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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
This book is my first contact with Joyce, and I can't say I was displeased in the slightest by it.
James Joyce's style is so unique and full of references that almost every page has at least two references that need to be explained at the last pages of the book (at least in my edition of it).
It tells the story of Stephen Dedalus, beginning with his infancy and ending when he is a young man. Accordingly, the language of the book evolves, grows, and matures basically as the protagonist himself does so. The first chapter (from his first memories to when he was about 8 or ten of age) I didn't know what the hell was happening half of the time, because events follow each other with little to no indication of separation between them. Second chapter was better, and more accesible, and the third, fourth and fifth were better and better in this aspect. The fifth chapter was glorious, I really liked that it was implied that even though his goal was clear now, he needed to mature and experiment the ways of the world to become a true artist; I think that speaks a lot of that particular age, when you are 19 and you think you know stuff, and maybe you have some glimpses of some truths, but in reality there's still a lot that you don't know.
By the end I was recollecting my own febrile attempts at poetry and considering seriously to drop what I have in life and try to become an artist. Joyce really illustrates the doubts and the persona and the motivations of such people. It was great.
James Joyce's style is so unique and full of references that almost every page has at least two references that need to be explained at the last pages of the book (at least in my edition of it).
It tells the story of Stephen Dedalus, beginning with his infancy and ending when he is a young man. Accordingly, the language of the book evolves, grows, and matures basically as the protagonist himself does so. The first chapter (from his first memories to when he was about 8 or ten of age) I didn't know what the hell was happening half of the time, because events follow each other with little to no indication of separation between them. Second chapter was better, and more accesible, and the third, fourth and fifth were better and better in this aspect. The fifth chapter was glorious, I really liked that it was implied that even though his goal was clear now, he needed to mature and experiment the ways of the world to become a true artist; I think that speaks a lot of that particular age, when you are 19 and you think you know stuff, and maybe you have some glimpses of some truths, but in reality there's still a lot that you don't know.
By the end I was recollecting my own febrile attempts at poetry and considering seriously to drop what I have in life and try to become an artist. Joyce really illustrates the doubts and the persona and the motivations of such people. It was great.
I found this book to be DULL. It does have it's historical and religious merits though. It's about a Catholic teen in Ireland, end of the 18th century, who goes off to a boarding school. He fornicates with a prostitute and continues to do so for a bit while internally struggling with his religious values. This goes on for Several pages.
Stephen comes upon a sermon that triggers him to change his way and lead a pious life so much so that the headmaster asks him to become a priest whereby he realizes that he is an artist at heart. The story then takes him to college, where he further strengthens his beliefs that he has to tear away from social restrictions and become an artist.
The last couple of pages are rushed and read like journal entries which I'm sure there are comments on style for this book...it would have read better had it all been journal entries.
Stephen comes upon a sermon that triggers him to change his way and lead a pious life so much so that the headmaster asks him to become a priest whereby he realizes that he is an artist at heart. The story then takes him to college, where he further strengthens his beliefs that he has to tear away from social restrictions and become an artist.
The last couple of pages are rushed and read like journal entries which I'm sure there are comments on style for this book...it would have read better had it all been journal entries.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
internet made me think i wouldn't understand this book at all or get anything valuable from it because i wasn't studying it at university/reading 5 other books first which explain its background etc.
turns out they were wrong. it's like demian by hermann hesse but also wildly different. will probably buy my own copy and read again in the next few years
turns out they were wrong. it's like demian by hermann hesse but also wildly different. will probably buy my own copy and read again in the next few years
Can't say I fully grasped all of it, but I still liked it a great deal.
Read for Book Riot’s 2021 Read Harder challenge. I just don’t get what makes James Joyce a revered writer. This was a chore to finish - especially the long theological speech.
I'm not quite sure what to say. Everytime I wanted to pick up this book I had to force myself. However, as soon as I started reading it was not a chore. This book contains some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read. I think Joyce captured a young man's journey from childhood into adulthood with more truth than most writers. His seamless transitions from action to thought and back make you feel like you are Stephen, living and thinking those things. I don't feel like I took in even half of the content of this book. I'll definitely read it again after I've had a while (a couple of years, maybe) to process it.
Dense stuff. Chapters 2-3 were so good it nearly bumped this to 5 stars despite Stephen’s love of tedium in the latter parts.
medium-paced
i kind of trailed off with my understanding in the last two chapters, but loovveed the beginning soaur much.
Amazingly good. I love how it feels to read a great sentence, and this book is a best-ever fireworks display of beautiful sentences.
The story deeply affected me, in a way no other book has. I often had to pause while reading in order to process what the book would surface in my mind about my own life. I’m sure that has a lot to do with the fact that I’m a young man and I have a lot of Irish family heritage, but mostly it’s because Joyce presents Stephen and his world with total immersion for the reader. All of my senses, physical and emotional, were engaged while reading, and I felt transported somewhere else in a way that felt more natural than any other book I’ve picked up.
I’d recommend this book to anyone, and I think it lives up to, and surpasses, all of the praise I’ve seen about it.
Here’s more about how I read it and why it’s so special to me:
I started reading this book, from the beginning, four separate times before finally completing it on this fifth attempt. Every time, I enjoyed it very much, and I was very glad to start again. I kept restarting because in 2020 and 2021, I didn’t have the mental space to read consistently, and if I returned to this book after months away, it was difficult to find my place again. I almost never reread books, but this is one that I’m excited to read again soon.
Oh also, I read the “authoritative” edition from 1964, prepared by Chester G. Anderson and published by Viking Press. It definitely felt like the best edition you could ask for. The notes at the back were super helpful (I used two bookmarks) and I actually plan to read a lot of the backmatter - other works from Joyce, critical essays, and other commentary. Try to get this edition (it’s green in paperback) if you can. Mine was $8.50 :)
The story deeply affected me, in a way no other book has. I often had to pause while reading in order to process what the book would surface in my mind about my own life. I’m sure that has a lot to do with the fact that I’m a young man and I have a lot of Irish family heritage, but mostly it’s because Joyce presents Stephen and his world with total immersion for the reader. All of my senses, physical and emotional, were engaged while reading, and I felt transported somewhere else in a way that felt more natural than any other book I’ve picked up.
I’d recommend this book to anyone, and I think it lives up to, and surpasses, all of the praise I’ve seen about it.
Here’s more about how I read it and why it’s so special to me:
I started reading this book, from the beginning, four separate times before finally completing it on this fifth attempt. Every time, I enjoyed it very much, and I was very glad to start again. I kept restarting because in 2020 and 2021, I didn’t have the mental space to read consistently, and if I returned to this book after months away, it was difficult to find my place again. I almost never reread books, but this is one that I’m excited to read again soon.
Oh also, I read the “authoritative” edition from 1964, prepared by Chester G. Anderson and published by Viking Press. It definitely felt like the best edition you could ask for. The notes at the back were super helpful (I used two bookmarks) and I actually plan to read a lot of the backmatter - other works from Joyce, critical essays, and other commentary. Try to get this edition (it’s green in paperback) if you can. Mine was $8.50 :)