is blataly autobiographical, concerning Stephen Dedalus/James Joyce's early life, at school - first encounters with women, and the enourmous inner conflict with Religion. The story is of little consequence really.. however, you've got to admire Joyce's honesty, if this truely is autobiographical. He has the irritating habit of trying to make Dedalus/Joyce seem somehow, superior, more intelligent than his peers, without actualy ever demonstrating this superiority at all. And, I'm afraid, I couldn't relate to the Religious conflict at all.. however it is an interesting insight. What does make this unique is the language, the "stream of conciousness" style, which at times, like at the end of the fourth chapter can be awesomely beautiful. It is this quality that makes Joyce worth reading. By his close observation and use of language he is sometimes able to completely transport the reader, intoxicate the reader. There is, however, an uneasy air which hangs over the works of James Joyce, and I can't quite put my finger on it...
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