The Classic "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
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Review
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is in fact the gestation of a soul. Richard Ellmann
One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction. H. G. Wells
[Mr. Joyce is] concerned at all costs to reveal the flickerings of that innermost flame which flashes its myriad message through the brain, he disregards with complete courage whatever seems to him adventitious, though it be probability or coherence or any other of the handrails to which we cling for support when we set our imaginations free. Virginia Woolf
[A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man will] remain a permanent part of English literature. Ezra Pound
With an Introduction by Richard Brown
From the Hardcover edition. --From the Hardcover edition.
One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction. H. G. Wells
[Mr. Joyce is] concerned at all costs to reveal the flickerings of that innermost flame which flashes its myriad message through the brain, he disregards with complete courage whatever seems to him adventitious, though it be probability or coherence or any other of the handrails to which we cling for support when we set our imaginations free. Virginia Woolf
[A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man will] remain a permanent part of English literature. Ezra Pound
With an Introduction by Richard Brown
From the Hardcover edition. --From the Hardcover edition.
From the Publisher
7 1.5-hour cassettes
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
203 of 217 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm always up for a good challenge, whether it be in books, music or movies, and from what I've heard Joyce is about as challenging as they come in the literary world. However, since it seemed like "Ulysses" or "Finnegan's Wake" would be a bit much to start with, I found myself reading "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" as an introduction to his work. And although I found this book about as easy to get into as Princeton, it was about as rewarding as well. "Portrait" is certainly anything but a light read. Joyce's meandering narrative and serpentine prose can be confusing to say the least, and on more than one occasion I had to read a sentence about five times in order to figure out what I had just read. For all its verbosity, though, "Portrait" is an essential read because the story of Stephen Dedalus carries so much resonance. I'm about the same age as Stephen was in this story, and I can relate pretty easily to his search for answers. Growing up in Ireland around the turn of the twentieth century, Stephen faces existential questions that should ring true for a young person coming from any culture at any time. He tries to find satisfaction by giving in to his lust, and when that doesn't work he goes all the way to the other end of the spectrum in seeking fulfillment through religious devotion. In the end, however, neither of these extremes provides Stephen with the answers he's looking for. Stephen's story demonstrates one unfortunate fact of life: when you're seeking meaning, there are no easy answers. Ultimately, as Stephen tells his friend Cranly, he decides that his solution is to "express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can," even if it means making mistakes or being spurned by society. In "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," Joyce outlines some important ideas that have since become prominent in literature, notably noncomformity, self-expression, coming of age, and the nature of religious belief. This book may not have been perfectly written, but since Joyce was aiming so high it's easy to overlook any imperfections in his style. "Portrait" was written with plenty of intelligence and soul, so it's easy to see why it's still read after all these years.
134 of 142 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you're gonna buy a copy of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," you can't go wrong with the Wordsworth Classic edition. Its advantages are several:
1. It's extremely cheap.
2. It features a very long and immensely insightful (32-page) introduction by Jaqueline Belanger, which includes a biography, publishing background, sections on language structure, irony, etc. There are also many suggestions for further syntopic or critical reading.
3. The thing is complete and unabridged.
4. There are extensive footnotes at the end, which are keyed throughout in the text, explaining all the Latin and the extinct realia of Joyce's world.
In short, get it.
As for the work itself, it's a very good prepper for "Ulysses:" I started that novel without having done this one. Later I came back to this: much was made clearer. Don't make my mistake.
1. It's extremely cheap.
2. It features a very long and immensely insightful (32-page) introduction by Jaqueline Belanger, which includes a biography, publishing background, sections on language structure, irony, etc. There are also many suggestions for further syntopic or critical reading.
3. The thing is complete and unabridged.
4. There are extensive footnotes at the end, which are keyed throughout in the text, explaining all the Latin and the extinct realia of Joyce's world.
In short, get it.
As for the work itself, it's a very good prepper for "Ulysses:" I started that novel without having done this one. Later I came back to this: much was made clearer. Don't make my mistake.
99 of 104 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I've seen some reviews that criticize the book for being too stream of consciousness and others for not being s.o.c. enough. The fact is, for the most part it's not s.o.c. at all. (See the Chicago Manual of Style, 10.45-10.47 and note the example they give...Joyce knew how to write s.o.c.). A better word for A Portrait is impressionistic. Joyce is more concerned with giving the reader an impression of Stephen's experience than with emptying the contents of his head. What's confusing is the style mirrors the way Stephen interprets his experiences at the time, according to the level of his mental development.
When Stephen is a baby, you get only what comes in through the five senses. When he is a young boy, you get the experience refracted through a prism of many things: his illness (for those who've read Ulysses, here is the beginning of Stephen's hydrophobia - "How cold and slimy the water had been! A fellow had once seen a big rat jump into the scum."), his poor eyesight, the radically mixed signals he's been given about religion and politics (the Christmas meal), his unfair punishment, and maybe most important of all, his father's unusual expressions (growing up with phrases like, "There's more cunning in one of those warts on his bald head than in a pack of jack foxes" how could this kid become anything but a writer?)
It is crucial to understand that Stephen's experiences are being given a certain inflection in this way when you come to the middle of the book and the sermon. You have to remember that Stephen has been far from a good Catholic boy. Among other things, he's been visting the brothels! The sermon hits him with a special intensity, so much so that it changes his life forever. Before it he's completely absorbed in the physical: food, sex, etc. After it he becomes just as absorbed in the spiritual/aesthetic world. It's the sermon that really puts him on the track to becoming an artist. One reviewer called the sermon overwrought. Well, of course it's overwrought. That's the whole point. Read it with your sense of humor turned on and keep in mind that you're getting the sermon the way you get everything else in the book: through Stephen.
After Stephen decides he doesn't want to be a priest, the idea of becoming an artist really starts to take hold. And when he sees the girl on the beach, his life is set for good. That scene has to be one of the most beautiful in all of literature. After that, Stephen develops his theory of esthetics with the help of Aristotle and Aquinas and we find ourselves moving from one conversation to another not unlike in Plato (each conversation with the appropriate inflection of college boy pomposity). In the end, Stephen asks his "father" to support him as he goes into the real world to create something. I like to think that this is an echo of the very first line in the book. The father, in one of many senses, is the moocow story. The story gave birth to Stephen's imagination and now it's the son's turn to create.
This is such a rich and beautiful book. I suppose it's possible for people to "get it" and still not like it, but I really think if you read and re-read, and maybe do a little research, the book will open up to you the way it did to me.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great - It is by James Joyce, so what else could it be?
The language is so wonderfully selected. One can feel the mind of the characters trying to understand their lives. Read more
Published 3 days ago by George Kolombatovich
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read
Had to read for my high school AP literature class and helped me a lot. Very interesting as it has many allusions and other literary devices.
Published 10 days ago by Jonathan
1.0 out of 5 stars
A classic?
The book was incoherent and poorly written. Obviously Joyce was under the influence of something when he wrote it. Read more
Published 17 days ago by R Stewart
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting read.
It's very interesting! Read it slowly. I think it is a novel that highlights one's personal world view, that definitely changes how you read it.
Published 18 days ago by Bethany Kemming
3.0 out of 5 stars
Free means you don't get everything
This is a free book, and since it is required reading for my book club, the price was right but what is missing is any commentary at the beginning so if you are lookng for... Read more
Published 26 days ago by NAZDAK MOM
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing to add to greatness.
I never read this book at Keene State College. I only came across it after looking for some how to books on plot. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Todd G. Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Classic; Wonderful Edition of a Classic
I am more reviewing the hardcover edition of "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" in the "Collector's Library" series, but I must say something about this wonderful book's... Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Milliern
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book ever
I loved this story because it talks about how a young man can go from being afraid to like girls because of religion to rebelling against the church. It really is a must read!! Read more
Published 1 month ago by nmdragon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bildungsroman, part traditional and part modern
"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce appears at first to be the usual coming-of-age novel, like "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "A Separate Peace". Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Tigges
4.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult read at first
You need to persevere with this book, once inside it's a lovely book, beautifully written....would recommend it as a fairly short read from a top writer
Published 2 months ago by Duncan Sutton
