Customer Reviews

A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man (Naxos AudioBooks)

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Those of us, Irish or otherwise, today lack the ability to hear English as spoken a hundred years and a bit more in Dublin by--here at least mostly--the educated classes of the time. Joyce's musical and allusive prose, difficult for many newcomers to his books, is perfect to be listened to when read aloud with intelligence and sensitivity--and a bit of needed humor especially to counter its protagonist's Thomistic cogitations and mental or spiritual convolutions. Now, this panoply of inner and outer voices can be imitated in part, thanks to one man's many tones.

I've been uploading this collection from the CDs to make audio files, and it sounds great. Snips of period music or a bit of ambiance often begin the episodes, headed on the CD by general phrases related to the contents of the sub-sections of the five book chapters. The box comes with a bit of introductory material, although on the discs themselves no supplemental explanations are included. I have heard Jim Norton read Counterparts for the Caedmon tapes of Dubliners, and Norton's own Naxos tapes of the same. (His later effort, a full Ulysses, is a bit beyond my budget, but in an abridged form of 4 CDs it, and another 4 of Finnegans Wake, also are read by Norton for Naxos.)

He does not sound always that 'Irish' as the theatrical stereotypes would render voices; rather, a register of British and various upper and middle classes of Irish voices must be conveyed, no easy task for one man before not an audience or camera but only a microphone. Banter, philosophizing, boasting, sermons, and jokes: much needs dramatization. The cast of characters, more male than female given the nature of the story Joyce tells, allow for as much animation as can be granted by the limits of the rather earnest, dour, and/or intellectual ruminations that for large portions of this novel replace more conventional notions or action, plot, or suspense. But, such was the task Joyce took on, and Norton remains faithful to it as well as any actor interpreting such difficult prose can do, a century apart from its author. It's no fault of Norton if once in a while the burdens of expressing the moods of such a challenging character as Dedalus seem to overwhelm the listener-- this may be Joyce's intent on the page, to mimic how the mind of Dedalus and his soul are entangled.

A good refresher, or a fine appetizer, that enriches your tackling the text with renewed vigor. It's not an easy read. On the page, lassitude can set in for many contemporary readers, but when heard, Norton's variety of pacings and emotions makes dramatic and sympathetic many of the more priggish postures taken on by the young Stephen Dedalus.

This wonderful work of Joyce really comes alive with the performance which includes singing and piano.

Actor Jim Norton did a wonderful job creating a special voice for each of the book's characters. I could see how the chapter three sermon on hell would be terrifying to young Stephen and yet come across as ironic and manipulative to someone more mature. I've read this book numerous times, but Norton helped me discover a whole new way of enjoying Joyce.

Although the box/cd quality of the item was superb, the audio quality of the recording itself is far from perfect. The audio gain is very low so that even when you listen to the various segments, the sound is very low and disturbing. I wish I could return the product back to the manufacturer.