Centennial Edition (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

I was forced to read this for AP English, along with Dubliners. Joyce wrote this book with himself in mind - the main character's life is almost autobiographical. Therefore I don't want to insult Joyce himself, but the main character's attitudes were absolutely repulsive to me. Cynicism and outright pretentiousness can only take a man so far.

That being said, the writing is incredible, as can be expected. My issue with the book is the simply bitter aftertaste this person's attitude left in my mouth. Read it if you don't mind a main character who would refuse to take communion for his own dying mother just because he hates religion. This is not heroic indifference to the society of the time. This is being a jerk.

This is a very entertaining book and not difficult to read. Most book lovers will love the book. In my review below I do not give away the plot. That is left for the reader to discover.

I read "Dubliners" and then read the present 250 page book as a warm up to ease into "Ulysses." This is a better book than "Dubliners" and we see the genius of Joyce without being intimidated - as the reader can be with "Ulysses." As a side note, the protagonist Stephen Dedalus has the same name and is similar to one of the three main characters in "Ulysses."

If you are looking for a lot of analysis this is probably not the only book to buy. This Signet version contains the story plus Langdon Hammer's 18 page introduction. I avoided reading that first, because it seems to give away most of the key parts, or at least enough that one does not want to read it until later. Overall, I loved the book and thought the analysis was good but short.

The book starts with Joyce recalling a few childhood memories, and it will probably stir some memories in the reader as well. He has very colourful descriptions of his parents, relatives, and his teachers, especially various Irish Catholic priests.

Is Joyce a genius or just crazy? He seems to have a bit of the crazy streak in him, and perhaps that why the novel is so creative. The prose and writing is among the most impressive that most will ever see. The book contains beautiful descriptions of his childhood, then Catholic schools, and then his college days. The prose and vocabulary is Joyce's own. It is laced with Irish expressions and phrases - not the lengthy descriptive phrases of a Hemingway, but dense, and expressive, sometimes quickly changing as we read. Sometimes it is long and rambling as he describes a scene beside the ocean or brings us into one of his dreams. It is a wonderful experience, and I found myself being thankful that I had decided to read this Joyce novel. It is probably in the top 10 for writing and creativity, weak on structure.

People looking for a story and structure will be annoyed as was the person who rejected the first publishing. It is a superb mixture of memories, dreams, and fiction, all blended together.

Joyce provides no narration; he writes as if we are watching a movie, mostly going forward in time but not always. The reader is left to sort out the time and place or if it is real or just a dream as we travel from scene to scene through the book. As noted in the analysis, Joyce is in direct contact with the reader. There is nobody in between to guide the reader and explain what it means. You determine that from the dialogue. In any case, we follow him from a young school lad to his college days. We learn of his struggle to whether embrace the Catholic Church and be a priest, or whether to take another path.

This is superb writing, and one appreciates why Joyce is famous. As a novel it is a bit lacking but few will notice any flaws.

James Joyce does something that I cannot ever forgive him for---he makes me dislike reading. It's not that I am scared or overwhelmed by difficult fiction. I love William Faulkner, and puzzling through his books is usually part of the fun in reading him. However, the difference between Joyce and Faulkner is that Faulkner always seems to have a burning desire to impart some meaning to his reader, whereas Joyce doesn't seem to care one way or another whether his nonsense writing ever makes sense to anyone. As far as his novels go, "Portrait of the Artist" is the most accessible, but that's not saying much seeing as its competition is the idiotic "Finnegan's Wake" and the Great Book of the 20th Century, "Ulysses." This is one case where I really do feel scholars have equated incomprehensible writing with great literature. I won't be foolish enough to deny Joyce's influence on modern writing---and I'm quite willing to admit that perhaps I'm not a sophisticated enough reader to appreciate him---but I've had dental work that has been more enjoyable to sit through than his books.

I bought this book but it took me a long time to get into it. The "Moo-cow" business I didn't get. It seemed so silly and trivial and I, of course, was very, very serious. But one day I don't know why I just sat down and started reading it. Being Irish and Catholic the book became very pertinent in a short number of pages. At the time I read this book I was shocked that somebody should know my personal story and personal thoughts so vividly. I realize now that this is the personal story of a myriad of young Irish Catholic boys. This was a very good book and it tackled some very serious issues regarding faith, religion, and the Catholic Church.
This book was partially responsible for my life long interest in reading. Once I understood that the people who wrote books were the people who were speaking my language and translating my thoughts, I was hooked. Books were not all Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland.

Richard Edward Noble - The Hobo Philosopher - Author of:

"Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"

James Joyce's semi-autobiographical Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is one of the most challening, informative, and enlightening works I've read thus far. Tracking the life of the protagionist, young Stephen Dedalus (from a child to his early twenties), we see how he grows and changes spirtitually and intellectually. We see how he lives in fear and awe of the highly influential (espically in Ireland at the time) Catholic church which he and his family are a part of, an institution which he initially respects and fears, then grows to question and challenge, eventually leaving the church for good. We see Stephen conversing with fellow intellectuals at his university, and we gather opinions and thoughts of educated, respected young people during a harsh time in Ireland's history.

The language, places, and events described in Portrait are what make the book espicially challenging, as many readers (like myself) would have been lost without the notes in the back. Eventually, you beging to paint a very vivid mental picture of what Stephen's life was like in Ireland and form a better understanding of Ireland's political issues at the time (if you, like me, are not an expert on 20th century Irish politics) and of his issues and questions as well.

My favorite aspect of Portrait is that even though the issues Stephen/Joyce faced as a young man are very different than the ones facing young men today, there are many parallels to be drawn. As we come of age (I am 18 myself) we finally being to form an identity of who we are and what we truly believe. In Joyce's day, there could be family arguements and stress caused over which side of the religious fence you were on (Catholic/Protestant). In our day, there have been many family fights between the more conservative Americans in the family and the liberal members of the family, and how we all think our country chould be run and how we should live our lives.

As a child, Stephen lived in fear and awe of the intimidating church he attended, yet as he became a mature young man he drew his own conclusions and formed his own identity, breaking away from what he was lead to believe by his parents. Today, almost the same instances can happen, as they have for me. I would fear attending church of Sundays as a child, afraid that the priest would give another sermon of the horrors of hell and tell us what we need to do to save ourselves (read the book for a very graphic depiction of hell by one of Stephen's priests). Now, however, I have drawn my own conclusions on religion and life, and no longer have to be a part of the church that I was told I had to believe in as a child too young to make of all this deep thinking, as Stephen was as a child.

The most important messege that can be taken away from Portrait is to find your identity and never be afraid to express it, despite the reactions you may recieve from your parents, peers, etc.

The messege is be who you are, and that is a messege that will never fade away with time.

Joyce's portrayal of turn of the century Ireland with all of its complex social and political problems is an excellent backdrop for this story, and he vividly describes Stephen Dedalus' role in a complex story. First, I enjoy Joyce's writing style and his ability to develop Stephen's character. It is easy to relate to Stephen's development of thoughts.
I enjoyed how Joyce starts the story with Stephen as a boy, because this shows his vulnerability and dependence upon his parents for his political, religious, and social views. His interaction among the boys at Clongowes brought back my own memories from elementary school and my own interactions with students. He wants to be accepted by his peers, and Joyce shows this by his embarrassments and fears in taking a stand. Stephen is small in stature and in his confidence, but his triumph when he talks to the rector is an excellent scene because it shows Stephen developing his own independent thoughts and being able to stand up for them.
I enjoy Joyce's vivid descriptions because they include the physical realm as well as Stephen's thoughts. This is shown throughout the book - one scene in particular is when Stephen goes to Belvedere College and he has an encounter with Heron, Boland, and Nash. The four are walking on a country road, discussing their favorite authors, when Stephen states that his is Lord Byron. The boys laugh, claiming that Tennyson is the obvious choice. They pin him down and try to get him to revoke the statement, and he refuse to do so. I admire Stephen's strength in his own opinions, this example shows that he has developed his own ideas and will stand for them. Joyce's imagery makes the scenes, including Stephen's emotions, come alive. He writes, "At last after a fury of plunges he wrenched himself free. His tormentors set off towards Jones's Road, laughing and jeering at him, while he, half blinded with tears, stumbled on, clenching his fists madly and sobbing" (57). Stephen's emotions come alive; I can relate to the hot, angry tears he feels.
I also appreciate Joyce's writings concerning the political and religious situation in Ireland. Somewhat unaware of the problems surging in Ireland at this time, Joyce describes indirectly these problems, which fills in the reader as to the political, religious, and social context behind Stephen's life and development. One scene which made these problems clear to me was the Christmas dinner squabble between Dante and Mr. Dedalus. Stephen quietly sits back and soaks in his relatives' opinions in amazement at the scene. This scene is one of those that is when a child realizes that life has problems and the world is not in order, as he hopes. I recognize this mark of change in Stephen's confidence in his family and country.
Stephen's development is one of the greatest aspects of this book. Joyce causes Stephen's thoughts to evolve - he starts with childlike, unconnected thoughts to more complex, opinionated ones. His own desires and opinions are made known as he matures, and his own unrest becomes increasingly apparent. Furthermore, the style of this book is complex - one must read between the lines and have some kind of concept of Irish conflicts and culture in order to truly understand the full meaning behind this book. It is sometimes hard to follow Joyce's jumpy style - there is no full plot structure. This is not the best book if you are looking for a fast, easy romance novel, but it is rewarding in that it causes one to think about its themes and Stephen's development of the independence of his own soul.

James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist has long been hailed as one of the great literary masterpieces. While it is a different style than I am accustomed to reading, I learned to appreciate its unique approach. The way Joyce links Stephen's seemingly random thoughts in the first chapter kept me on my toes and made me more aware of my own thought processes as I read.
Two parts of this book stand out in my mind; both deal directly with Stephen's personality changes. First, we watch Stephen change from a quiet, picked-on schoolboy to a student with increasing influence and authority. Suddenly (and seemingly without effort on his part), Stephen is no longer the isolated intellectual being pushed into ditches, but is leading younger boys in prayers. Just as Stephen won grudging respect from those who were his tormentors, he won my respect by refusing to tattle and giving into self-pity as so many others would. Second, we watch Stephen's spiritual journey. He is brought up surrounded by religion and is introduced early to the conflict between politics and religion. We see him turn from his religious background to "riotous living," then turn back when the preacher's "hell fire and damnation" sermons prick his conscience. Stephen adopts such a rigid, pious lifestyle that the priest invites the young man to join the priesthood. Stephen rejects this opportunity, saying he will inevitably fall again. Almost immediately afterwards, he sees a beautiful girl and feels "an outburst of profane joy." Through these two events, we track Stephen's growth and progress as he discovers his own personality. In large measure, it is this that that makes the novel so timeless. The struggle of offspring versus parents, of childhood teachings versus outside influences is an ever-present tension in adolescence. Stephen's struggle with his parents' religion seemed especially pertinent. All too often, people never stop to see analyze their religious beliefs, to see if there is a deeper reason for their convictions than just childhood habit. Stephen does not want to celebrate Easter, but is loath to cause an argument between his mother and himself-a struggle felt by anyone who has ever differed from their parents on any matter. Though not always this dramatic, there comes a point when children must think for themselves. Not being too far removed from that age myself, it will be interesting to re-read this book in years to come when the roles are reversed and I find myself the parent. I wonder if I will empathize more with Stephen's mother who hopes he can find a heart or if I will staunchly defend the young man's position.
Initially, I wasn't sure whether or not I like Portrait of the Artist, but it is a book that stays with you. The writing style is unique and interesting. Joyce's use of words such as "dismember" (rather than "cannot remember") and "whitegray not young" (to describe Father Dolan's face) captivated me. No one can deny that Joyce is a master of the language.

The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is one of the great masterpieces of modern literature. Joyce is a true master of diction. While his imagery is complex and metaphorical, it is never banal. Though many of the experiences of Stephen Daedalus are commonplace, Joyce's descriptions give them meaning that is universally applicable.
The basic structure of the book is rather simple. Five chapters each present an important point in the life of Stephen. Each of these segments contains an epiphany that slowly guides Stephen to his vocation as an artist. The language of the chapter's change as Stephen gains maturity and independence. In the first chapter, Stephen is a pre-adolescent boy struggling to be accepted at school. His thoughts center around his family, especially his "Nice Mother" (Joyce, 3). In the second chapter teenage first Stephen addresses issues of sexuality and love. He begins to be drawn to literature as a way of expressing his emotions. Chapters three and four provide a thought provoking analysis of religion. In perhaps the book's most important epiphany Stephen gains an affirmation of his artistic calling. In chapter five we see the development of Stephen's aesthetic philosophy, and his resolve to leave his native country of Ireland.
It is interesting, indeed, to chart the progress of a weak six-year boy until he becomes a liberal minded university student. While the journey Stephen takes is not radically unique, by the end of the novel almost every one of his attitudes is significantly altered- including his love for his mother.
Readers be warned. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, can be laborious as its title. Joyce uses altered syntax (hyphens instead of quotation marks) a makes use of unique word order to show the stages of Stephen's development. In the title itself, many always switch "a" and "the." Joyce's book is not one meant to entertain. It is a philosophical novel that is probably written for completely didactic purposes.
In my College English class, many disliked the novel. I disliked it as well, until I began to click with Joyce's use of stream of consciousness technique. At that point I began to feel as if I was in the mind of Stephen. I realized why some of the various time shifts in the book were occurring. I began to concentrate on the descriptions Joyce was presenting, and began to see some of the reasons for Stephen's development.
All the techniques Joyce uses are aimed at bringing us inside the mind of Stephen Daedalus. Vivid imagery only comes when Stephen concentrates on a particular item, whether it is the stick used by a teacher to slap him, his vision of Hell, or the beautiful girl on the beach who stirs his soul with "profane joy" (123). Most of the attributes of turn of the century Ireland are completely ignored. Cursory descriptions of the land and political situation of time are never expanded, and really of little importance. "The Artist" is the focus of the book. All the remaining characters are flat, and are only used as yard sticks to show Stephen's budding independence. Again, the names and rolls of secondary characters are often of little importance.
Again this book is not for the faint of heart. Speed-reading was an exercise in futility. Any lack of concentration could bring utter confusion if one missed a shift in Stephen's thoughts. I highly recommend using Cliff Notes or other study device to make sure you understand all the main events of the chapter. Understanding the book becomes easier as one becomes familiar with the unique majesty of Joyce's words. Even when describing boredom, they are remarkable.
The drowning voice of the professor continued to wind itself slowly round and round the coils it spoke of, doubling, trebling, quadrupling it somnolent energy as the coil multiplied its ohms of resistance (140).
Boring science lectures are only one of the things the Joyce brings to life. Reading Portrait was definitely a mind-expanded experience, make easier by the short length of the book. I highly recommend it for anyone who is ready to move from great stories, to great works of literature.
Work Cited- Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Dover Publications Inc. New York NY, 1994

James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a fascinating tale, woven with a fresh stream-of-consciousness style that follows the thoughts of the artist, Stephen Dedalus, from childhood to adolescence to eventual maturity. Although written in the third-person, the prose evolves in a first-person fashion with Stephen, from his youthful contemplation of "wild rose blossoms on the little green place" to his fully adult conception of "the virgin womb of the imagination" wherein "the word was made flesh" (1, 158). In addition to the progressive complexity of the ideas, repetition of symbols-the colors of governess Dante's brushes, black dirty mazes, soaring birds, earthy peasant smells-also tie the flowing text together, providing reference, cohesiveness and depth. Rich imagery and symbolism give this deceptively simple tale added meaning, expanding the story from that of a single struggling artist to a sweeping metaphor for the human desire to create.
Stephen Dedalus is a contradictory character, full of ambiguities and internal oppositions. He dreams of classic-book heroes and innocent virginal heroines within his room, yet seeks prostitutes on the solid dark mazes of the city streets. He yearns to find and embrace God and religion, almost reaching the priesthood itself-then denies his faith entirely. He loves his country, his mother, his friends, but forsakes them all in pursuit of his artistic vision. These many dissimilar aspects of Stephen seem bound together only by his passion for writing, his inner yearning to see, to create. Like the Daedalus of the Greek myth, who created beautiful wings to escape a twisted labyrinth of his own design, Stephen finds a freedom, exhilaration in his capacity to write beauty. As he matures, his visions of lovely birds replace the austere confines of the religious bench and his ability to imagine soars above his need for family, friends, and church until he is torn free from his old life entirely, flying unfettered into boundless skies of his art.
Yet in the Greek myth, there are two who manage to fly from the maze-Daedalus, the creator of wings and labyrinth both, and his youthful son, Icarus. Icarus, excited by his freedom from the dark confines of the maze, soars higher, higher, in spite of his father's warnings, until the dazzle of the sun melts the wax of his wings and sends him plunging, helpless, to his doom. Daedalus himself survives, a witness to the death of his son, alone and a fugitive, a man who has lost all in pursuit of his art. Stephen himself could be either of the two mythical figures-by the end of the book he is still young, unproven, his creative ideas barely starting to take form. His youthful foibles could be tempered with time, maturity guiding him to unseen distant shores, or his pride could expand, lifting him into the deadly rays of the sun. Joyce never makes clear the fate of the youthful protagonist within the novel-by the end, Stephen has barely started his flight from the dark maze of his old life on the wings of his art, the feathers still fresh and firmly attached to the newly-made frame, his course uncertain. Yet in his glorious discovered wings lies a hint of all humanity, the portion of mankind with a driving urge to create, to lift voice, pen, brush in the pursuit of liberty and beauty. Through the lens of that wide backdrop, that significance, Joyce's novel captures a harsh reality and contrasts it with imagination wonder in a powerful portrait well worth examining.

James Joyce¡¯s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is the coming of age story of Stephen Dedalus. Stephen grows from a sensitive child to a defiant young man. The reader learns about Stephen as he matures and discovers that Stephen is a complex person full of paradox.
The very first contradiction is evident in Stephen¡¯s name. His first name comes from the Roman Catholic Saint Stephen who was the first Christian martyr. Stephen can be seen as a martyr for his art. At the end of the novel, Stephen leaves his native Ireland in pursuit of his dream of being an artist. He gave up everything he had for his dream. His last name comes from a Greek mythological figure, Daedalus, a great inventor who was commanded to make a maze by a powerful king. The king¡¯s goal was to imprison the brilliant Daedalus in the maze so that the king would always have access to his genius. Daedalus made waxen wings so that his son, Icarus, could escape the maze. Icarus soared to close to the sun, melting the wings his father had made. Icarus died because of his foolish pride. Stephen can be seen as Icarus because he lost his home, family, and faith in pursuit of his own glory. His name is obviously contradictory and characterizes him as both virtuous and prideful.
Stephen¡¯s personality is as contradictory as his name. As a young boy, Stephen is fearful and insecure. In the beginning of the novel, Stephen seems cowardly when he is bullied by his classmates. But he later finds strength to question authority. He is bold enough to question his upbringing, the beliefs of his family, and the tenets of the Catholic Church. His questioning of the Church, leads him to reject Catholicism and embrace his talents.
Similarly, Stephen is too shy to kiss the girl he likes, but he willfully visits prostitutes. On one occasion, Stephen knew that the girl he liked wanted him to kiss her, but he could not bring himself to do it, even though he desired too. Later on in chapter II, Stephen "wanted to sin with another of his kind, to force another being to sin with him and to exult her in sin,¡± so he visited a prostitute. But when the women asked him to kiss her, he could not. His inner struggles are apparent in his desire to sin with a prostitute, and the inability to kiss the girl he desires.
He recognizes this contradiction between his outward appearance of piety and his inner immorality, when he says,"Could it be that he, Stephen Dedalus, had done those things? His conscience sighed in answer. Yes, he had done them, secretly, filthily, time after time and hardened in sinful impenitence, he had dared to wear the mask of holiness before the tabernacle itself while his soul within was a living mass of corruption."
Stephen finds himself caught between his desire to be good and his desire to be discreet about his transgressions. His conflicting views are illustrated by his thoughts. ¡°He had to confess every sin. How could he utter in words to the priest what he had done? Must, must. Or how could he explain without shame? A madman! Confess! O he would indeed to be free and sinless again!¡±
After repenting of his sins and turning back to the faith of his upbringing, he considers becoming a priest. A priest asks Stephen, ¡°Have you ever felt that you have a vocation?¡± Stephen considers the possibility of becoming a powerful, well respected priest with much anticipation but then comes to the conclusion that, ¡°He was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from others or to learn the wisdom of others himself wandering among the snares of the world." He realizes his destiny lies away from the Church.
Throughout the novel, Stephen¡¯s thoughts are disjointed and contradictory, much like his name. He has a difficult time finding his identity, and in the end, Stephen leaves behind his home and embarks on a journey to find himself.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is my first exposure to James Joyce. I will admit that while I was reading it, the book was not enjoyable. I started out confused by the jumping around at the beginning and the lack of movement made it hard to stay awake at some parts. The book is about Stephen Dedalus who takes us through his adolescent years. It takes place in Ireland in the midst of the Catholic and Protestant battle. In the first chapter Stephen is trying to fit in with family, friends, and even his country. In the second chapter Stephen starts to separate from his father. At the end of this chapter, Stephen gives in and has his first sexual experience with a prostitute. In chapter three, he listens to Father Arnell's moving sermons. After he hears these sermons, he immediately goes to confess his sin to a priest. In chapter four he discovers art, and in chapter five he alienates himself further from his family and country.
As I mentioned before, my first run through with this book was not a happy one. It may because it was rushed, but as I looked back through it the second time I was amazed at Joyce's style. Although there was not very much movement, Joyce's description and imagery was outstanding. I had never before enjoyed a book with tons of imagery, but Joyce's imagery is what made the book real to me. I also thought the different themes throughout the book were remarkable. While I was reading the book through the first time, I did not pick up on many of the themes and symbols. It was the when I was looking over it later that I saw all the symbol of the birds, the imagery of the water, and I saw how Stephen was moving farther and farther away from his father and gaining freedom. At the beginning of the book, Stephen sees the birds as vicious. When we get closer to the end of the book, he sees them as beautiful. This shows how Stephen is breaking away and his freedom. As the book progresses, you can also see how Stephen comes to know that his feelings of love are normal. At the beginning when Stephen said he wanted to marry Eileen, Dante is appalled, but as Stephen watched the girl in the ocean he realizes that it is all right to love. I also liked the connection to the Greek mythology. I think it ties into the book very well.
In the end, I have to say that I liked the book. If I did read it again, it would be much more pleasurable to be able to pick out all the symbols, themes, connections, and imagery as I went through it instead of waiting until after to see how it all comes together.

A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man is not an easy read by any means, but it is a worthwhile read by all means. The plot focuses on the growth and development of Stephen Dedalus, an intelligent Irish boy born into a poor family. One of the most interesting features of the book is that it is considered to be a "self-portrait of the artist" by most experts. The events of author James Joyce's life mirror those of young Dedalus well. This makes for a fascinating read considering Joyce's prominent position in the writing world.
The writing styles and techniques Joyce uses are expert. The writing level begins at a level that a small child would use, and increases in sophistication through the book as Dedalus grows older and becomes more educated. The pinnacle of the writing is Dedalus' narration about his theories of art and beauty near the end of the book, about the time he is to leave the university and Ireland altogether. The beautiful language of the narration is a work art by its own merit, and I highly recommend reading it whether or not you read The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in its entirety.
Among the various things to look for while reading "Portrait" are the reoccurring images of water, birds, and the colors white and red. Specifically, pay attention to Dedalus' perceptions of these things, and how his perceptions change as the book moves forward. Two other common topics surfacing throughout the novel are politics and religion. Ever since a bitter argument about politics and religion broke out among his family at Christmas dinner, Dedalus has been wary of the subjects. This makes for conflict because the church and politics are at the forefront of the educated minds he is associating with.
Lastly, when reading this book, consider how it relates Irish nationalism and Ireland's struggle to find its place in the world of art and culture. Although this is not such an obvious theme, it is interesting to note how many of the characters are concerned with what Ireland is, where it is going, and how best to improve it.
Because the reading can be so heavy in The Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man, I recommend referring to some sort of an explanatory or summary essay to supplement your reading...

If you enjoy reading beyond simply plotline and love absorbing and getting your hands on beautiful language and interesting writing techniques, then James Joyce's The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is definitly for you. From the very start of his novel, Joyce grabs you with his sometimes unconventional use of language and his mastery of the written word. As you watch, or read, the character of Stephen Dedalus grow and mature into a young man, you are carried along by a developing tone and language. At the age of arounnd 6, for example, Joyce masterfully entertains the reader with a true to life child's point of view of things. Sentences are short and tangents are rampant. Stephen's thoughts tend to be random and unfocused. For instance, when he sees a brown train, it isn't just brown, it's "a long long chocolate train with cream facings". I found it fascinating to experience the growth of Stephen. At the end of the novel, when he is in his mid to late teens, he is a sophisticated thinker. He now exclaims, in a style reminiscient of Hamlet, "To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life! A wild angel had appeared unto him, the angel of mortal youth and beauty, an envoy from the fair courts of life, to throw open before him in an instant of ecstasy the gates of all the ways of error and glory". His complex thought processes are incredible.
It's these great thoughts that make this book a worthwhile read because the plotline is lacking. Fortunately for us all, Joyce has the ability to turn the mundane into fascinating, and the normal into an experience of a lifetime. I loved savoring the beautiful and interesting language and thought processes involved with this book and found that I didn't really mind the lack of plot. Definitly a great experience and worth your time.

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is an eloquent novel that reveals James Joyce's literary genius. The story, which seems to be based on some of Joyce's life, is told using a third person limited omniscient narrator, but often appears to be told through the eyes of the main character Stephen Dedalus. The story is set in late nineteenth century Ireland shadows the growth and development of Stephen during his early years. He begins his journey as a young lad, oppressed by his parents, society, and religion. The diction and tone employed in the early stages of the novel are that of a young child. As we see Stephen's passage through life we also observe a progression of the writing. As Stephen becomes more educated both scholastically and in the ways of the world, Joyce's writing style progresses with him. This fluctuation in style effectively portrays the changes in Stephen, and the ever-widening rift that he creates between himself and his oppressors. Throughout the book, Stephen struggles to separate his own life with the life that he is expected to live. Through a series of vividly descriptive epiphanies, Stephen discovers that his own ideas, though contrary to his upbringing, are acceptable. The book concludes with a series of personal journal entries of Stephen's in which he rejoices in his new found life exclaiming "Welcome, O life!"(185). The lessons learned by Stephen Dedalus have great application to our own lives, proving that sometimes we must cast off our upbringing and venture out on our own to discover who we are. This lesson coupled with Joyce's imaginative, symbolic style makes for a killer combination. "Portrait" is an excellent read!

With its rich symbolism and sensual, impressionisticstream-of-conscious language, the novel `A Portrait of the Artistas a young Man' is seen as one of the greatest and most influentialmasterpieces of world literature. Before this autobiographical storywas finally published in 1916, it had been rewritten many times,because James Joyce, the author, wasn't satisfied with it.
JamesJoyce was born in Dublin, capitol of Ireland and the place where mostof the story takes places, in 1882. He was one of a large family, justas Stephen Dedalus, the maincharacter of the story is. James andStephan both visited Clongowes Wood College, Belvedere College andDublin college of the Royal University. After he did some writing fortheatre, Joyce moved to Paris -at the end of story Stephen alsogoes to Paris -, but returns when his mother becomes sick. He becomesone of the most famous authors ever, especially be writing`Ulysses', the story which follows up `A Portrait of the Artistas a young Man', in which Stephen Dedalus reappears.
This novelchronicles Stephen's life from his early years at Clongowes School tothe university, when he decides to leave Dublin. Joyce describes theDedalus family fantastically. Young Stephen's education by theJesuits, his sexual awakening, his intellectual development and hiseventual `being against' the religion, in which he has beenraised.
Stephen has been far from a good Catholic boy. Among otherthings, he's been visiting the brothels. All this has made himfrightened ... . He thinks he will end up there and can't stopthinking about the punishment he'll get. `....at the command ofGod, the fire of hell, while retaining the intensity of its heat,burns eternally in darkness. It's an never ending storm of darkness,dark flames and dark smoke of burning brimstone, amid which the bodiesare heaped one upon another without even a glimpse of air.' is whatStephen imagines hell's like.
Fortunately the sermon hits him with aspecial intensity, so much so that it changes his life forever. Beforethis, he's completely absorbed in the `physical'. After it, hebecomes just as absorbed in the `spiritual world' - it's likegoing from the first end to the other. He's being offered a positionas priest. When Stephen decides he doesn't want to be a priest, theidea of becoming an artist really starts to take hold. And when hesees a girl on the beach, his life is set for good. He revolts againstthe religion and moves to Paris.
The story, which comes from thetime of the modernism, the stream of consciousness, has been writtenin a third person view. You only read the things Stephen sees, hearsand especially the things he thinks. All the time the story switchesfrom reality to imagination without letting you know it does, whichsometimes takes care of some confusion and misunderstanding.
Joyce'smastery of literary style and the richness of the language -as wellEnglish as Latin- make the story very hard to read, without keeping onlooking at a dictionary, but it's worth the effort. Like everyonesays, it's a masterpiece.

This book is definately not for everyone. The entire book is like a stream of thoughts invoked when one looks at a self portrait of one's youth. Maybe that's what Joyce was trying to accomplish. The book gets interesting as the chapters progress, intially it is a little hard to grasp. For me it required slow reading and in some cases rereading and excessive stretching of hands towards the dictionary to fully comprehend and enjoy the novel. The novel does not fall under the gambit of light reading, a consistent effort is required on behalf of the reader to continue reading the novel, in order to grasp the artistic spell that the author is trying to invoke on the reader.
Do not expect a story, as such there is no story in the novel. The gist of it is the coming of age of the author but it was written in a way to revolutionize the way novels were written and read. It is much more profound, acute and slower than what most reviews purport it to be, which unfortunately means that for the average reader the book could be very boring.

A Portrait of a Young Artist is a beautiful piece of literature that explores the development of Stephen Dedalus from a young man into an artist. The novel is somewhat autobiographical in that Joyce explores and analyzes his life though the main character Stephen, and through this is trying to make sense of his past and what that makes him. Stephen becomes more independent in his thinking throughout the novel. He is trying to find out who he is in relationship to his family, his peers, Catholicism, and his country. Joyce uses symbolism as well as language and syntax to show Stephen's development.
The language and syntax of the novel parallel the development of Stephen. Chapter one is written in stream of consciousness. Joyce uses this effective tool to really show how a five or six year old would be thinking. The novel begins with a story Stephen's father told him. Then it moves to him wetting the bed, then to his nextdoor neighbor, and then to the boys playing on the play ground. The writing is just as a little child would think. It seems illogical to an adult, but to a child it is logical. The word choice Joyce uses is also very effective. "Rody Kickham was a decent fellow but Nasty Roche was a stink." The word stink also parallels Stephen's age. In chapter three the language is more fully developed. " He feared intensely in spirit and in flesh but, raising his head bravely, he strode into the room firmly." Intensely, bravely and firmly show that Stephen is growing and maturing. By the end of the novel the writing is no longer in stream of consciousness and the language is complex. " A soft liquid joy flowed through the words where the soft long vowels hurtled noiselessly and fell away, lapping and flowing back and ever shaking the white bells of their waves in mute chime and mute peal and soft low swooning cry." Words are no longer just letters; they have meaning and purpose. In this Stephen fully realizes who he is he is an artist. He has completed his change from a boy to a man.
Stephen's development is also shown by birds, which symbolize freedom. The more freedom Stephen has the more he is able to explore who he really is. In the beginning of the novel the birds talked about are unpleasant. Stephen's governess Dante teases him with a poem about an eagle pulling out his eyes. Therefore, this eagle connotes fear as well as something with power, power over him. Then, the bird transforms into his rival and friend Vincent Heron. Instead of being controlled by the bird he is pushed by it, furthering his development. Then, the bird becomes something Stephen wishes to aspire to. " His throat ached with a desire to cry aloud, the cry of a hawk or eagle on high, to cry piercingly of his deliverance to the winds." Now, the eagle that had once tormented him was a symbol of freedom and life.
A Portrait of a Young Artist is not a book for everyone. It is not easy reading. There is also no plot line to pull the reader along so, the reader must be actively engaged in reading the novel. Also, Joyce uses complex jargon and phrasing. Some parts may have to be read through two or three times before their meaning unfolds. The reader also has to let themselves get lost in the writing, dive into the words, make them your own. The language and symbols Joyce uses are beautiful. He is a master and an artist of words which is what makes this book worth reading.

James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man takes the reader on an historic and intellectual journey. Through the eyes of young Stephen Daedelus do the readers see Joyce's life and the challenges that he encountered. The intentional naming of his characters enables Joyce to relate more closely to his story and be more expressive in his writing. Ireland at the time was in another battle of Catholicism versus Protestantism. This is exemplified at the dinner table scene, where young Daedelus tells of his family discussions and his budding interest in religion. Initially he was a `free thinker,' not willing to be part of the `group.' However, as he grew older and wiser, he saw the good in religion-the moral compass it provides followers with.

Stephen's journey is one of a young boy trying to cope with his binary society. In Ireland of the late 19th century, one was Catholic or Protestant, family man or individualistic, or `in' the group or not. As Stephen ages, he learns to cope with these trends in his life; he grasps religion to the extent of almost being zealous. The unique part about Portrait is that it enables the reader to peer into the life of James Joyce, an acclaimed literary mastermind. Like Stephen, Joyce was a Catholic trying to cope with his society, eventually pursuing the arts (in the form of writing). This unique style of writing makes Portrait not only classic literature, but a masterpiece capturing the life of a genius.

This book offers a unique perspective on the Catholic faith and its tradition. An Irish boy, Stephen Dedalus, who is brought up expected to believe whatever is presented to him is confronted with a very big problem: accept his faith without question and follow the conventions of his upbringing or pursue his dream to be an artist. Pursuing the path of an artist would make Stephen happy but should he risk alienating his family and fellow Catholics in favor of a dream?
While most of us are not presented with that specific dilemma, we have all experienced a similar situation. Do we dare to be different or just go with the flow? James Joyce has created a very real character in Stephen Dedalus with which all of us can relate to on some level.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a perfectly designed coming of age novel. It follows Stephen Dedalus from his young and impressionable years, incapable of thinking for himself, to his isolation from his peers in family while realizing that his Catholic faith is not all that he thought it was. We see him finally begin to explore his own way of thinking and stop following outdated customs. The inner conflict he faces and his confusion of right is wrong is something that is familiar to all of us and further helps the reader relate to his situation and empathize with the tough choice he must ultimately face at the end of the novel.

I began reading this book with the wrong attitude. More than anything, I was worried that I would have a difficult time getting through it, and didn't even want to try. To be honest, the first page alone scared me to death. Joyce jumps from wetting the bed, to the smell of his mother, to songs from his childhood. (ALL IN ONE PAGE!) Once I got past the initial confusion and frustration, I really enjoyed all that Joyce had to offer.

Coming from a religious household, I really got into all of the Roman Catholicism that Joyce shares with the reader. I was able to relate to the moral and religious struggles Stephen encounters throughout his maturation. On a personal level, I can identify with the many high and low points that occur during one's spiritual journey. It is a great book for teens, who often begin to doubt what they believe, whether they are of a religious persuasion or not.

The best part of Joyce's work, by far, is the stream of consciousness writing style he uses. At the beginning of the book, his writing is very disconnected, jumpy, and rather confusing. But this writing style (which can be a stumbling point for many) is meant to show the way the mind of a child functions. As Stephen gets older, his thoughts become more and more cohesive, and the reader has a much easier time getting through each chapter. By using this style, Joyce shows us in writing what constantly goes on in our heads without consciously acknowledging it.

All in all, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a very thought-provoking, and even addictive book. Give it a try, even if you are timid about reading James Joyce for the first time. This book has something in it for any person of any belief system.

Notice that I did not use the word novel because that would imply that this wad of paper had the semblance of a plot.

Thus I will ask the readers what is the purpose of a novel? For there are many and each author interprets the call to the pen in a different way.

Some novels aim to entertain. They do this by either providing funny and witty insight into out lives, showing something outrageous, providing a gripping plot, and so on. Even Tom Clancy manages to pull this off.

Some books are made so that the reader will think. They do this by either being mystery novels or by inserting deeply symbolic meaning into the text. Agatha Cristie (sp) and William S. Burroughs are writers of this category.

Some books are meant to enlighten. These are the biographies, the historical fiction pieces and the works that provides philosophical insight into various entities.

Joyce attempts to write a book of the third category, but in my opinion fails miserably. He attempts to provide his own bioraphy, but does nothing but exagerrate and mock his own actions (in a very unfunny way). He also attempts to insert philosophical wisdom on the esthetic, something which he comprimises by his mean spirited mocking of the self. He also attempts to paint a portrait of Ireland, but he provides no context for the reader apart from the view of a pompous artist.

So why on Earth should you read this? Well, some people claim that this book is seminal. Perhaps. However, so many writers have written in the style concocted by Joyce that one wonders why bother reading the original if better examples of this style exist. I see none. This book is about as entertaining as a stone wall, but a little harder to get through. It doesn't grip you, it makes no attempt to hold on. You have to put in all the effort in this zero sum relationship. You have to trudge through this mcokery of art, while the pages just sit back and give you nothing of their own.

At that point I ask "Why bother?"

I had to read "Portrait" for my AP Brit Lit class. My opinion? I do not plan on reading James Joyce again...at least if I have the choice. Joyce is considered a "master" of literature...but in all honesty, I see little point in much of this novel.

"Portrait" describes the life of Stephen Dedalus, an Irish Catholic (for much of the book) and rambunctious artist (for the rest). Three out of the five chapters are completely confusing; I honestly had no idea what was going on throughout them. This is partially due to Joyce's stream-of-consciousness writing style, but also because we are unable to get a firm grasp on the personality of the characters (other than Stephen, of course).

But "Portrait" isn't all bad: chapters 3 and 4 are very well written. This is why I gave "Portrait" 3 stars (rather than one or two). With a descriptive, riveting (and somewhat frightening) sermon given by Father Arnall, Stephen realizes how deep in sin his life truly is, and beings considering a life in the ministry. This is the most interesting part of the book, in my mind. Not only are the descriptions amazing, but also the religious challenges he faces hit very close to home: I too am considering a life in the ministry.

But other than Stephen's brief religious encounter, this book does very little for me. "Portrait" is a "coming of age", "who the heck am I?" sort of novel...which, as a graduating senior, should have meant something to me. And it didn't.

If you enjoy "Catcher in the Rye" (and other such plotless, stream-of-conciseness novels) then feel free to buy this book...you might just enjoy it.

But I sure didn't.

Confusion. This novel is for those of educated minds. Stream-of-conscious runs through this book and only stops as you stop to re-read each page to find out what happened. The book runs free from subject to subject, all seen through the mind of Stephen Dedalus. His imagination runs freely throughout the book and it is sometimes hard to pick up whether what your reading is reality or just a thought process. Symbolism. Every word, sentence, and page is key to understanding this novel. If your focus wanders away for one paragraph, you lose, game over and go back to the beginning to start reading again. The thick symbolism makes it hard to read, but Joyce is able to capture many feelings through the symbolism of birds.
I couldn't get into this book. Every time the book was about to pull me in, a sudden change of pace would leave me scratching my head. This novel seemed to drag me nowhere, granted it is a classic, my classic eyes, nose, and ears say "no" to this book.
This is a well-written novel told about a young boy's life as he grows up. You learn side by side as this young boy, Stephen Dedalus, learns of life. You see things as he sees them, experience things as he experiences them, and feel as he feels. Whether it's fear, loneliness, pride or remorse, the feelings are lived as Stephen's imagination and life intertwine themselves together through each page.
This is a great novel if you have a Joyce-code-reader that helps you understand the Irish slang, Latin and symbolism. Irish slang dots this book, Latin develops it, and symbolism flies through it. This plot-less book is very hard to understand, which conveys Stephen's attitude toward life. He, a young man, is very confused in life. There are five stages in which Stephen goes through in this novel. He goes through school homesick, and looking for an identity other than his father's. Joyce depicts the family through debate at the dinner table, showing the strong political views of Stephen's father. Stephen also finds himself in a growing situation at school. After being wrongly beaten by the prefect of studies, Stephen decides to go and tell the rector on him. Fear mounts as he enters the hall across from the rector's room, but joy comes as he excitedly runs to tell his friends what happened. As he continues to experiment with life as he finds himself wading through sin. He struggles with the lusts of the natural man, as he gets involved with the opposite sex. And then it hits him. A power sermon about death, judgment, heaven and hell chain his soul down as he wishes to escape the eternal torment that surrounds him. He wants his soul to be at peace. And so through a battle with his conscience he repents and frees himself from sin. He then devotes his life to religion and purity. Seeing his devotion to the priesthood, a Father offers him a vocation. However, he discovers another path to paint the picture of his life. He journeys away to find his freedom lies in being an artist.
If you're going to read this book, put your code-decrypter nearby and get ready for a ride through the mind of Joyce.

A Portrait of an Artist was a surprise to me. I read it as a school assignment but I actually
enjoyed it a little. It was a thought provoking book and was very well written. James Joyce's'
fictional but semi- autobiographical novel was very creative. It was written in a style that I have
never read before. It wasn't first person or third person, but it also wasn't quite a third person
omniscient. It was a new style to me but James Joyce made it work.
It is a novel about a boy, Stephen Dedalus and his struggles to grow up, break away from
the confining restrictions of church, family, and country (patriotism), and to ultimately find
himself as an individual and artist. Most of these struggles are very similar to things that all of us
have gone through(with exception of becoming an artist). I think many of the problems he faced
were a little amplified, and that helped show what kind of person Stephen was. He was very
thoughtful and he tried, like many of us to fit into many places that he didn't naturally fit.
All through the book Stephen changes schools and is never accepted by the other kids at
the school. Eventually he decides to stand up for himself by talking to the school master after
being punished unfairly. He is rewarded for his bravery and begins to be accepted by his peers.
But he still doesn't quite fit in.
The thing that stuck out most to me was the jesuit priests and how they preached about
hell and damnation. I thought it was an extreme way to try and control the way the kids act. It
seemed as though they were trying to scare them into being good instead of having them do it for
the right reasons. Ultimately scaring people into something rarely works. If you want them to do
something they have to do it for the right reasons or they will not continue to do it in the future.
One of the most interesting things for me was seeing the way Joyce used the imagery, he
is so good with words. I enjoy reading the vivid descriptions he uses and find myself forming a
mental picture much easier than I do when reading other books. One thing I disliked about this
book was the lack of plot. I t was difficult to find a story line to follow. While the creative style,
imagery and wording of the book interested me I did find it hard at times to continue reading
because there was nothing that made me want to continue to the next chapter. Nothing that
caught my attention and made me want to find out what happens next.
Overall I would recommend this book because of it's creative style and great word usage.
I think if you read this book through and give it a chance, then you will be satisfied. With this
book you do have to read all the way to the end or it will seem like a waste of your time.

The strikingly beautiful language of James Joyce provides readers with page after page of scrumptious poetic prose describing more of thoughts and reactions to implied situations within the novel. Portrait of an Artist is not so much the story of young Stephen Daedalus as it is an expression of the feelings of a young man facing an internal struggle between religion and aesthetics. As the prose of the novel grow along with its young protagonist readers are able to see the progression of a small child into a strong young man. Joyce instead of telling readers the story provides them with the sensations and feelings of Stephen as he grows allowing the story to be merely implied and absorbed by the reader. Although many parts of the novel may be difficult to understand, as readers are not always sure exactly what is happening because of Joyce's style, the beauty of the prose itself is a major part of what makes Portrait of an Artist such a fantastic piece of literature.
The struggle of young Stephen between his creative side and the rough political and religious expectations of his family and nation can also be seen by Joyce's choice in the name of his character. The relation of Stephen Daedalus to the mythical Daedalus who created wings to escape the Leviathan is weaved throughout the novel through Joyce's use of bird imagery. The reader can see the progression of the young hero as he strives to create his own wings to escape the oppression he comes to feel from religion and even patriotic devotion. One of the most beautiful passages of the entire book is the epiphanatic moment when Stephen sits on the beach and notices a beautiful young woman standing in the surf. Joyce describes this exquisite young girl by using language one might use when describing a beautiful bird. She represents the beauty and creativity Stephen has felt guilty for desiring all his life because of the strong influence his religion has had on him. Stephen's realization at seeing this girl is one of the major steps in his attempt to create his own wings and fly away.
This masterpiece of James Joyce's, although fictional, draws heavily on experiences from the author's life. It touches on many meaningful themes all mainly related to coming of age as Joyce takes readers through many of his own youth experiences. The real genius of the novel is a technique called stream-of-consciousness that Joyce was one of the pioneering developers of during his time. From the baby talk and infantile perception Joyce presents at the beginning of his novel to the elevated and intellectual ideals Stephen presents during his time at the university, this style of writing enhances the experience for the reader as they are literally inside the main character's thoughts although the narration is not in the first person. This adds to the experience, as the reader is able to struggle along with Stephen as he attempts to rise above the imposition of family, peers, religion and politics. The journey throughout the novel is a story of a young man who comes of age and eventually finds his directions in life as he strive to become an artist in a world dominated by rigid things.

James Joyce's' fictional but semi- autobiographical novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, is a deep and extremely creative book. It is a novel about a boy, Stephen Dedalus and his struggles to grow up, break away from the confining restrictions of church, family, and country (patriotism), and to ultimately find himself as an individual and artist.
Throughout the book, Stephen moves around many schools, and is always alienated. At first, he longs for his family and feels like an outcast, isolated from his peers at school. Stephen' s sensitive nature and isolation from others is evident as he wallows in the unfairness and troubles he finds in various situations. Here, we first see Stephen beginning to develop some individuality when he decides to stand up for himself and speak to the schoolmaster when unfairness occurs. Rewarded for his bravery, Stephen begins to find more of a place among his peers, yet it is still awkward and difficult.
Constantly, we see Stephen trying to fit himself in places where he doesn't naturally fit. School is an excellent example of this. Sometimes his essays contain too much "heresy" for a Catholic school -teacher's liking, so they try to discourage and confine Stephen's true self. Often there are bullies which only elevate Stephen's fear to be himself, like the time when some bullies try to make him say one poet is better than another. Repressed by these forces, Stephen is very unhappy and confused.
In church, Stephen struggles to adapt himself to the moral rigors and rules of the Catholic faith. He in essence tries to purge himself of sin at one point after an incident with a prostitute and the sermons of a priest basically scare him into confession and piety. As he tries to deny his natural side but it is to no avail.
Stephen's plight is like that of a fish and a bird in love and the relationship just not being able to work. Stephen's body is like the fish and his soul is the bird. In the book, Stephen's soul tries to survive in the water, but he's drowning and unhappy. The end solution turns out to be the fish/ body of Stephen in essence growing it's own wings to be able to dwell in happiness with his soul.
Stephen has to make the choice to either give up his soul and individuality to adapt to society and the restraints of his family, country, and church or "to live, toe err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life." (Pg., 123). Obviously, by the end of the book, Stephen had "recreated" his life in a way that he could be free and happy. His newly created wings take him away from the country that tries to tie him down with patriotism, the family that drags him down with their unintelligent spending of money and rules, and the church with it's monopolizing power and foreboding echoes of damnation.
The book is a journey that uses a lot of abstract imagery, like birds and Stephen's feelings towards them at the beginning and the end of the book. At first, Stephen fears the birds: "the eagles will come and pull out his eyes."(Pg. 2) but gradually throughout the book, the birds change to a friendlier, beautiful thing to Stephen. I think this says a lot about his view of self-liberation and freedom. At the beginning, freedom is scary- all Stephen wants to do is be accepted, but by the end, the birds are "a strange and beautiful" (Pg. 123) thing that Stephen admires. His view of freedom has changed as he has liberated himself from the three restricting forces: Church, Family, and Country.
The talent of Joyce as a writer to convey vivid images and feelings to the reader cannot be denied. He is truly amazing at painting a picture with show not tell writing and description. I enjoyed that aspect of the book. Despite the talent of the author, I found this book to be uninteresting, strange, and annoying at times to read because it simply didn't cater to the reader. As an author shouldn't you write to the audience? I had to work vigorously just to keep my attention through the long, tricky passages where Joyce tries to represent something figuratively. It was often an annoyance and frustration that made the reading less enjoyable. Overall, the writing level of idea, creativity, and thought were excellent, I just thought he could have made his points and ideas more clear to the reader.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is definitely a uniquely written, thought provoking book. Being a novel sharing the growth of an artist, it includes the experiences of a young man, Stephan Dedalus, and his interpretations of them. The novel is one of self-realization. This search occurs to everyone in life, as we set out in the world to see who we really are. The "who am I" dilemma is inevitable, and this novel shares the experience through an artist's perspective.
Through Stephan's experiences he learns many things. He realizes he's still a boy when he's young. He strives to grow, he strives to participate in mature activities, and he strives to be the person he thinks he is. Yet as in any life, he doesn't grow up until he learns from his experiences, and grows from the insight he gains in each one.
Joyce is an interesting author. The novel starts in a confusing fashion, the subject bounces, and the sentence structure is odd. However, his style ties into the growth of Stephan, and the connection between the writing style and story line is creative and interesting. The book starts when Stephen is young. His mind is scattered, and he doesn't see any need to analyze anything. He sees life from the surface, and lives to live instead of gain anything. This portion of the book is written in just this way. It tells the basics, it says what's going on, but offers no insight as to why, or how, or what anyone's thinking. As he grows older, however, Stephen learns and grows through his experiences. He gains maturity and insight into the things of life, and he offers a more thematic outlook on his experiences. He analyzes his situations, and gains more from them. The writing also matures. Words become meaningful, hidden symbols cover the pages, and with careful reading, the reader can see the growth in Stephen without paying attention to the plot.
The novel is full of these meanings, symbols, and analogies. There are connections to birds, maturity, art, beauty, and water. Others exist as well, and many are found through personal interpretation. To a reader merely reading the book, these small twists are ignored, leaving the book meaningless and boring with a decent plot but not one to get excited about. However, with careful study and analysis, one can be immersed in searching for the small symbols and meanings hidden within the writings of the novel.
The author goes in to a lot of detail about growth, and self-worth. A person needs to know who he is in order to fulfill everything he can out of life. Stephen's journey through this realization is portrayed a lot as he gets confused over girls, religion, family, school, and his personal insight on life. He feels alienated toward the world, as most people feel before they realize who they are. He's trying to place himself in a world without the experience needed to accomplish a position. Through his experiences, however, he learns. Stephen learns that living life is more important than figuring it out. And this realization alone helps him figure it out. He learns the pure joy of beauty and finds his joy in art, and in himself.
Over-all, the book was interesting. Being a person not too detail oriented, I had a rough time with it. However, after analysis and pondering, I came to enjoy the novel, and all it has to offer. I found the growth of Stephen interesting, and his inner struggle clearly portrayed through his experiences in life.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce, is perhaps one of the most difficult books to get into that I have ever read. It begins somewhat randomly with odd words such as moocow and baby tuckoo. Joyce's thoughts are hard to follow, and the lack of true dialogue makes it even more difficult. Luckily, after enduring the first few pages, I was soon swept up into the troubled world of young Stephen Dedalus. I could relate to many of his childhood experiences and my heart ached for him at times. There were other instances when it was amusing to view the world through his young, boyish eyes.
As Stephen moves into adolescence, I am struck by the parallels between this book and Hermann Hesse's Beneath the Wheel. They both tell about the spiritual journey of two young boys, though the endings are different. I feel a deep sense of empathy with Stephen's estrangement from his peers, his guilt, and his desire to do what is right. When he goes off to University I really admire his change in personality. He begins to develop a nonconformist attitude, and decides not to do things just because other people think he should. He branches off from his peers and goes about developing his artistic abilities. He listens to his internal forces, rather than the outside influences. This is the ideal personality, the perfect way to live your life. It was so refreshing to read about someone who was able to shake of the chains of society and live his own life. He is unconcerned with politics and appreciates the aesthetic quality in all things. Beauty becomes very important to him. Near the end he makes the decision to follow the footsteps of his namesake, Daedalus the mythical creator of wings, and fly. He leaves Ireland in order to become completely free. I admire his deep independence, although his moral convictions I do not. I think a firm religious foundation is essential for truly becoming an individual. That was Stephen's tragic flaw; an anti-religion attitude. I understand his unwillingness to accept Catholicism just because his family was Catholic. The greatest men in history have searched long and passionately until they found what true religion meant to them. That is the one thing that restricts Stephen's progression. He would have been truly great, if only he would have sought for religious truth.
This novel was enjoyable to read most of the time. It was cleverly written with vivid descriptions and a unique style. This book is not for everyone to read. Those with closed minds and hearts should not even bother. However, those looking for a moving, inspiring story would do well to venture into this book. It's fascinating to watch Stephen grow up and mature and see how things that happened when he was a boy, profoundly affect his adolescence and adulthood. So, screw your patience to the sticking place for the first few pages, and delve into James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist. You'll like what you find.

Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man is an intense book. I realize that it is often at the top of many a best-seller list. But, it will not be at the top of mine, although the book is both well crafted and thought provoking. James Joyce shadows the main character, Stephen Daedalus, through his youth, starting at around six years of age. Joyce shows Stephen's progression from dependent child to free artist in a very unique way. There is a change in the writing style of the piece just about every chapter, which can be very confusing. Showing Stephen's progression as a person through progression in writing style is unique. But, it can cause serious problems for an unsuspecting reader. I for one, upon first picking up the book, found the first few pages just about impossible to decipher. I did not understand what was going on. After a few readings, and some help from friends, I finally understood that Joyce begins his book from the stream of consciousness of a six-year old child. When I understood that, the book had much more worth to me, but until I did, I felt convinced it was a piece of garbage. Another key to note is that in order to fully understand the allusions in the book, one must be familiar with the myth of Icarus and Daedalus.
One of the best things about Portrait of An Artist As a Young Man is the use of language. Joyce is a master with words, and can, in a few short sentences, create very vivid pictures of what he hopes to portray. His bird imagery especially, is developed to such an extent that the reader can follow just the progression of the images to understand what is happening in the plot of the story. Plot, though, for this book, is not the best word to use since Joyce did not create a real plot for the book. There is no real storyline to follow, which made the book difficult for me to read. There is not much to carry you through. It is a fight to stick with the book, because most of the time there is nothing pushing the reader onwards, at least in my opinion. Still, sticking with the book did give me a sense of accomplishment in the end, as I was able to finally put it down and think about it. If I had not been able to think about the true significance later, it is quite possible that I would have missed the point of the book, and for that reason, hated it.

Gentle reader, please know that this book deserves its reputation as one of the greatest novels in the history of the English language. It can be approached at many levels and satisfies at all of them. I read this in my early years at University and my advice is to take some of the reviews here with a grain of salt. Mr. Thomas Gidding's ponderous, ill-tempered harangue (wherein he calls Joyce's work pretentious while stuffing into his review as many multisyllabic words as possible), and Mary's "Not up to par" review (wherein she reveals she is getting collage credit for her English course having yet to find the spell check) only prove that they have missed the boat not because it left early, but because they showed up late. Be brave. Dive deep. This is a wonderful novel. And it is like no other.

James Joyce is a hero. Writing with a exceptionally unique style that fits the corresponding drama perfectly, he is able to involve several underlying themes that help advance the meaning of the book. The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is rich in detail and offers vital insights into Joyce?s art of portraying the internal struggles that all of us face within the drama of a single character, Stephen Dedalus. Perhaps the most salient brilliance of Joyce?s ability is painting the picture of simbolism and theme to allow the reader to internalize everything he reads.
The book opens in a rather ambiguous way. Jumbled phrases across the opening pages provoke images of confusion and disorder in the reader?s mind. Joyce masters the Stream of Consciousness style of writing, which reflects the spontaeous thought process that all of us experience. It is especially notable at the beginning when he describes the unfocused thoughts of the baby Stephen. With a light touch of humor Joyce reminds us how simple life was for all of us back then when all we had to worry about was the discomfort of ?wetting the bed?
(Portrait 1).
The reader then re-lives his life as he joins in with Stephen?s. We are first exposed to the unjust treatment from others when the bully Wells shoves Stephen into the nearby cesspool. The imagery is more than intense here when he comes out of the pool grimy, disgusting, and smelling like a sewer. Joyce even pencils in the detail about rats wallowing around in the pool. The theme of unjustice continues as Stephen is punished publicly for losing his glasses, something that he had no control over. The Catholic Father Dolan flogs him across the hands for ?intentionally? losing them so he wouldn?t have to study.
Another interesting piece of information that James Joyce includes for the benefit of the reader putting himself in the place of Stephen is the theme of physical beauty. Stephen experiences love all throughout the piece, starting first with the innocent love notes that he writes to a small girl his age, building to the prostitute with whom he has his first sexual experience, and culminating finally with the woman on the beach who he is infatuated with. This sexual passion arouses sympathetic feelings within the reader from all backgrounds. Everyone has experienced that true feeling of wanting to be with someone else.
My favorite part in the story is how Joyce deals with the issue of remaining true to religion, particularly the Catholic Church. Stephen is troubled by the fact that there is so much corruption within the church. He sees the imperfections within the church, but yet he somehow continues. Other characters present Joyce with the opportunity to let us look deep into the heart of Stephen and examine how he struggles. Much of Joyce?s audience has struggled with the decision of remaining true to the Catholic Church in spite of its many corruptions, or pioneering a new generation of religious loyalty elsewhere.
Towards the end of the novel Joyce touches on a reoccuring theme: freedom. Being free from religion as well as being free from Ireland (or the restraints that bound some individual). Again Joyce delicately works his way into the lives of his readers; all are faced with decisions of leaving their past lives, whether they be entrapped in the pits of smoking or the despair of being overweight, all of the readers of Jame Joyce are faced with that decision sooner or later. Stephen sees his escape from the island with drawing back to strength from the Greek artisan Dedalus, who crafted his own wings to escape. It seems that all of us somehow need to draw on strength from the past to give us motivation for the future. Many rely on examples from their parents. Others trust in counsel and advice given through the scriptures. All are in search of help from the past to live a better future.
All in all, Joyce masters his work and is able to assist the reader in making his own decisions in his own life while doing it through the life of his central character. If I were anything but American, I might consider moving to Ireland.

Great art will never be popular and popular art will never be great. This is not an easy book to read. That is what makes it so great. I read it in high school and missed almost everything that was there. I recently reread it as a 48 year old and saw much more. I picked up a copy of an English professor's insights and was stunned by how much I had missed. Like most great writers Joyce was extremely subtle and will last by being read for hundreds of years by a small percentage of the population, but he will last--unlike popular novels that exist for 1 to 50 years and then die due to lack of depth. And like most great writers a one time reading won't get your there. Plus reading it with a "guidebook" written by an English professor or even with Spark Notes will get you onehundred times more out of it than reading it without help. If you like pop fiction that you read once and throw away and everything is obvious and hits you on the head like a two by four this is NOT the book for you. If you like great works that require analysis and multiple readings and have tremendous but subtle depth than this is one of the true classics that introduced the modern twentieth century style of novels. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man introduced revolutionary ideas in writing which have been copied by almost every twentieth century author popular or not. Many of the popular novels that people read would not exist without this highly original work by Joyce. But definately read it with a professor's guidebook--otherwise you will only get one percent of what is there and conclude that it is totally boring.

Better than the story itself, was the wonderful language in which Joyce used in writing it. I think that the story is worthy of being accepted as a classic merely for Joyce's superb usage of words. Now, as for the story in its self, it wasn't that great. I mean, it was good, but I've read better. The story - a semiautobiographical account of the life of James Joyce - is very emotional and at times makes you feel as if you're the main character, Stephen Dedalus. Go ahead it and read it, just don't expect it to be a roller-coaster ride.

For someone who isn't prepared for this kind of book, a Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man can be a very difficult book to read. He writes using a stream of consciousness, and can be pretty confusing at times. Also, I would suggest that before you read, you have somewhat of an understanding of what has happened in Ireland, and what was going on during the time this book was written. This is because in the book, Joyce includes a lot of these things from the history of Ireland.

The focus of the book in on Stephan Daedelus, a young man in Ireland in the early 1900's. As the years pass, Stephan goes from being somewhat religious, to living an extremely pious life, to moving away from the church, and deciding not to believe anymore. Throughout the book, Stephan distances himself from others, and tries to stay out of arguments over religion, politics, and Irish freedom movements. He doesn't interact with his friends a whole lot, and basically isolates himself from others, choosing the life of an artist.

Personally, I didn't enjoy the book very much. It moved at a very slow pace. I also think that most people would have a difficult time reading this book, not only because of the background information needed to understand parts of the book, but also because I don't think that a lot of people would like the 'stream of consciousness' style of writing that Joyce uses. It was an ok read, but I don't think that I would read it more than once.

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is easily one of the greatest books of the twentieth century. Rarely is such a mastery of the English language encountered. James Joyce has an almost uncanny ability to create images and feelings out of words. He manages to describe a place and also the feelings of the main character when he's in that place with teh same set of words.
The story itself is almost inconsequential. As I read it I was so caught up in Stephen's self-destructive spiral that I could never pass any sort of moral judgement. I had to like Stephen because he was so human. His dilemmas and his emotions were so real, and Joyce was able to bring them to life with his words.
As a previous reviewer has said, it is true that to understand certain parts of the book, it helps to have a little background on Irish politics at the turn of the century (or at least know who Parnell is) but a few minutes of internet research will do that for you. As for strange words and slang, the language becomes more elevated as Stephen grows up (a touch of genius, if you ask me) so that's not really much of a problem. Stephen's final break with tradition as he answers the call of Daedalus, his namesake, is magnificent to read. All in all, this book is definitely worth the read.

"A Potrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is James Joyce's magnificent and now classic evocation of a Catholic boyhood in Ireland. The book is written in a peculiar style, which can make it difficult for self-confessed 'skim-readers' like myself! However, this style also makes it intruguing. The style is, in fact, brilliant when it is examined carefully, detailed, structured and readable. The struggle through sin and sanctity towards self-expression is the book's major themes, making a timeless classic to be enjoyed by all.

This book is one that has stayed with me and continues to infiltrate my thoughts and ideas daily. I often find myself mulling over the path of Stephen Dedalus through this book. He begins as an innocent child mired in the sins of his family, country, and religion. He finishes by breaking the bonds that chain him to the earth to soar from Dublin as a great "artificer."
The painful, glorious growth of a soul reaching for truth and beauty is chronicled here in sharp intensity. When Stephen is castigated unfairly by Father Dolan he bravely reports the breach to the rector. This bravery is soon rewarded with sneering jibes by his father who relays to Stephan that he has had a good laugh about the incident with Father Dolan. "'You better mind yourself, Father Dolan,' said I,'or young Dedalus will send you up for twice nine.' We had a famous laugh together over it. Ha! Ha! Ha!" The betrayal by both his father and the church is very intense and painful, a slap in the face.
During his adolesence Stephen endures overwhelming sexual desire coupled with a contrary and all consuming reverance for the teachings of the Catholic church. These two opposing compulsions come to a crisis with the retreat in honor of Saint Francis Xavier. During this retreat, Father Arnell gives sermons on the four last things: death, judgement, hell and heaven. This is an intense odyssey into the nature of eternal damnation. I am not Catholic nor Christian, but I must admit that this section did make me squirm at times. The depth and breadth of the torment of hell is communicated herein with excruciating detail by Father Arnell. In mortal terror Stephan confesses his sins and attempts to lead a pure and devotional life. The life of devotion ends when he is later offered the priesthood. He realizes at that moment that he must renounce the church and choose to "learn the wisdom of others himself wandering among the snares of the world." Free of the church and father, Stephen finally must confront the bonds that his friends, mother, and country claim on him in the final section. One by one through discusions and encounters with his classmates he slips these bonds and resolves to go away from Dublin and all that keeps him earthbound. This is a beautiful novel of growth and deliverance. It will be one of my cherished books always. As a final note I want to let readers know that the edition I am reviewing, The Modern Library Hardcover 1996 edition, has several misspellings and punctuation errors. It almost seemed as if the publisher had used a spell check type of program to proof read the book instead of a person. This is extremely irritating in that I bought the Modern Library edition so as to always have a sturdy, well made edition of this beautiful book. I find it insulting to the author and the reader that more care was not taken in the publication of this edition.

Following the plot of "A Portrait" is like trying to chase a fish through a murky, moss-covered swamp pond. Understanding the meanings in the work is as simple as clearly seeing the bottom of this same pool. The reader can feel the great depth of this bayou-book by the height of the clammy, chilling water on his body. Even when he has finally climbed out of the pond, moss and other marks cling to him. The reader can feel too the power of the work by the invisible, unmistakable currents and swirls that unceasingly surround him through his chase.
Why would someone read this book, a book with difficult plot and meaning, and unclear, intimidating depth and power? Obvious gold nuggets glint beneath the water, felt beneath the reader's feet, seen amidst sometimes muddy chapters: they are Joyce's masterful short phrases. They compel the reader forward, delighting him as he fumbles after the fish, chasing after this elusive, wriggling rainbow trout, a leprechaun leading to more gold. The imagery and alliteration of Joyce's short phrases force the reader on to each next page, and assure him that the tiring toil of draining this swamp is an effort well rewarded.
The entire mural of "A Portrait" may seem abstract and unclear, but the delicate images, the stinging images, the firm and the flimsy images--each is an intimately executed brushstroke or a perfectly mixed color that enchants the reader. These are the glinting nuggets hiding in the pond, chunks of pure lyric beauty. The images stick in your mind and haunt you like some catchy tune; the make you want to stride on onto the beach and run "far out over the sands, singing wildly to the sea" (123). To find these nuggets a perceptive reader will soon be "scraping the air from before his eyes with one hand as though he were tearing aside a cobweb" (25), hunting with fervency. He will wander "the dark, slimy streets peering into the gloom of lanes and doorways" (70). Even taken completely out of context as above, these "eerily convincing portrayals," as R.B. Kershner calls them, retain their majesty. And though an understanding of much of the novel may be as solid and stable as a dancing fire, "Above the flame the smoke of praise/ Goes up from ocean rim to rim" (159).
Joyce pleases the mind's eye, yes; but the mind's ear is his true workshop. His symphonic work has an enormous scope, but each alliterative phrase rises up from the orchestral noise as a melody to be inhaled. "Little, fiery flakes fell" (101);
"the warm, sunny city outside" (62); "the candlestick with its tendrils of tallow" (159). Here the gold nuggets come so thick that surely they comprise a vein that the reader must mine. They permeate "A Portrait", filling it: "cast down by the dull phenomenon of Dublin" (54); "darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or odour" (71); "stirring his soul slowly from its listless despair" (79). I will let the examples speak for themselves as they speak to the listening reader.
If the reader will feel each atom of gold, each artistic phrase, as he chases the elusive fish of plot, the swamp of confusion covering "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" will begin to drain, as Virginia Woolf's affirms in her commentary of the book. "Let us record the atoms as they fall upon the mind in the order in which they fall, let us trace the pattern, however disconnected and incoherent in appearance, which each sight or incidence scores upon the consciousness." And until those patterns become clear and the mossy water flows away, simply enjoy the gold glinting at us from below, radiant under Joyce's illuminating talent.

When I first started reading this book it bored me. I kept finding myself thinking about other things while mudering the words in my head. I didnt really understand the whole background between the church and the Irish leader, but I did some research in class and the book made more sense to me. When I came to chapter three the book started to hit me more. I could actully relate to Dedalus, although I had never really gone to church. I have always believed in god and always been taught to pray to god, but never really attended church, because of this I have had times in my life where I have felt afraid, because of my sins I have commited. I have also heard alot about confession and even baptism, both things I have never done, which also scared me. The book turned on me and confused me even more in the next chapter when he decides that he totally has nothing more to do with religion and wont even pretend to for the love of his mother. This book overall was alright, I never started to appreciate this book until I was done reading it and actually analyzed it. The stream of consciousness is a very neat approach to a book and draws the reader in, because they think some of the same thoughts in the sam situations. During the this time of my life I am growing older and seem to be seeing things in a different light. I read this book at the most perfect time of my life.

It is remarkable that such a well-crafted novel manages, as a story, to resonate so poorly. When was the last time someone referenced Stephen Dedalus in a conversation? Moby Dick, Holden Caufield, "the old man in Nabokov," Heller's Yosarian: all already have or will continue to enjoy an iconic status long after Portrait becomes the exclusive domain of a specialized readership. Portrait struck me less as a work of art to be experienced than a puzzle to be solved. Fraught with literary antecedents and allusions and word play it exemplifies the artist as cryptographer. On the plane of a puzzle, it's remarkably good fun. So, this puzzled me, and I'm sure that there is minor, obscure commentary either to answer or dismiss it as a question: When Mr. Dedalus claims that "silence, exile and cunning" shall be his weapons, what, if anything, in Portrait, with its extended conversation with the great books of the western canon, prepares us for the role of "silence" in the arsenal?

Now, usually I'm one of those "everyone's entitled to their own opinion" people, but everyone who read this book and just wrote it off as boring or stupid or hard to understand or whatever other comments that often get tacked on to this beautiful book may just have been (a) Not intelligent enough to understand it (b) Not mature enough for it. (c) A sad combination of both. The reason I say that is this: I first attempted to read this book when, in retrospect, I hadn't achieved an appropriate level of intellectual maturity: in my misguided youth I set it aside as impenetrable, overly convoluted, and (yes, I know) boring. Happily, I picked it up again, mostly because of all the literary hype surrounding it, touting it as a Great Book. This same hype made me a little apprehensive about it, since it would be hard for it to live up to all of that. However, I shouldn't have worried: Portrait is a wonderful book not to be missed by anyone with any intelligence. I'm the first to admit all that stream of consciousness business can be irritating and intimidating, but to me it hardly registered in the book. Portrait completely transcends that. Yes, it's pretty fascinating to analyze, but its a work that can stand on its own. Beautifully written, deeply meaningful, its an enrapturing read. Don't pass this up because it was written by James Joyce...It's not even that long, and it bears little resemblance to his other works (ahem, the TRULY imprenetrable Ulysses, the dead bore The Dubliners) in my mind. To me, this is the book he wrote which actually lives up to the reputation of the great writer James Joyce. So do yourself a favor, and click that shopping cart.

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is an impressionistic, semi-autobiographical work in which Joyce, through the character of Stephen Dedalus, relates the events and impressions of his youth and young adulthood. The novel flows effortlessly from Stephens first memories as "baby tuckoo" to his final journal entries before embarking on a promising literary career in Paris. In the pages between, Joyce's virtuosity of prose explodes in passages with frightening intensity. Even those who dislike Joyce's confusing, sometimes-infuriating style, should be awestruck by his undubitable writing ability.
However, as anyone reading this review should already know, despite his virtuosity, Joyce is not for everyone. He is simultaneously one of the most beloved and despised writers of the twentieth century. For those of you who are unfamiliar with his work and hesitantly contemplating becoming acquainted with it, here is some food for thought: first, start with "Portrait," it is far more accessible than his subsequent works and a better introduction to them than the also-excellent "Dubliners" is. Second, do not try to judge "Portrait" by the same standards as other books. Joyce is not trying to tell an amusing story here, he is trying to relate the impressions of a young man torn between two existences: a religious or an aesthetic. If you are a meat-and-potatoes type of reader, meaning the kind of reader who prefers a "story," Joyce will not be your cup of tea. Lastly, Joyce's reputation perhaps does his works injustice. Yes, he is extremely encyclopedic and takes on many themes in his works. But perhaps too many readers get sidetracked from the aesthetic merits of his works by concentrating solely on the intellectual values. It is his prose which can be universally appreciated, whether you understand the ideas it portrays or not. His prose is his bread-and-butter. Some people pompously brag of their "getting" Joyce without actually appreciating what he does. I don't claim to be a bonafied Joyce scholar, but it is my experience that to enjoy Joyce is to appreciate "literature for literature's sake." If you enjoy literature, poetry or prose, than you should enjoy the style with which Joyce writes, that is to say, all styles. And he has seemingly mastered all styles. That is not to say that the many thematic levels in which his novels succeed are to be ignored, for their expression is not seperate from the means with which Joyce does it, but congruous with it.
To read Joyce is to revel in the limits of artistic creation and then to read on as the limits are then stretched further.
Bon Apetite!

Every March, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We wear green so no one will pinch us. In elementary schools, we read Irish folklore about leprechauns and shamrocks. When we grow up, we learn about the "troubles" and the centuries-long conflict between the Protestants and Catholics, but our knowledge of Ireland tends to stop there.
Perhaps the next best thing to kissing the Blarney Stone in order to have a taste of Ireland would be to read James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
In this work, largely through various vignettes, we observe the growth and development of the "artist" Stephen Dedalus. (He is not to be confused with Stephen Dedalus of Ulysses, but he may have been named after the Daedalus of Greek mythology.) We begin with his childhood, at the beginning of his formal education, and the portrait James Joyce provides fades when he is an adult.
Although the novel is relatively short, please do not suppose that it can be read quickly. Just like it would be foolish to endure a long wait in the Louvre and then glance at the small Mona Lisa for only a second and walk away, in order to appreciate this book, you will need to dedicate some time and thought.
A Portrait is rich in detail, creating vivid images that bring the pages to life. Be sure to notice the imagery. Artists often have dexterous hands, and hands are observed throughout the book. Other recurring symbols are roses, birds, and water. There are several contrasts--cold and hot, wet and dry, unpleasant and comfortable, and distressed and happy, among others. White, red, and green are important hues that regularly appear.
James Joyce is expert at "showing not telling." The masterful use of detail and imagery attest to Joyce's skill in writing. In this book, he also employs new techniques that are more developed in later works, innovations that set him apart in the evolution of modern English fiction. For example, in A Portrait, we find several examples of stream-of-consciousness narrative. Fortunately for the reader, it is not as difficult to follow as passages in other books that employ the technique more intensively. It also serves as another manner in which Joyce skillfully presents Dedalus's growth. The first part of the book is more random and hard to understand (like the thoughts of a young child) while the forms of expression change until the end of the novel, which is written as organized concise journal entries.
Perhaps A Portrait resembles a journal of the author himself to a certain extent. Both Joyce and Dedalus were Irish and educated at Jesuit schools. They later changed their perceptions of the Catholic church and also left Ireland. Furthermore, both the author and the protagonist faced financial problems and had impaired vision. They also had peers that admired their work as thoughtful and clever literary artists.
In addition to taking the time to look for imagery, brushing up on the history of Ireland may be helpful in order to more fully enjoy A Portrait. However, it may be enough just to know that Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) was an Irish nationalist leader that was popular until 1889, when the public learned of his adulterous affair with Katherine O'Shea.
Personally, when I read A Portrait, my enjoyment of the book declined somewhat after Chapter II, when Dedalus is a teenager and engages in immoral activity. Perhaps I lost some interest because I could not relate as well to the main character, or maybe it was because I did not like the different attitude of the "grown up" Dedalus. It also seems that the action slows down somewhat near the end.
However, upon finishing the book, we have a well-developed picture of the life of Stephen Dedalus (and possibly James Joyce, as was mentioned earlier). Thanks to the excellent imagery and thorough detail, we feel as if we had traveled to Ireland and even developed a relationship with Dedalus. As with carefully prepared portraits, in observing them, we notice subtle aspects of the subjects, the creators, our neighbors, and ourselves. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a four-leaf clover worth picking.

I have come back to this book every few years since my first encounter with it as a wild, aesthetic English Lit. undergraduate student, and I've never ceased to marvel at the absolute mastery Joyce holds over the written word. Grace Paley, a mid-20th century author once said that fiction writing was difficult for her generation because "Joyce had already used up all the words," and this was his first work where Joyce took literary impressionism to new heights. I gave up on Ulysses by the (in)famous "Circe" chapter, and I just don't have the chops to even bother with Finnegan's Wake, but this novel actually became more readable for me by the final chapter. Perhaps being a male Irish Catholic who first read this as an impressionable fledgling aesthetic makes this novel my favorite, but Joyce's ability to make a mundane event crackle with the metaphysical weight of a Kantian treatise is unparalleled. Many one-star reviewers here lament the lack of a "story" in this book, but the magic of Joyce is his ability to elevate everydayness to such heights, armed with such a command of language that he must invent new words increasingly as his literary career moves onward. You don't read Joyce expecting a rollicking Tom Wolfe yarn; Joyce is more like the experience of watching dew drip from a flower in utter silence become more mellifluous than the NY Philharmonic, more eventful than 9 AM on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The dinner fight between Stephen's father and Dante, the hell-fire sermon of Chapter 3, his concluding conversation with Cranly about his choice to choose an aesthetic life over the ascetic, monastic life; all of these very simple events are charged with life, and purpose. The effect of Joyce reminds me most of Faulkner, who could turn a rural Southern county where the most monumental real event was the sun rising every day into a complex commentary on the most sophisticated mysteries of the human condition. Never has literary realism been done better than in this book.

Another required reading back in high school. I don't know how I was able to get through this in high school as even now, I don't understand the Latin phrases,the Irish Catholic culture and language at the turn of the twentieth century. The closest author that I've read whose writing style is similar is Thomas Wolfe.

This was a queer story about a queer place. The smell of the place was queer. Things are queer when you smell them. That's queer. But not queer like the other queer thing. That was more queer. I often think about queer things. How queer.

I only read the first book in the edition "Portrait of an Artist as A Young Man". Some other reviewers took issue with the foot notes. I did not find them distracting. Yes, they are on practically every page but they are helpful. My issue with the book is that there is not much of a story being told in the book. Joyce's writing is dense and complicated. It is by no means a easy read. His prose is way too "intellectual" for want of a better term. The book seems to be one long philosophical discussion on Irish nationalism and religion. Midway through the book, I had to print out a detail summary off the Internet to better understand what I am reading. This book is considered a classic by the "critics" but it just does not standup to time very well. You really don't get a good feel for Ireland, culture, history, or geography back when Joyce wrote it in 1904ish from reading his book. Having said that, I do plan to read Ulysses at somepoint.

Sure its pretentious, frustrating, difficult, etc., but it is also such a rewarding read. Boring sections like chapter 3 with the church sermon set up excellent ones, such as the end of Chapter 4, with Stephen's epiphany, which I must say is the most beautiful, glorious thing I have ever read. the emotion and symbolism (such as Stephen Dedalus taking flight from society much like his Greek namesake Daedalus did from an island) is simply overwhelming. I had to read this for a college english class (as well as write an essay on it) but i still enjoyed it. the stream of conciousness style may be too difficult and odd for some but i found a nice break from other literature, which is more than i can say for the similar novel To the Lighthouse by Woolf (also extremely good stylistically, but much less interesting). brilliant, but not a good introduction to joyce for those still in high school or not used to reading challenging literature. I would recommend "The Dead" to try him out first.

While those who read simply to seek a defined storyline and ignore language usage may find this novel plodding and pointless, those who appreciate literature for its aesthetic value will no doubt treasure this novel as one of the greatest ever. Admittedly, the plot is certainly not well-defined when compared to that of other novels; Joyce didn't emphasize plot, he simply let the story flow naturally through the stream of consciousness technique which is displayed in "Portrait" in its infant stages. In this story, physical circumstances and crises play a supporting role to the mental ponderings and perceptions that accompany them, which throws many unexpecting readers for a loop. Frankly, this book is not for everyone (ever get the feeling Joyce wanted more people to hate his works than revere them?), however the use of language is superb: the "bird girl" scene contains the most beautiful prose that I have ever read. If you are at all interested in literature, this book will no doubt satisfy you, a must read!

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.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is one of the more complex books, from a reader's standpoint, in that it doesn't move along in a logical fashion. However, this shouldn't dissuade you from reading it. There is much to be learned in the semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce. It is the story of a young boy and his experiences growing up in Ireland. The age of the main character (Stephen Dedalus) at the beginning of the novel is not known. But it can be inferred that he is probably between 6-9 years old. The book continues with his life experiences, from his point of view, until he is in his late teen years. There is much to be learned about life in Ireland, the role of the church and politics in a boy's life, and the development of a young man as he grows up from this novel.
The literary techniques used in this novel are very interesting, no doubt ideas from an extremely talented writer, but it is these techniques that can leave a reader easily wondering what's going on. The language of the novel itself progresses with the maturity of the main character. The book begins with small snap-shots of young Stephen's life. The ideas put forth in the first few pages are ideas that you might expect from the mind of a young grade school child. Unfortunately these ideas are also as random as you might expect from a young child and it is sometimes hard to follow the plot. Thankfully as the novel progresses it becomes more structured in its presentation and is much easier to understand. In fact, at the end of the story, the novel is written as entries from a journal. Some of the images that Joyce uses throughout his novel are birds, water, hands, and the color white. It is interesting to look at how Stephen's perception of these different images changes as the novel progresses.
The issues of religion and politics play a large role in this novel. I am not very familiar with the politics or religious conflicts that existed in Ireland during the time period when this book was written. It would be helpful to be aware of these issues while reading this book, as they are very central to the plot. It was interesting even with a lack of knowledge to see a young boy's perception of the Catholic Church and also to see how his perception changed as the novel progressed.
Another interesting thing that I found while reading "Portrait" was how Stephen was constantly trying to find somewhere to fit in. He seemed to be an outcast throughout the book, finally at the end deciding to leave his country and religion behind. I didn't like the ending because it seemed to me that he was just running away from his problems. This seems to be a common problem today and I didn't like the fact that it was romanticized in "Portrait".
I was required to read this book as part of an English class and I can honestly say that it is a book that I would not have read otherwise. It had its good points and was definitely thought provoking but I don't feel that I would highly recommend it. One thing that might be helpful in reading this book would be to look at some commentary of the book before attempting to read it. That way, you could be familiar with what to look for rather than plodding along (as I did) for much of the book trying to figure out what's going on.

There's a reason why Stephen wasn't the main character in "Ulysses." While his hypersensitivity, acute intellectualism and quasi-pretentious ideas about the aesthetics of poetry and Shakespeare are attractive from a distance, his callow arrogance and sarcasm are ultimately off-putting. Leopold Bloom, for me, is the greatest character in 20th century literature because his age has brought him qualities that the post-adolescent Stephen can only ponder or mock: humility, inquisitiveness and a love for his wife that can withstand the challenges of Blazes Boylan.
I don't mean to disparage "A Portrait" by claiming its worth lies primarily in its position as a precursor to "Ulysses," but it really is dwarfed by that book and Joyce's masterpiece, "Finnegans Wake." Here, the prose experiments are clumsy and frustrating: take, for example, the romantic drivel about birds, dew and Eileen in chapters four and five; while Joyce might have intended this second-rate Yeats impersonation to demonstrate how Stephen's naivete is struggling with new ideas, it's fairly embarrassing nonetheless. The journal entries are kind of cool as a taste of what would soon come in "Ulysses," but they come off a bit dry.
I found Stephen much more likeable before his decision to repent in the third chapter. Before, he had to struggle with the conflict in his soul between the pleasures of the brothel and eternal damnation. This was also before he became stubbornly confident in his own self-righteousness, and I can believe that the feelings he describes are painfully real. Afterwards, he briefly becomes a priggish repentant, and then the climax of the novel comes when he throws off the yoke of the priesthood and embraces the sight of Eileen stroking the sea-water "hither and thither" (a delicious reminder of the much more appealing ALP in the "Wake").
Eileen is now kept in the distance as Stephen prattles endlessly about Aristotle and Aquinas, his precious individuality and his oncoming exile. His friends are intelligent but boorish and scornful. By the end of the novel, Stephen is ready to embark on his artistic journey, but I couldn't help noticing how cynical his final journal entries sounded.
Joyce is the master novelist of the past century, and even his mediocre work is woven with the threads that would continue in his two final novels. "A Portrait..." remains a fascinating though curiously empty tale of a young man growing detached from his senses and beliefs.

There are many editions of James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" available, but this is easily the best Kindle edition. The text is based on Chester Anderson's 1964 text. There are also a good number of annotations by Seamus Deane--fewer than in Anderson's Viking Critical edition but sometimes more detailed and aimed at a less scholarly audience. best of all, this edition is a very well constructed ebook, with a good table of contents to facilitate navigation to the beginning of chapters and with an excellent implementation of endnotes. Annotated items are marked witha superscripted number that links to the endnotes. The notes are all placed together, so you can read other notes rather than having to go back to the main text to go to other notes.

All in all, this is the best Kindle edition of Joyce's classic. The text is based on a standard version, the notes are helpful, and the implementation highlight the advantages of the Kindle format.

The first two chapters of this book are very good, but Joyce fumbles the ball irretrievably in the third chapter and the dreary effort results in a painful loss. The third chapter is a boring, over-wrought sermon; the fourth chapter brings more pontification, miserable soul searching, and hackneyed attacks on religion; and, the fifth chapter is garrulous and didactic---an excruciatingly dull and inartistic parade of platitudinous ideas, littered with a pretentious display of Latin. The characters are tiresome, the dialog is tedious, the reading is labored, and the rewards are few and minor.

As a high school senior, I have just started grappling with more difficult literature. Reading Portrait and Faulkner's As I Lay Dying provided a sound basis for more difficult works, like Morrison's Beloved. All of these works, with their use of the stream of consciousness so popular in modernist literature, powerfully express their authors ideas.
Also, this is probably one of the best works about teenage rebellion, ever.

For those people who like to understand the books that they read, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is not for you. The book is written in a unique style, where you follow along with what the main character is thinking. The book jumps around a lot, and you can be at dinner on one page, and in school on the next. The only things the reader sees is what the main character sees. The reader also is forced to go along with the tangents that Stephen makes, sometimes disorienting the reader with what is actually happening.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man offers a lot of good insight though, on the development of the mind through life. The reader can easily see how Stephen's outlook on the world changes as he grows. Though this provides an interesting point of view, it make it extremely difficult to keep track of what is happening, as mentioned above.

I myself, as it is hopefully obvious, did not like this book. Though the book offers up a few interesting points, it doesn't really make me feel attached to the main character. Also, the last chapter to me was really pointless. As I saw it, he mainly rambled on a bout a lot of random junk, and it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book. It was just a chapter on how he talked about pointless analysis of random things with his friends.

So, the main recommendation I would make is, read it, and just stop after chapter four. The rest is pointless.

Considering the fact that I had to read this novel as a part of a school class, I think that my whole approach to the work was different then what it would normally have been. This is because when I read for enjoyment in my free time it is not the same as when I know that I will have to be analyzing and writing about it later for a grade. Anyway, I still read that book and so I am going to give my review. First off, I am glad that I read the book when I did. Steven Dadelus talked about the time when he was in high school and then how he went to college for most of the book. This was great for me because I could relate to the book and some of the experiences that he was going through. A problem that I experienced was that James Joyce makes many allusions to the past in his work. Often times I could not understand or have sufficient knowledge of the allusions included in the book. This made comprehension harder but I am sure the notes provided in the back of the book would help. The difficulty that I had in understanding the book bothered me because I knew that I would have to engage in graded discussions and possibly have to write a paper based off the book. I am sure that if I had read this book on my own it would have been such a big deal if I did not get everything. Finally this book requires a higher level of reading and so I discourage anybody that is a junior in high school or younger to avoid the book until they become older.

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.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce is an autobiography novel about a Catholic boy named Stephen Dedalus going to college and his life. Stephen Dedalus goes to Clongowes Wood College in Ireland. At school, Wells is a bully who makes fun of Stephen and pushes him into a pool, so he got sick. Charles Parnell died in the novel. Father Dolan punishes Stephen by hitting his hand with a patty bat for making an excuse that he lost his glasses on purpose. Stephen was brave enough to complain to the rector saying that he shouldn't have been punished by Father Dolan. The rector said he would talk to Father Dolan and fix this situation. Stephen's classmates carried him up because he told the rector what happened and everyone thinks he's a hero.

One summer in Blackrock, Dublin, Stephen spends time with Uncle Charles and his father and they told him stories about their family history. Stephen's family has financial problems, so they moved to Dublin and Stephen transferred to Belvedere College. He begins to act in the play and plays the part of being a teacher. He receives a money award and treats his family to a nice dinner. He brought gifts to please his family and try to accept his family. Stephen has a crush on Emma by he never expresses his feelings toward her. Stephen expresses his feelings in a poem to Emma. He has his first sexual experience with a prostitute and then he feels sinful. He feels sinful that he couldn't confess to a priest about his sinful thoughts. He got accepted to the university and he feels happy because he made new friends and he felt free. Stephen confesses his sins to his friend Cranly and Cranly wants Stephen to interact more with his family about his problems. At the end, Stephen writes in his journal about his life.
The part that I liked is when Stephen went to the university because it was the part where he really started to mature and felt comfortable with his new friends. The bad part is when he felt sinful, he didn't confess to a priest at his school. The book was easy to read, but some words were difficult to understand. This book is about a boy going through life and obstacles to achieve his goals in writing, acting, and becoming an artist. I would recommend this to teenagers in high school and college students. If you're interested in this book and want to know more information about it, you should read this book.

Joyce enriches your literary space like nothing else... This edition is pretty handy and inexpensive, and has some nifty notes at the end to put you in context of a million little things that you might miss otherwise. Analysing the stature of this literary classic is probably an exercise in redundancy, so no attepts at that. So go ahead, pick it up and explore Joyce for yourself! Happy Reading..

Not a very auspicious beginning to what is now known as a modern literary classic. Even further, not quite the introduction to James Joyce I had hoped for. However, as I delved into A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, I realized just how revolutionary Joyce has been in the evolution of modern literature. The stream of consciousness format of his writing was something new to me -- I loved being able to feel Stephen's maturation and progression of thought. Another treat was the constant backdrop of conflict between various Irish sects. I always find myself fascinated by Irish history (perhaps because it is so very lively). The religious themes throughout the novel were fodder for some heavy thinking; being raised a Christian put Stephen's struggles into a different perspective for me. All in all, an amazing read. I'm starting Dubliners, and I can't wait for more of Joyce's poetic, eloquent work.

I have failed to understand the significance of Portrait, if it exists at all. If you don't like this book because you don't understand it, then that's OK, it is a book for distorted academicians. In other words, the author is elitist. Was Joyce so embued with self-sympathy that he decided to immortalize his life in the form of a book or what? The style of narration is egoistic: Mr. Joyce is so pumped up with innovation that he decides to startle the reader into admiration. And his motives are understandable: without the style, this book would be like sewage without a sewer.
Now the plot. What can I say? The plot concerns the life of a introvert by the name Stephen Dedalus. He is "different" for some reason, I guess because he shuns social contact, so he becomes an artist. Isn't that justified: you abandon yourself from society, and so you become a castaway, and to keep yourself from plunging into greater vagueness, you become an artist. Its almost as if Joyce himself is justifying his lifestyle. Anyway. Stephen has many mundane travels in such boring places as his quaint Catholic school, the disenchanting streets of Dublin, and the descriptionally absent countryside. I sometimes wonder what this book is truly about: the sexual maturation of a castaway, or an exploration into a unappreciably vague mind, or perhaps a egoistic narrative of social evils? The book's conclusion is equally vague: nothing happens, as I understand it. The process of vagueness probably ends in shaping a teenager into an "artist." He even invents his "artistic theory", which is an unexpected break from the otherwise mysterious thoughts that choke his mind. There is plenty of sex (the bad kind, one that arises from pandering and failure), but not much more. Nonetheless, people most likely read this book to find out how it became famous. My experience was otherwise...

I first read this book in high school and found it ponderous and prosaic. Now, ten years later, I've just read it again for an M.A. class on Joyce. What a difference ten years can make! Joyce's prose is stunning. It reads like a dream. The "epiphany" sequence at the end of Chapter Four is a tour-de-force of stunning visual imagery and emotion. One of the best books ever!

If you're considering purchasing this book, or if it's being forced upon you and you are having a difficult time, or if you are like me and want to read and actually understand writers like Joyce, purchase the SIGNET CLASSIC edition of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." There is an absolutely fantastic introduction by Hugh Kenner that is, IMHO, indispensable. You can get all the SparkNotes and whatever else you want, but Kenner's intro is very concise, to the point, extremely clear and better than anything else I've ever seen as far as beginning to understand this classic.

Plus it's less than 5 bucks!

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," is a testament to the potential power of prose. Supposedly semi-autobiographical, it displays the first instance of Joyce delving into the stream-of-consciousness technique in novel form, and though not as experimental as "Ulysses" or "Finnegan's Wake" it remains an essential for anyone who enjoys literature.

In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce succeeds in presenting to the reader his true feelings about art. Stephen Dedalus, the protagonist in the work, struggles against himself to find the true purpose of his life. Throughout the novel, Stephen encounters many hardships: prostitutes, heresy, gluttony, pride. In his struggle, Stephen decides his feelings about God, women, and family. Joyce describes Stephen's education throughout school and college; Stephen has many changes of heart throughout this semi-autobiographical novel, and, as Stephen's attitude changes, Joyce's writing style changes. Overall, A Portrait stands as a literary masterpiece and should be read before reading Joyce's greatest novel, Ulysses.

Scared at first, yes. I find reading can be fun and relaxing.. but I didn't quite experience either while reading this book. Not to mislead you, I don't think this book is bad. I can see how someone might really get into it, but I can also see how one might hate it.

Half way through the book, I caught myself wondering, am I past the first few pages? It just didn't seem like much was going on... at all. I would find myself reading a page and then stopping to wonder, "do I remember anything that I just read? Or is it that there wasn't anything TO remember?" Generally the answer would be no, but I went on anyways, the thought of re-reading the section I daydreamed through too much to handle. The stream of consciousness thing just didn't turn out to be *my* thing. I prefer to go off on mental tangents myself rather than have someone do it for me, although it was sometimes interesting to see where someone else might end up. However, I did enjoy some of Joyce's language and phrasing. I found myself unable to resist underlining sentences that were simply beautifully written. Also...some major issues in this book are Irish politics and religion. If you are involved or educated much in either, it will be a good help. If you find it hard to relate to either, you may end up in my position, either bored or confused.

In the end, it all comes down to what you like. This book is a challenge, can be rewarding if you succeed with it, but I found little joy in reading it.

My second Joyce, after Ulyssess some six months prior. This novel is a vastly more direct and comprehensible text, benefiting from a clarity of presentation that allows intense absorption in psychology. It's a highly effective novel on multiple levels, excelling at showing an unconventional proccess of transition into adulthood and through it a biting analysis of society, modernity, religion and art. It works to the way it shows the protagonist with deep intimacy and emotional acuteness, but yet refuses to grant him any easy outs or transcendence. His status as a future artist doesn't bring him enlightenment or greater intrinsic natural worth, and it doesn't free him from the nusances and challenges of the society he inhabits. It's a very intense account, never more so than when it engages with the protagonist's struggle with his religion, his sexuality and their intersection. There's an intricate and gorgeously vivid presentation of what the tenets of traditional Catholicism feel like to someone who believes in them yet doesn't live up to their moral code. His absorption with intellect as well as sex, and the tortured guilt he derives from the later, make for a perspective that is so convincing it's hard not to assume strong autobiographical motifs. It's a level of intimacy combined with quality of writing that often feel more real than reality, and that turn a very sophisticated eye on questions of faith, politics and the modern world. The debates on Irish nationalism are particularly intense, and are of a specific content that I feel the need for more historical conext before I can really situate the literary incorporation here. The novel gives a strong sense of the basic appeal and tensions inherent in the desire for an autonomous society, in that respect functioning very similarly to the whole spirituality/sensuality axis, generalized to a more collective level. It's indisputably potent stuff.

And yet the book in the end suffers by comparison with Ulysses, not having anywhere near that volume's power or raw, disorienting literary expertise. It's still a wonderful novel however, and points up the great things that can be done with well crafted writing.

Worse than: Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Better than: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

Although James Joyce uses superior methods of description, symbolism, and analogy in Portrait of an Artist, I found the content and overall story hard to follow, random, and disorganized, not to mention boring. I had few problems identifying and following the story of Stephen Dedalus as a young child, however, I became lost and confused as Stephen got older. There were few transitions to identify Stephen's age progression, and I found myself confused as to when, how, and why Stephen had grown up and ended up in the arms of a prostitute. My impression was still that of a gradeschool boy, and I did not fully comprehend how old Stephen actually was until his confession with the priest.
Perhaps my own upbringing has hindered my understanding and comprehension of Stephen's life. Never having been a member of the Catholic church, I found it hard to understand Stephen's background and beliefs, which has much emphasis within this story.
Overall, I would say the organization of this book is its downfall. Portrait was tedious, hard to follow, boring, and unrelatable. One of the greatest works within English literature? Sorry, but not in my "book."

I can't honestly say I enjoyed this work. While it was impeccably written and deeply philosophical, the style chosen to write it in was distracting and caused far too many pauses in reading. It did give me some inspirational insights to methods in which I can add elements of philosophy to my own writing, but overall led me to understand methods of writing that serve to distract and confuse readers. His overall purpose (of showing the evils of Irish Catholicism, and the necessity of embracing a Nietzschian way of life) seem lost on the reader that doesn't care to struggle through the overemphasized rhetoric. I'm glad I read it, but wouldn't do so again.

I'll be the first to admit it, I hated this book when I first read it. It was required reading for my high school AP English class, and the first time I read it, I couldn't understand how anyone could believe that it was "Literature with a capital 'L'"; however, after all was said and done, I began to think about the story, and how much of it could be applied to my own life. Knowing that if I was willing to think about a book in response to my own life I needed to give it a second chance, I went out and bought a copy. Sure enough, upon a second reading, the novel seemed all the more enjoyable to me. Granted, it's not the world's easiest read, but to anyone who is willing to look, you'll find a great deal of merit to this book.

I'm sorry but I don't get it. I realize that there is more going on in the book than I understood as I read it, but I don't want to take the time to find out what it was. This book had relatively few pages, but it took me an awfully long time to finish it, and I mean awful. The story is not very interesting. I've noticed that many reviewers are impressed with the form in which the story is expressed - and surely this is part of the reason why this book has endured - but I've always enjoyed substance over form, and the substance for me is the story. One can sometimes identify with the Dedalus, but in the end it's not enough; his story isn't very interesting. I'm sure that a more critical reading of the book would reveal more and make the book more enjoyable, but given the amount of time that one must invest just to read the book, and the small pleasure derived from that enterprise, one is discouraged from dedicating even more to more fully understand. Pass on this book unless you're really willing to delve into it or try some lighter fare . . . like Moby Dick.

When I first tried to read James Joyce many years ago I found him difficult (and I don't think I was alone in this!). I was almost ready to give up on Joyce when a friend recommended "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," a sort of fictional autobiography, which I found not only readable but fascinating. Great to have such a well illustrated and formatted Kindle edition to re-read this classic.

There is nothing special about this book. The language might be beautiful but it is not extraordinary. The plot is linear and lacks complexity. While I was reading the book it seemed like the writer was writting for himself and not for the readers. If a reader likes to feel as if he is ignored and disrepected, then maybe he would appreciate the book. As for everyone else, I would recommend "Black Boy" from Richard Wright, which is a book far better than "A portrait ...", for its rich and intriguing plot and ideas portraited with a sense of care for the reader. James Joyce fails to convey his ideas with "tenderness", his artistic sense builds arrogance, rather than "a portrait". " Most defintely, this book is not one of the best 20th century's books. Willam Faulkner does a far better job in character and plot development.

After having greatly enjoyed the Dubliners - a series of perceptive and beautifully written short stories about ordinary people - I looked forward to delving far deeper in Joyce. When at last I cracked the cover of this book, I was sorely disappointed at the unbearable pretention and lack of plot in this novel.
Stephen Daedalus is a callow snob, whose concerns are so otherworldly and obscure that they feed directly into the most ridiculously romantic and shallow stereotypes about artists as unusual gods. It is simply a monument to a young's man's egotism and unerring sense of his own destiny. There is little to learn from all the strange things he obsesses about, his experiences rarely ring true, and there is nothing notable about the writing.
This novel is probably coveted in undergraduate lit classes because most of the readers are untested adolescents, who feel they can conquer the world so easily. Alas, as an adult it is just boring.

Stephen Dedalus grows up in Ireland in the late 1800s and attends school. He wavers between living a priestly life with all its values and restrictions, and turning his back on the priesthood. As a teenager he is troubled by the subject of sex, particularly as it relates to the concept of sin. He takes religion very seriously.
I don't see why this book would ever be considered great. It is mildly annoying.

"I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race."

The whole book is filled with stuff like this: at first glance full of depth and meaning, and at closer look fancy jibberish. Academia has praised this book for a number of reasons, most notably its innovative stream of conciousness style. Critics and high school lit teachers alike seem to agree that James Joyce is pretty great, and this is one of his crowning achievements. Honestly, I'm not sure I see it the same way. The book doesn't exist on its own plane of unqualified excellence as I had been led to believe. Many of the characters, although based on real life counterparts, lack depth and development. A lot of this has to do with the entire book being presented from the main character's point of view, so we are not allowed to see any other perspectives of the events that unfold in the novel. A lot of the action doesn't really seem to add to the overall story, either. It does not appear that the main character grows from any of the situations or that they have much of an effect on later developments.

Despite all of this, I still enjoyed the book, as should be evident by the 4 star rating above. I liked the book because of the first point I made about specious depth in the writing. The book is written in its own highly esoteric language that I really got a kick out of. That line I quoted earlier may not really mean anything on its own, but it just sounds so damn pretty, how can I resist it? This book is certainly not for everybody, and it takes soem getting used to for the first hundred pages or so. But once you realize the plot doesn't matter a great deal, you can relax and be swept away by the language as only Joyce can command/subvert it.

The writing is most definitely the work of a gifted scribe. The use of language and descriptives is amazing. Unfortunately, large passages of the book are devoted to somewhat demonizing Catholic sermons that make a point, but a long winded one. The two most interesting discussions - What is art? and Do you believe in god/religion? - occur only near the very end of the book.

I really enjoyed this -- the writing is lucid and accessible. His ability to evoke emotion and put one 'in his shoes' shows his talent and ability to translate it to his readers. Too bad he later careened into the world of the absurd....

After having just finished reading Ulysses (and loving it) I decided it would be rewarding if I read 'A Portrait' next in order to delve further into Stephen Dedalus' character. (Moreover, I had also just finished reading Ellmann's famous biography of Joyce and felt inspired to read Joyce's own semi-autobiography). Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed with the dry, tedious narrative tone that Joyce adopted in writing his novel, especially within the overdrawn third chapter in which we learn the terrors of hell and damnation. Yes, I know the sermon sequence had great significance in Stephen's development from the primordial muck of biological existence to the more rarefied air of the soul, of human conscience and (above all) of the powers of artistic creativity. Nevertheless I found my thoughts wandering elsewhere when I was reading this book and many times I had to re-read whole pages because I had realized I was just reading the words without absorbing their content. While Ulysses drew me immediately into the consciousness of Bloom and Dedalus, 'A Portrait' was bland, cold and uninviting. I felt by the end of "A Portrait" that I was solely reading the book because it was Joyce and because it was deemed a classic. Perhaps I ruined A Portrait by reading Joyce's masterpiece first. Even if Ulysses can seem (at times) even more glacially abstract and opaque to the reader than A Portrait, Ulysses at least challenges you in such a way that you want to understand more about the text (its various allusions, its satire, its narrative experimentation, ect). I do not feel compelled to read A Portrait again, in fact (in the process of writing this review) I now feel compelled to re-read Ulysses and perhaps even Finnegan's Wake.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce is a story about a young boy named Stephen Dedalus, who wants, desperately, to fit in with his peers and to fulfill what he believes his destiny is. Stephen come from a very religious school and is emotionally young in the beginning of this story. However, as time goes by, Stephen struggles with many forms of sin as a way of coping with depressed feelings from being an outcast as well as from family troubles.

This book is unique because the genre is similar to an autobiography. Everything the reader learns about Stephen is through his own thoughts. Fro example, "The ambition which he felt astir at times in the darkness of his sought no outlet." (Ch.1, p.74) In this quote, Stephen shares how he feels at that particular moment in time. Majority of this story is Stephens's critical thinking and decision-making.

For that reason, this book was not often a page-turner for me. Nevertheless, when it was a page-turner, Joyce often foreshadows the events to come, such as, "For some time he had felt the slight changes in his house; and these changes in what he deemed unchangeable were so many slight shocks to his boyish perception of the world." (Ch.1, p.74) In this quote, Joyce foreshadows changes in Stephen's life that will force him form his easy life of boyhood to the hardships of an adolescent who is soon to become an adult.

Another prominent example of foreshadow is, "He had heard about him the constant voices of his father and masters, urging him to be a gentleman above all things and urging him to be a good catholic above all things. These voices had now come to be hollow sounding in his ears." (Ch.2, p. 92) This immediately made me wary because Stephen is basically saying that his conscience had begun losing its influence on him. It foreshadows his fall into sin.

Overall, I would rate this novel a 3 out of 5 stars. For hardcore literary buffs, this book is perfect. It is full of symbols and character conflicts. If you are someone who loves to delve beneath the superficial plot line and into character or allusion analysis, then this is the book for you. But if you are looking for an easy read with exciting events and dialogue, as I prefer, than I would not recommend this book. For me the style of writing was difficult to follow because it is written in a stream-of-consciousness format, which sometimes jumps from topic to topic with very subtle segues. The conflicts of Stephen's life were also difficult for me to relate to because I have experience very little family dramas or great sins. But if that does not sound like you, go for it!! Hope this was helpful!!

My new favorite book, a book which takes the time and language of poetry and crafts a narrative, in this case a life. What beautiful vignettes, tethered together by a sensitive soul feeling it's way through the cool streets as if blind. Aren't we all?

"Portrait of the Artist" is almost a prototype of Joyce's later "Ulysses." It also shows the origins of what is wrong with Joyce's style. As with "Ulysses," the writing is rambling and the style is constantly changing. The beginning chapters are written in fairly efficient prose, but as the story progresses it becomes harder and harder to read. At least it avoids the shifting narrative voice of "Ulysses." Some of the plot doesn't hold up. The Dedalus family keeps moving into worse and still worse neighborhoods. Who would really do that? The book is also a real downer, dealing as it does with death and alienation.

James Joyce is one of the very few writers (John Steinbeck is another) who realizes what can be accomplished with the act of writing and achieves it. Certainly, some people may be lacking interest in this book, but the reason it is such a classic is because it pulls off things most books never even try to do. The simplest of events are described exactly as Joyce sees them, and he does not try to make them "interesting" or "exciting". He sees things for what they are and presents them without total honesty. Reading "Portrait" is like reading a picture, with every detail brought to light. Those who find it boring should not blame their blindess on what they cannot see.

The temptation is too great; I cannot resist this opportunity to denigrate the worst novel I’ve read--very nearly completed. For me, this was not quite a Literature class force-feed novels, albeit close to one. I *thought* that it was to be required reading for AP British Lit, and being the atypical student that I am, likes to get a head start on things. . .
James Joyce in general and this quasi-autobiographical novel in particular are horribly overrated. If you prefer novels that have at least a verisimilitude of plot, do not read Portrait. It is nothing more than stream-of-consciousness ramblings that go on and on to nowhere--or at least to nowhere that makes the reader the least bit desirous to read further. I suppose that the intent of this literary atrocity--er...technique--is to elucidate the psyche of Stephen Dedalus, but it even fails to do this well. (Returning to the topic of British Lit force-feed material, the last novel I read for that class, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, maintains a story-line AND limns three characters more fully than Portrait characterizes its one protagonist. I present this example only to suggest Joyce’s relative ineptitude and to substantiate my capability to indeed connect to literature, even outside of my preferred genre--just not in the case of Portrait.) If any analects able to evoke a response from the reader can be extracted from the utter blandness, they are found in the fire-and-brimstone preaching which comprises page after page after--hey, Dedalus and Joyce’s childhoods may have contained much more than mine, but they’re still not enough to fill a novel!
I think that I found a solecism in one of the Latin quotations, but I do not remember what it was.
If you’re one of those psychopaths who find all interior-monologue insightful, read Portrait. If you like your novels pointless and plotless, read Portrait. If you need a soporific, read Portrait. Otherwise, no.
I am fortunate that this did not turn out to be required reading, for writing an analytical essay on such an insipid novel would be even more torturous than reading it; in fact, it would be a lot worse than the one the aforementioned sermon luridly explains.

Joyce's classic semiautobiographical saga of Steven Dedalus and the inner turmoil he must triumph over en route to becoming an Artist is perhaps the most widely read of his novels. Containing some of the most empyrean prose ever engrossed (particularly the famous "bird girl" scene at the end of the fourth of the book's five parts), it is however perhaps a bit too divergent to be approbated by the scores of high school and college students assigned to read it. An exemplary example of a book that can really only be appreciated by literary buffs, this novel planted the seed for the century's greatest work of literature.

"Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down the road." Such an engaging beginning! Such a crushingly dull book!
James Joyce was something of a philosopher who chose to crouch his thoughts in novel form. As such, this book is more or less a long series of ongoing inner monologues (and occasionally dialogues) on life, the Church, family, and a few other topics. Plot is nonexistant, or in those rare cases where it peeks through it's brushed aside and covered by long discussions on religion, or dad, or (yawn). I could find no incentive to keep reading, except to claim that I'd finished it so I could truly lambast it with authority.
From time to time you'll meet madmen who claim to really like Joyce and his prose style. They're either lying or insane.
By the end of the novel I was gasping for breath and praying for it to end. I don't know how I dragged myself through it. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is one of those books that some people are forced to read by sadistic teachers; everyone else should avoid it, unless they have a serious masochism streak and a penchant for dry, dry literature.

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" relates the mental growth and spiritual awakening of Stephen Dedalus, Joyce's alter-ego. Very little actually happens in this book. It is almost completely an introspective look atthe changes that occur in Dedalus as he grows from an innocent, somewhat oblivious boy, to the psychologically and philosophically restless young man all too aware of the forces that buffet the Ireland of his day. It is a remarkable work that should not be missed by the serious reader.

A portrait of the artist.. is predominantly an auto-biographical tale of Joyce's own artistic development and sensibilities. The very poor reviews this book has received recently, are quite awful, and unsubstantiated. To say Joyce is unreadable, untenable, and desultory, is to miss the entire 20th century and modernistic importance of Joyce. The previous reviewer criticised Ulysses' change of narrative: isn't that one of the great things about the book, the revolutionary technique, and multiple viewpoint?

I was thoroughly dissapointed with this book. The only reason I read it was because it was required for my AP English class. From its sorted beginning, I knew I was in for one confusing time. Yes, I must admit that it did get better, but not nearly as much as some would like to think. The plot was unclear, and his "journey" through life is easily dubbed a bore. Stephen Dedalus is on a quest of sorts -- he is growing up, discovering who he is. With that comes adventures. But Joyce never elaborates on the ones that are the most dynamic, and continues on to drone about everything in the same monotone style. Mind you, it's all stream of consciousnes, which makes it even harder to digest. I DO NOT reccomend this book to ANYONE. The only reason I give it two stars instead of one is because I want to give him credit for fooling everyone into thinking this book has any literary merit.

This is the 1st book I reviewed after buying at least 80. I bought this book about a year ago but only read a chapter and got board with the language usage. After reading more and pulling it off the shelf the other day I loved it and was glad I didn't give up on it.

I will re-read this novel at some point more slowly.
The prose was beautiful but if that is all I look for in literature, I would read the poetry of Burns or Shelley.
A novel should tell an interesting story and this does not. The undercurrent themes of the conflict between the Church and the stuggles of the Irish people are interesting as are the conflict that a young man fels as he begins to question the tenets of the Church and family.

When I read Joyce's "The Dead" as a senior in high school, it took watching the movie and several class hours of discussion before I was finally able to see meaning in the novel. Now, having read "A Portrait of the Artist," I am convinced that not only is Joyce's style unique, to say the least he is a veritable cubist of contemporary literature.
"Portrait of the Artist" chronicles the coming of age of Stephen Dedalus, a young man in turn-of-the-century Ireland. Joyce opens the book with Stephen as a small child, writing in language befitting of one little older than a toddler. The language matures as Stephen does, however, and soon Joyce has the reader jumping from interesting descriptions of girls on beaches to cataclysmically boring (and LONG!) soliloquies of Stephen's philosophical, emotional, and physical wanderings. Amid tyrannical priests, playground bullies, apathetic parents, and the occasional friend, Stephen is forced to grow up with almost no guidance or example. The progression of Stephen and the novel is eclectic. At times Joyce tosses out sudden bursts of simplicity, signified by a hidden smattering of pivotal epiphanies that ultimately lead up to the climax/close of the book and Stephen's decision to shrug off the limitations of men and become an artist. At others, the only logical thought that follows an idea is ". . .what?" It seems as though Joyce is deliberately trying to confuse the reader, so that they can get an idea of the phases Stephen is going through. An effective, but very frustrating, tool to draw the reader into the plot.
Joyce's style of writing, depending on the reader's frame of mind (or state thereof), can be extremely thought provoking, or just provoking. Joyce expresses Stephen not physically, but rather the reader grows to know him through his thoughts and sometimes, his surroundings. This indirect approach to a very complex individual through abstract description and seemingly meaningless mental tangents is tedious and often frustrating--it seems as though, rather than bring Stephen to the reader, Joyce is dragging the reader to Stephen through a quagmire of politics, philosophy, sex, art, and religion. It is left up to the readers to decide which elements will clarify Stephen's direction for them(and hence the direction of the book),and which will only muddy the waters further.
I feel safe in labeling James Joyce the Picasso of twentieth century literature. "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is one of the strangest and most thought-provoking books I have ever read. The disjointed sentence structure and abstract methods of description he employs are a great detriment to any initial enjoyment of the work. It takes too long to stop after every paragraph and decipher what Joyce is conveying to really like reading it the first time. A second and even third reading is advisable to truly understand the proverbial 'moral of the story.' Some feel that Joyce is the Einstein of the literary world, and he certainly deserves the distinction of being a revolutionary. Whether or not revolution is genius, however, is left to the discretion of his future readers.

Jmaes Joyce takes us on Stephen Daedalus' interior journey from pre-teen as son of a country gentleman to young adult who wanders the streets of Dublin, struggling with sin, salvation, intellect, ambivalence about his homeland, and his father's decline. It is not a linear path, but then whose is? The story is not so much about the artist as a young man, but about a young man's journey to artistic sensibility, its pretensions and exhilirations.

Jaklak sez check it out.

Portrait...defines a new turn in the century of fiction writing. From the cold, heartless times of Ireland, here is a tale of growing up that offers a critical insight into the heart of an eight year old.
Joyce's style is inimical,imperfect yet charming. he paints the human world of emotional bonding in the most natural way on a child hearted canvas.
A great contrast from Ulysees, Portrait...is definitely a read that would make you sit up and wonder about the simplest of life's truths

We are introduced to the character Stephen as a young boy as he grows to manhood. Stephen is sometimes strange, smart, brave and shy. Emphasis on the strange most of the time.

This is a book I almost wish I had read it for a class so there would be a discussion and I would understand it better.

I am not sure how Joyce considers this young man an artist because he is inches away from becoming a priest. Unless this is suppose to be Joyce's story. The first chapter is gibberish to me and I almost didn't go past it. But I did and it got better. Although as soon as it got better and I understood what Stephen was talking about he would on OCD rant about pretty much on anything like hell, authors, philosophy ...

I know a lot of people dislike this book and sadly I am one of them.

No matter how many times I read Portrait, it always fascinates me. Joyce's allusive and symbolic writing gives us a wonderful sense of the world according to Stephen Dedalus, changing as he changes. Good notes or a Joyce fan are a must for a first read-through to avoid getting "stuck" in the stream of Stephen's thoughts as others have, but the book rewards time and attention well, revealing its complex structure and Joyce's own complex conception of the world. A must-read.

if action is not your boat then you will probably enjoy this book. it chronicles the events of a young man's, stephen dedalus, youth and adolescent years. joyce depicts the struggle between Irish nationalism and religion beautifully, all while keeping pace with stephen's journey from the strict jesuit Clongowes to the less sheltered Belvedere to trinity university. don't expect to feel the same about Ireland's struggles after finishing this book.

One of the best things about finishing my formal education is that no one can ever force me to read James Joyce again! I didn't get it, I'll never get it, and I don't want to get it. I had nightmares for weeks after reading the "hell" passage. It ranks at or near the top of my list of "Worst Books I Ever Read" and it's likely to stay there no matter what I read. Joyce fans tell me that it is essential to read his works with the aid of another book, such as ReJoyce, to explain Joyce's, and it continues to astonish me that otherwise highly intelligent people think that this proves the quality of the work. Other writers don't get published, unless by a vanity press, if their work can't be understood by reasonably intelligent people. Joyce is supposed to be brilliant? I think he was nuts. More power to those who like him, but if you are thinking you should read this because it's supposed to be a classic, you might want to rethink that. At least check it out of the library instead of spending money on it.

Wow! Do people actually read this disjointed stuff for pleasure? That being said, I do give this book a middle-of-the-road 3 star recommendation because it does have its uses. I keep a copy by my bedside at all times. If I'm ever suffering from insomnia, I simply pick up this book and start reading because it's guaranteed to have me sawing logs in less than five minutes.

any reader who intends to be well equipped to approach the most challenging literature (i.e. Ulysses, Faulkner) must read Portrait. Its value as an engaging narrative won't be fully appreciated upon an initial reading, but it is a book worth several readings, and it will yield a reward equally rich in its depth as it is enjoyable.

I thought that A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was a very interesting book. James Joyce was not only able to capture the political turmoil in Ireland at the time of his youth, but also the the alienation that every man with radical ideas went through.
The people living in his time were only open to widely acceped ideas, whether they be political or religious.
Joyce should also be commended of his amazing writing style. None have yet surpassed him.

I'd have to agree with the review below me. This is a tough book to get into, but more than worth it once you do. Joyce is well known for developing stream of consciousness, and this book is remarkable in that aspect. After reading this book, it is no surprise to see that Joyce is recognized as the literary giant that he is.

I read Joyce's short classic more than a year ago, and while I cannot remember much of the details of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the tale continues to haunt me. Without benefit of an excellent memory I can only say that this is a story about light and darkness, one that does not shy away from delving into the complexities of the human struggle, unafraid to throw daggers into the hearts of those among us who desire to truly feel and understand. Religious piety vs. secular liberty may be the story's main theme, but it is a conflict representative of the most universal of struggles --the struggle that is existence in a world where light and dark bleed into each other, where joy and sorrow are so often the same, where it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between you and I.

If you're here, you're here because you're looking for the cheapest edition of this book, which means one of two things:

1. You're reading it for a class, or

2. You want to read it for leisure and you're looking for the cheapest edition.

Either way, you probably have some idea of what this book is about. I have only read Dubliners, and will be commenting primarily on that. As one of James Joyce's earliest novels, it is a series of short stories, chronicling life in Dublin.

As a book, it's worth a read. It alternates between dull and interesting, with "The Little Cloud" and "The Dead" (the latter of which is universally renowned as the masterpiece of the work) shine above the rest. If you're a fan of realism, spontaneous prose, or Joyce, then it's for you. It's also good if you've never read Joyce and are looking for a "value pack."

My biggest complaint with this edition is the notes. Many things are footnoted, usually to define a term. Most of these terms don't need definitions, and the sheer quantity of them is distracting. This was the major setback of the edition.

If you want to read Joyce, I'd suggest a more expensive edition with better notes, unless you want a copy that is absurdly cheap. If so, this is for you.

I think Nora Joyce said it best when she asked "Why don't you write books people can read?"
This book is undoubtably a well written work containing a great deal of symbolism and what not on "important" subjects. It is also the type of book that people point to when you ask them why they don't read the classics, prefering to read lighter works or not at all. They find it dense, obtuse, and a chore.
After having to plow through this work for an AP English class, I find it hard to blame them. The "story" is written in the stream of consiousness style, which seems to mean that author feels free to jump from one subject to another, with no concern as to whether it makes any sense what-so-ever to the reader. After finishing the book, I'm not even sure it was ever intended to be read, so much as to have been written.
If you looking for a good book, give this "great" work a pass.
And a note to any students reading this, if your teacher has you look for the "shocking" word in part 3 (or 4, I forget) its "feotus."

This book is a must read for the following people:

The Irish, Catholics, anyone who likes a good bildungsroman, Agnostics, Poets, Writers, Modernism Enthusiasts, Artists, people who love aesthetic theory, and Hipsters.

If you do not fall into any of the above categories, then you probably haven't heard of this book and therefore would not be looking at this review.

I had high hopes for this book since I feel like a young artists surrounded by bland conformity, but I was wrong.This book was torture to read.Only Nanthaniel Hawthorne is more boring.
I don't particularly care to read 5 or more long pages about how much God loves him.Great!Thats beautiful!God loves you!Do you have to elaborate until you get repititious.Joyce does this more times in this book.He speaks of something for pages long, but fails to offer anything new after the first page.Just writing with fantastic vocabulary and repitition.
Very little in this book has any real wisdom.Sure Joyce has miracolous desciptions of quasi-psychotic visions and I believe that is all he's got.Two-thirds of this book are a waste of ink and the other third that has substance isn't impressive.I'm glad I finished it so I can move on.

This book is a paperback labeled "SoHo books" and says it was printed in the United States of America. The cover appears just as the picture in this the store product listing.

It reads like somebody took a book, scanned it, and ran it through a bad OCR conversion. I can't tell what are conventions of the author and what are errors. For dozens of pages I wondered if perhaps James Joyce was typographically clever like Samuel Clemens. Not so. I think an illiterate Huck Finn took a stab at book publishing.

A knock-off in manufacturing is made my taking an impression of the original item, then creating your own mold. The copy is never as good as the original, and in many cases lacks any subtlety in its counterfeit nature. What are the standards for a book? Of course, you aren't setting galleys anew from the original author's manuscript.

But as a publisher, don't you have the smallest responsibility to hire an editor? Or at least a cheap hack to ensure that the contraction of "I" and "will" turns out as "I'll"...not as big-I, accent grave, numeral one, small-L? Clearly it's a cheap scanner with OCR on auto-pilot. Zero human intervention.

I'm less than 50 pages into it, and I have to stop. To call this a "classic" then butcher the typesetting is just pure laziness and greed. I can't understand how so many people rated this so highly. How can you read it? I'm forced to a snail's pace, weighing slang versus spelling. I hate re-reading. Ihate guessing atwhether it's intentional or accident@1.

After seeing "The Great Gatsby," "The Sun Also Rises," and "The Sound and the Fury" all rated at four stars out of five, I have come to understand that this is not a forum for considered and intelligent discussion of works. I had hoped that young people who liked to read could use this as a reasource for continuing studies outside of class. Selah, no one who relies on these comments will ever graduate as an English Major from any decent College. In closing, two of the people who gave this book poor reviews are from Utah. That tells you something about the amount of thought going into it right there. "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is the reason they invented five stars folks. It's just a given among well read people. Much of art is subjective but works such as these I've listed above are a touchstone for all literary minded people, a measuring stick against which we can frame discussion. To fail to acknowledge this sadly reveals more about the reader than it could about the book.

I think "A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man" was one of the best books I've read. You start reading it and get addicted. If you haven't heard of James Joyce and are interested in his work, then I strongly reccomend this, but you must have an open mind. I read this when I was 13 and James Joyce now has become one of my favorite authors.

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.

Well it's a shame because that Jimmy Joyce he had a knack for phrasemaking - blarney they call it - and no one could ever accuse him of over-reliance on the playsafe deracinated obfuscations and tergiversations of disproportionately latinate diction, so I like the part about the cow ("moo": delightful!) and would prefer it to any possible talk of quadrupedal lactifers yessir. De gustibus non est disputandum, however, as the Romans said.

Speaking of which, because I was raised Lutheran, I didn't get all the Catholic stuff. I figured you people just went to confession and moved on. My people just sing loud, eat sausage, and grow fat, as unnameable torment and self-loathing eat away at our heartvalves: how would you like them apples huh?

All in all, I was glad this book was short and will now go on to Ulysses, as I enjoy things Greek, with reasonable exceptions, being of German extraction. Thank you.

Having written my review, I turn my back, aware of my misprision of lactifer, but comforted by my error's Latin heritage.

Unfortunately I was at a severe loss to begin to understand James Joyce's writings. I found the style of writing similar to Charles Dickens, but without the story that Dickens would spin. I'm sure there are some very sophisticated people who have read James Joyce and appreciate his works, to bad I can not be among them. I would think at the time he wrote this it must have broken some barrier's, but in today's world sounds just like another repressed Catholic. I do find reading about the Irish of the time interesting, I didn't realize the extent of the political upheaval. I found the sub notes to be distracting, but necessary.

i couldn't even get past chapter 3. it bored me explicably. young steven's thoughts jump back and forth no explanation given. Read portrait of an artist as a young dog by Dylan Thomas. quite a bit better in my opinion.

There were no extras in the Kindle edition, at all. I'm not cheap, and I'm willing to pay for a classic book in it's entirety. Unfortunately, the Kindle edition is not as described by reviewers of the book form, so I deleted it. It is a classic book that, as everyone knows, is highly complex and requires touchstones in order to maintain the thread of the story. This is not that version!

I read the book because it was listed as a great classic in English Literature. If this is a great classic, I am on the wrong planet. The main character, the artist as a young man, is insipid and disparaging to life itself. James Joyce emasculates the title of author and great classic. After reading the b ook, I threw it away. I do not recommend this book.

There is a basic problem with this kindle edition of the book: the book has extensive notes but there are no hyperlinks between the footnote numbers in the main text and the notes section at the end. Thus you either need to find the notes manually or you need to do without them. A bit of a disaster.

I haven't read "A portrait of the artist as a young man" yet. I'll have to get an edition from another publisher first. I received a Collector's Library edition and just sat slack-jawed for a couple of minutes. It's all of 6 1/4" by 3 7/8" with print I can barely read (20/20 vision). It looks utterly ridiculous in my bookcase with all the other "normal" books. I guess I should have paid closer attention to the product description.

First of all, this is not really a stream of consciousness novel. Ulysses is. This is a semi-autobiographical novel detailing the rather uninteresting youth of a turn of the century Irish boy. Perhaps if I had lived at that time this book would be more meaningful, but in 2010 there is nothing controversial about doubting the infallibility of the Catholic church or the existence of God. This question is one of the main themes of the book, as well as a sort of semi-existentialist quest for the boy to define himself as an artist or whatever. Well, the existentialist debate has been better offered by superior authors from Dostoevsky to Camus, and Joyce falls flat here. The other main subject which Joyce attempts to invoke is some of the political divisions in Ireland. He uses a few characters to try and personify the rivaling political factions of the nation at that time. However, this attempt is short-lived, and it also falls flat.
The one gimmick Joyce used which I found mildly interesting was the use of different language as the boy grows older. So the book starts off with some laughable dribble about a "moocow" and a "nicens little boy named baby tuckoo," and ends with Joyce trying to parody the "Hail Mary" (again, the played-out religious themes).
Did I mention how boring this book is? Nothing of interest happens. Terrible book. Avoid at all costs. Read Nabokov instead.

Same as The James Joyce Collection: Ulysses, Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Chamber Music, Exiles (Halcyon Classics) and one other. This is spamming!

I loved Dubliners -- truly profound. I loved Ulysses -- truly hilarious and interesting. But I hated this pompous boring garbage. Yes, I know all about Joyce's irony in dealing with himself. But that does not change the fact that Stephen D is a boring, pretentious loser. A huge disappointment. Don't read it. Burn it.

Actually I found this book quite dull and couldn't get past the second chapter but I'm giving it a five star rating because I'm scared to death of having complete strangers think me an unsophisticated reader.

I am on the verge of trashing the list of the top 100 novels that includes this novel of James Joyce's as No. 3. I can say that it was somewhat more readable than "Ulysses", but on a scale of boring to orgasmic, it is near to redefining the word boring.

With the few Latin phrases mixed in with otherwise anticlimactic text, I would recommend this book be placed next to the wood-burning stove to be used for starter on a cold day. I did obtain the oversize edition in large print, so I could also use it for a nice breadboard.

I read somewhere that readers should start with a book like this as opposed to simply jumping right in to Ulysses. Well, that may be true. This book was not difficult to read. But, it really wasn't that interesting. I found myself less willing to put forth the energy to get through Ulysses after reading this.