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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
This novel is lyrical, the prose a mixture of the fascinating and the bluntly mundane. The text gets more complex as the character grows older - reflecting his own growth. The prose is quite beautiful at times.
This is a wonderful novel, even though I felt Stephen Dedalus was egotistical - whilst the author was trying for detached/aloof outsider. The ending was perfection.
Highly recommended
This is a wonderful novel, even though I felt Stephen Dedalus was egotistical - whilst the author was trying for detached/aloof outsider. The ending was perfection.
Highly recommended
Well this book was a ride. It is one of the few classics that I’ve truly enjoyed reading so far. I did have some issues with it though. First of all, it IS a classic and classics require more time so you can try to begin to understand them. The language is difficult, because it is a classic and because it uses both Latin phrases and some modified Irish words. That made it more difficult to read fluently. Also, the notes at the ending of this centennial edition are both a blessing and a pain in my ass. I loved getting extra information and explanations on phrases or characters but when the note was just to specify a location I wanted to close the book and do something else. The thing is, it is time-consuming to go back and forth in a book. To do so to see a note that says “next to the river Liffey” or things like that stressed me out, I don’t know Dublin enough for those notes to mean anything to me; also, some notes just said “see above”, which was just as useless. So back to the language, it got easier with each passing page, but Joyce also rambled about topics I didn’t understand fully; this made the experience more convoluted. To make things more difficult the pacing was odd. Some chapters were extremely descriptive while others were dry. The next thing that made this difficult was the style. Following stream-of-consciousness is difficult as hell; if I don’t even know how I make connections why would I know what made Stephen go from one thought to another? Putting those setbacks aside, I really enjoyed this book. Specially because I don’t usually read classics and when I do I have a hard time doing so. This is another story about growing up. But it is so much more complex than any other I have read. Honestly, you must know and/or research a lot about Ireland’s history to fully understand the complex society that was Dublin in the early 20th century. Politics and religion have such a big influence on both history and this particular novel. Yes, it was Stephen’s story; but I learned so much about Ireland too. I liked that about the book. It is also said to be semi-autobiographical. James Joyce used some aspects of his life to shape Stephen Dedalus. The story was great, I love the things Stephen went through and how he dealt with them. I think this story is easy to empathize with; anyone who has the soul of an artist can relate to the struggles that Stephen goes through. I rather not spoil the plot itself, as I believe it can resonate differently with each reader. The characters changed almost each chapter, it was difficult to get attached to them. I can say that I like how MacCann was a feminist and wanted universal peace. But Stephen is undoubtedly the only character I got to know more deeply. He is so intelligent, witty, passionate, his only real pursuit ends up being beauty. But he’s lonely too. He’s like most artists out there. Those are some of the traits I like about him most; and, like the plot, it is a character that has to be discovered by each reader. As the story, my thoughts about it are a convoluted mess but I can say with certainty that I recommend it to anyone who had a difficult time growing up and wants to discover his/herself.
4.5/5
4.5/5
Another book read where I am completely in the middle for how I feel. Joyce has truly some of the most beautiful prose I have come to read - and extremely modern for when it was written in 1916. I really loved the discussions and conflicts the main character Steven had. I think the examination of Steven moving from religion into artistry was an interesting look. That being said however, I found the entire bildungsroman to be a little tedious to read. There are pages and pages of religious sermon and while, yes, it shaped our main character (and probably a younger Joyce) it was very difficult to get through. There were many moments where I questioned what the point of them were in regards to the overall narrative. I did not find myself really caring about Steven's growth and I think that was the main downfall of the novel. When you don't particularly care for the main aspect of the bildungsroman, the entire book becomes a chore to read, which was the case for me. Oh well :(
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I first attempted to read this book in college, and couldn't bring myself to finish it - I think the sermon was what defeated me. I re-read it over the holiday break as part of a reading exchange with a friend. I would read one book that I didn't like that she loved (this one), and she would read one book that I loved that she was sure she wouldn't like (Austen's Persuasion). Neither of us changed our minds about the other's book, but I do feel that I appreciated Portrait more this time as an artistic achievement, even though I still didn't enjoy it aesthetically or connect with it in any emotional way. It all felt very remote and abstract to me, particularly towards the end. This is one book among many that I feel can best be appreciated by those who have had a deeper engagement with religion (particularly Catholicism) than I personally have ever experienced.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Más que la educación sentimental de Stephen, lo que describe la novela es la aprehensión de la corriente de cosas que rodea al joven. Poco importa que reniegue o no de su fe o que acabe enamorado, sino el proceso de compresión a través siempre del lenguaje. Conocer es entonces conocer una lengua.
It's a lot of work with the allusions, but it is okay. Everyone should read it.