James Joyce Sparknotes

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2. Historical Background: This book was published in Europe during World War I. This time period can be categorized as the beginning to the modern era. The story of this novel takes place in Ireland, where there was political and religious conflict during this time period. 3. Biography: James Joyce was born and raised a Catholic in Dublin, Ireland. Joyce developed similarly to the protagonist of this story, and later moved to Zurich and Paris to write. 4. Genre: This is a coming of age novel, or more specifically a Künstlerroman, which is the development of a young artist. This is also considered one of the first modernist novels, which focuses on the sudden rapid changes in the world. 5. Plot: This book follows the experiences of a young Stephen Dedalus. Early on, Stephen struggles to get along with his peers and teachers at a Jesuit boarding school. Stephen looks forward to visiting home, but there he finds his father in financial trouble and constant debate about politics and religion. Stephen excels in school, and notices how he is different from other people. Stephen begins to develop a crush but doesn’t know how to act around girls. At the same time Stephen’s father continues to sink into sadness dragging the family down with him. Stephen can no longer contain his lusty sexuality and loses his virginity to a prostitute and then sinks into a period of laziness and sin. Shorty after, Stephen attends a religious retreat where the sin is scared out of him and he becomes a strict Catholic. Stephen reaches a point where he can become a priest, but decides that he would much rather go to a University. Stephen’s life then changes while admiring a beautiful girl in the river when he realizes that desire and love are nothing to be... ... middle of paper ... ...stantial image which his soul so constantly beheld” (Joyce 189). This quote shows how from an early age, Stephen saw how he was different from other people, and that he knew there was something inside him he must find. “He…feared to find his body or his soul maimed by the excess…instead…no part of him had been maimed but a dark peace had been established” (Joyce 312). This quote shows how the damnation from sin that Stephen fears is not as real as it seems. 12. Opening Scene: The book opens up to Stephen’s parents putting him to bed with a nursery rhyme that he can’t quite understand. This shows how as a child Stephen is unsure how he fits in with the world. 13. Closing Scene: The closing scene is a journal entry. This is obviously written in 1st person which shows how Stephen has finally come into his own as an artist and his is happy with his independent self.

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