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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Very sad to have finished this book. Got inside my head with really interesting ideas that I could relate to, as well as some lyrical prose that made parts of it really flow. Bit in the middle about religion was a bit dense and inaccessible in parts but was still fascinating.
not as bad as i expected even though women were simply not human in his eyes lol. the ending was great even though david and i may have to fight over our opinion on that forever
reflective
slow-paced
Very dark academia??
Essentially, Stephen Dedalus grows up both in boarding scjool and in Dublin. We follow the ups and downs of his love life, his studies, his flirtation with religion, the politics of pre-rising Ireland, and the philosophical musings of someome classically trained.
NB! Contains hella latin
Essentially, Stephen Dedalus grows up both in boarding scjool and in Dublin. We follow the ups and downs of his love life, his studies, his flirtation with religion, the politics of pre-rising Ireland, and the philosophical musings of someome classically trained.
NB! Contains hella latin
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Well, I find it quite impressive that I finished this. It's a novel that I know, had I been assigned to read it in school, I would have given up on nearly immediately. That was not the case, however, as I chose this novel for myself as my first venture into the works of James Joyce. My takeaways are rather conflicted.
Each chapter of this book varies greatly from the chapters which precede it, either stylistically or in substance, and so it was difficult for me to say holistically that I either disliked or enjoyed the novel. The transient and feverish passages of the first chapter demonstrate the disjointed and dreamlike nature of Joyce's recollection of childhood; the second chapter, easily my favorite, depicts a tender blossoming into adolescence characterized by feelings of alienation from one's peers and the endearing confessions of a young heart in the throes of first love; the third and fourth chapters provide the most thorough and provocative image of Catholic guilt I have ever read, the third chapter taking place nearly entirely in one rapturous sermon and the fourth following young Stephen as he allows God respite in his sullied soul; and the fifth chapter following him through a series of conversations, Socratic seminars of sorts, in which he tests the bounds of his wits and his education while at last becoming the titular young artist.
While the writing was often dense and laborious, in the moments in which I could bring myself to fully comprehend what I was reading Joyce surprised me with stunning imagery and a mastery of descriptive writing upon which I wish he would focus more of his efforts. I found that I most enjoyed myself when I could marvel at the inventive and meditative way that Joyce can conjure a scene, and I found myself most disengaged when he focused too much upon the Western canon. Unfortunately, the mind of young Stephen is filled with the doctrine of the West, and his education and personal convictions are inseparable from those of the philosophers and theologians which he has read, thus forcing readers to sift through his recitations of the theories of Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas. There were many moments in this novel which forced me to reckon with how depraved and alienating Western culture is, with the way that it enforces isolation and suffering at the expense of compassion, intuition, and connection. Reading this was a reminder of how much damage this mindset has done to human decency and reciprocity, spreading this doctrine through the world via the colonization and imperialism to which it is intrinsically tied, and perhaps that undermined any lasting impression I might have taken away from the striking images.
Each chapter of this book varies greatly from the chapters which precede it, either stylistically or in substance, and so it was difficult for me to say holistically that I either disliked or enjoyed the novel. The transient and feverish passages of the first chapter demonstrate the disjointed and dreamlike nature of Joyce's recollection of childhood; the second chapter, easily my favorite, depicts a tender blossoming into adolescence characterized by feelings of alienation from one's peers and the endearing confessions of a young heart in the throes of first love; the third and fourth chapters provide the most thorough and provocative image of Catholic guilt I have ever read, the third chapter taking place nearly entirely in one rapturous sermon and the fourth following young Stephen as he allows God respite in his sullied soul; and the fifth chapter following him through a series of conversations, Socratic seminars of sorts, in which he tests the bounds of his wits and his education while at last becoming the titular young artist.
While the writing was often dense and laborious, in the moments in which I could bring myself to fully comprehend what I was reading Joyce surprised me with stunning imagery and a mastery of descriptive writing upon which I wish he would focus more of his efforts. I found that I most enjoyed myself when I could marvel at the inventive and meditative way that Joyce can conjure a scene, and I found myself most disengaged when he focused too much upon the Western canon. Unfortunately, the mind of young Stephen is filled with the doctrine of the West, and his education and personal convictions are inseparable from those of the philosophers and theologians which he has read, thus forcing readers to sift through his recitations of the theories of Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas. There were many moments in this novel which forced me to reckon with how depraved and alienating Western culture is, with the way that it enforces isolation and suffering at the expense of compassion, intuition, and connection. Reading this was a reminder of how much damage this mindset has done to human decency and reciprocity, spreading this doctrine through the world via the colonization and imperialism to which it is intrinsically tied, and perhaps that undermined any lasting impression I might have taken away from the striking images.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boring. Joyce is pretentious.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-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