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Conflict in a portrait of an artist as a young man
The portrait of the artist as a young man essays
Conflict in a portrait of an artist as a young man
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In comparison to many great and well-known authors and their renowned volumes of work, James Joyce wrote just three novels – A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. His collections of other work however, consisted of poetry, short story and series of epiphanies . Many individuals have analysed Joyce and written literary critiques and study-guides stemming from their interpretations of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, including Harvey Peter Suckmith – an Associate Professor of English at Dalhousie University, who has also focused on works such as Little Dorit by Charles Dickens and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins . In beginning his analysis, Sucksmith states: “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man may not be Joyce’s greatest novel. It lacks, for example, the scale and scope of Ulysses or the mythopoeic and linguistic richness of Finnegans Wake. Yet it is Joyce’s most exquisite work of fiction, perhaps his most perfect novel, and it is certainly the one which communicates with us most readily. ” This popularity is clearly evident when reading about Joyce, as he his always associated with Ulysses or Finnegans Wake, rather than A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man .
Between 1914 and 1941, the reception surrounding Joyce’s work, has been said to pinpoint largely from himself due to his talent for working amidst expansive print culture, as well as being surrounded by an association of friends and acquaintance who were eager to promote his work . Although Ezra Pound – one of Joyce’s earliest critics and supporters when he was still relatively unknown – presented Joyce’s work in a simple-minded format, he portrayed Joyce as a ‘supranational, European writer, one devoted to a universal hu...
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...omatoes. 2011. James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – Rotten Tomatoes. Viewed 18th October 2011, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/portrait_of_the_artist_as_a_young_man
- As expected a basic, un-reputable source (in academic terms), that provides a rating system and overview of films.
Sucksmith, Harvey Peter. James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. London: Edward Arnold Publishers, 1973.
- An extremely helpful and in-depth interpretation and account of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, one of the key sources used in preparing this assignment.
Think Exist 2011. James Joyce Quotes and Quotations. Viewed 21st October 2011, http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/James_Joyce/
- Using the same format as the ‘rotten tomatoes’ website, a database for finding quotes based on keywords, good for searching points of interest.
Campbell, Joseph. Mythic Worlds, Modern Words: On the Art of James Joyce. New York: Harper Collins, 1993.
“Dubliners” by James Joyce was first published in 1914. It is a collection of short stories, which takes place in the same general area and time frame, moving from one individual’s story to the next. Boysen in “The Necropolis of Love: James Joyce’s Dubliners” discuses the way the citizens of Dublin are caught in this never ending misery because of the lack of love- mainly instituted by the “criminalization of sensual love” from the church- and the economic stress, and struggle to survive. Zack Brown goes through the individual short stories, pointing out their references to paralysis, as well as a few other themes in “Joyce’s Prophylactic Paralysis: Exposure in “Dubliners.”” “James Joyce’s usage of Diction in Representation of Irish Society in Dubliners” by Daronkolaee discuses the background knowledge of the culture and particular details of the city that enhance the understanding of the reader and enforce the ideas presented by Boysen and broken down by Brown. These analytical articles help support the idea that Joyce uses
"Eveline" is the story of a young teenager facing a dilemma where she has to choose between living with her father or escaping with Frank, a sailor which she has been courting for some time. The story is one of fifteen stories written by James Joyce in a collection called "Dubliners". These stories follow a certain pattern that Joyce uses to express his ideas: "Joyce's focus in Dubliners is almost exclusively on the middle-class Catholics known to himself and his family"(the Gale Group). Joyce's early life, family background, and his catholic background appear in the way he writes these stories. "Where Joyce usually relates his stories to events in his life, there are some stories which are actually events that took place in his life" (Joyce, Stanislaus). James Joyce in his letter to Grant Richard writes:
James Joyce, whose full name was James Augustine Aloysuis Joyce, known as one of the greatest Irish literature writers in the 20th century(FamousAuthors). Born in Dublin, Ireland, February 2, 1882 into a middle class family. Joyce was one of ten surviving children. John Stanislaus Joyce was James father. A talented singer, just about one of the best in Ireland during his time. Although he had an extraordinary talent, he could not provide a steady household for the family. After being laid off from a tax collector job he became an alcoholic and addicted to drugs. His father could not keep a steady job. His habit to spend money lead the family downhill. This caused the family to move from home to home. Joyce mother, Mary Jane Murray was an phenomenal pianist. Even though this was not enough to keep their family of twelve on their feet in the middle class area. Her life revolved around the catholic church.
Oxford, UK: 2002. Works Consulted -. Fairhall, James. A. James Joyce and the Question of History. Cambridge University Press.
James Joyce was born in Ireland to a borderline destitute/middle-class family. After his graduation from the University College, he moved to Paris to study medicine only to be called back to Dublin to care for his mother during her last days (O’Conner). He remained in his home country for a year, publishing short stories in “The Irish Homestead” newspaper (O’Conner). Joyce was a failure at many different occupations: teaching, journalism, and accounting; however, he is one of the few authors to have known success in his own lifetime (Bulson 17). Living in the 1910s era, which found pride in formal diction and savvy language, Joyce found many publishers were wary of his work, which pushed the social limits with bitter language and brash subjects (Bulson 18). Bulson quotes Joyce’s argument with publishers as he refused to grant their wishes of revision, “I seriously believe that you will retard the course of civilization in Ireland by preventing the Irish people from having one good look at themselves in my nicely polished mirror” (33). This was his attitude towards the eventually published collection of short stories, Dubliners, confirming the beginning of modern literature.
James Joyce began his writing career in 1914 with a series of realistic stories published in a collection called The Dubliners. These short literary pieces are a glimpse into the ‘paralysis’ that those who lived in the turn of the century Ireland and its capital experienced at various points in life (Greenblatt, 2277). Two of the selections, “Araby” and “The Dead” are examples of Joyce’s ability to tell a story with precise details while remaining a detached third person narrator. “Araby” is centered on the main character experiencing an epiphany while “The Dead” is Joyce’s experiment with trying to remain objective. One might assume Joyce had trouble with objectivity when it concerned the setting of Ireland because Dublin would prove to be his only topic. According the editors of the Norton Anthology of Literature, “No writer has ever been more soaked in Dublin, its atmosphere, its history, its topography. He devised ways of expanding his account of the Irish capital, however, so that they became microcosms of human history, geography, and experience.” (Greenblatt, 2277) In both “Araby” and “The Dead” the climax reveals an epiphany of sorts that the main characters experience and each realize his actual position in life and its ultimate permanency.
Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: New American Library, 1991.
Joyce, James, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The Viking Press: New York, 1916.
Joyce, James. Dubliners. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The Portable James Joyce. Harry Levin, ed. Penguin. 1976, New York. Ulysses. Vintage, New York. 1961.
James Joyce was born on February 2, 1882 in Rathgar, Republic of Ireland. He was an Irish novelist and poet. James Joyce is considered one of the most influential writers in the early 20th century. James Sullivan said, “James Joyce is a preeminent modernist writer and a great innovator (Magill's 1347). He wrote many novels and short stories, but some of his most famous are in a collection of short stories call Dubliners. In Dubliners there are many well-known stories such as “The Dead”, “The Sisters”, “Clay”, and “The Encounter.” There are many different aspects of his writing that make him one of the most influential writers. Some of those aspects are his themes, characterizations, and plots of his stories. One example is how most of his stories from Dubliners are dreadful and dark. The recurring themes throughout Dubliners are institutions,economic failure and the corruption of values, and finally paralysis.
James Joyce is widely considered to be one of the best authors of the 20th century. One of James Joyce’s most celebrated short stories is “Eveline.” This short story explores the theme of order and hazard and takes a critical look at life in Dublin, Ireland in the early 20th century. Furthermore, the themes that underlie “Eveline” were not only relevant for the time the story was wrote in, but are just as relevant today.
Peake, C.H. James Joyce: The Citizen and The Artist. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1977. 56-109.
In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the author James Joyce uses the development of Stephen from a sensitive child to a rebellious young man to develop the plot of the novel. In this novel, Joyce suggests that through Stephen's experiences with religion, sexuality and education, Stephen not only becomes more mature but these experiences also inspire him to redefine his world and his understanding of his true feelings about art.
While the reactions to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man were not as severe as were those of Ulysses, it was still considered shocking, and was judged by critics including "The Times," "The Manchester Guardian," and even Edward Garnett, who had encouraged D. H. Lawrence. Criticisms and complaints about the book's "occasional improprieties" (The Times), and "astounding bad manners" (Manchester guardian) were common, and it is easy to see why taking into account the reserved culture in 1916. This aspect of supporting whether or not I agree with the accusations of the books morality and appropriateness is difficult because one cannot base the subject matter and use of language on today's culture and acceptance. Surely the material written by Joyce does not provoke the same feelings today as it did when it was first published, but, putting the time period in respect, I would agree that it was inappropriate material to have presented. Considering that even the bed-wetting event which takes place on the first page of the book was considered unsuitable, I feel that while it may have been practiced, such matters of prostitution and sexual promiscuity were certainly unnecessary.