Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At its best: well-written poetry with a dense, rich culture bursting from the seams.
At its worst: A Dead Poet’s Society (as noted in another review) predecessor in how it depicts a group of students eagerly debating the meaning of life (or, rather, the definition of terms of life) using an encyclopedic knowledge of their classical education.
It’s impressive that Joyce can put all this together into a coherent novel. But I want to steal Stephen’s lunch money and force him to talk to a girl instead of blaming 500-year-old dead guys for his own awkwardness. It was hard to align myself with the contemporary reviews about rooting for Stephen. Maybe that was Joyce’s point: skewering himself. But it’s not surprising that Stephen says he’d be okay living without any friends. Who would be his friend after enduring a three-hour discussion about aestheticism?
At its worst: A Dead Poet’s Society (as noted in another review) predecessor in how it depicts a group of students eagerly debating the meaning of life (or, rather, the definition of terms of life) using an encyclopedic knowledge of their classical education.
It’s impressive that Joyce can put all this together into a coherent novel. But I want to steal Stephen’s lunch money and force him to talk to a girl instead of blaming 500-year-old dead guys for his own awkwardness. It was hard to align myself with the contemporary reviews about rooting for Stephen. Maybe that was Joyce’s point: skewering himself. But it’s not surprising that Stephen says he’d be okay living without any friends. Who would be his friend after enduring a three-hour discussion about aestheticism?
It started out really, really well. I liked the snapshot-ish feeling of it. But then it started getting into man's existential crises and shit, and meh. I lost interest.
one of the most perfectly crafted novels in the english language - the fact that joyce would go on to massively surpass this twice is nothing short of an incredible feat that should cement him in the highest echelons of literature. both a brilliant, ironic yet deeply empathetic bildungsroman of a flailing artist yearning for solipsistic ideals of greatness and sublimity and a penetrating examination of the ontology of literature, and its situation between the intellect and experience. as much as i adore ulysses, i'm actually quite glad joyce wrote such an easily and compulsively rereadable novel - i've read this five times now, the most recent being for my term final, and navigating the embryonic circularity of stephen's burgeoning consciousness is a joy every time. stephen dedalus is a tragic protagonist aristotle would be proud of - a formidable intellect that ultimately is its own undoing, though joyce's prose is so seductive and well crafted that we as readers never partake in the catharsis of his downfall. this is the novel as hylomorphism, the foremost ideal of the modernist text - and it is crafted with impeccable seamlessness.
I read Ulysses years ago, but never got through this one, so I thought I should give this one another go. I liked the writing, and the description of the memories. I found Stephen as he grew up to be rather pretentious, though I think that was supposed to be the case.
I do want to reread Ulysses soon, so I'm glad I read this to get the back story on Stephen.
I do want to reread Ulysses soon, so I'm glad I read this to get the back story on Stephen.
I appreciate it, but it's not my style, so three stars.
i was to have read this as a freshman in college. i didn't get far into it before abandoning it. i had more success this time around. there was lots to admire about it, especially the writing. but still, while i'm glad i got through it, i wouldn't wish it upon me ever again.
I tried... I really did. But someday I will have to attempt to reread this and make some sort of sense out of it.
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes