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readwithsummer 's review for:
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce
A-Z of Classics Readalong - J
Well, that was a unique reading experience.
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I really love the idea behind this novel, there was so much of it that was new to me when reading. It's the first novel where the character has started as a 5-year-old and finished as a 20-year-old (roughly). I really love getting to know a character and their development in-depth like that.
Stephen was mostly likeable. I liked him as a kid, he was really sweet and how he thought of women and love in such a tender and romantic way was really sweet. And he's a deep-thinker, an intellectual who is always questioning and mulling over life and what it means and what it stands for, and I really liked reading about a character like that. I'm someone who also does that, I enjoyed the stream-of-consciousness that was albeit confusing, but I read a study guide along with it which kept it making sense to me, and I'm someone who is a big back-and-forth/random thinker/talker, so it was nice to be able to read a narrative like what goes on in my mind!
But sometimes Stephen, and the book, wasn't likeable. That middle section where we had to read reams and reams of content/rants about hell, and then Stephen himself turns overly religious- I saw a comment on the GR Status Updates where someone said 'I think the whole of Ch3/4 was ironic', which is true and funny, but was still tedious to read. Also Stephen himself turned dislikeable when he started going to 'harlots' like! What happened to sweet Stephen who revered women?? He also turned into a bit of an arrogant arse aswell...
But then it brought it back at the end of Ch4 because that whole end of the chapter was beautiful and I was listening to a Harry Potter music playlist and it had just hit a really beautiful/inspiring part of the playlist at the same time I was reading it and it made a really nice moment. And then
in Ch5 I did like (as someone who occasionally writes poetry) that we got to see what he was thinking and feeling, and how that translated into him writing a poem- that was such a fun and enjoyable idea.
I also learnt a lot about Irish history, which considering I'm part Irish (but idk that side of the family at all) I should probably know about it, but anyway I've learnt more now! It was really interesting getting Stephen's (arrogant) perspective on the fact that Ireland was actually colonised, but the arrogance that he blamed his ancestors for losing their language and that he shouldn't have to repay their debts by learning it... Stephen
Well, that was a unique reading experience.
--
I really love the idea behind this novel, there was so much of it that was new to me when reading. It's the first novel where the character has started as a 5-year-old and finished as a 20-year-old (roughly). I really love getting to know a character and their development in-depth like that.
Stephen was mostly likeable. I liked him as a kid, he was really sweet and how he thought of women and love in such a tender and romantic way was really sweet. And he's a deep-thinker, an intellectual who is always questioning and mulling over life and what it means and what it stands for, and I really liked reading about a character like that. I'm someone who also does that, I enjoyed the stream-of-consciousness that was albeit confusing, but I read a study guide along with it which kept it making sense to me, and I'm someone who is a big back-and-forth/random thinker/talker, so it was nice to be able to read a narrative like what goes on in my mind!
But sometimes Stephen, and the book, wasn't likeable. That middle section where we had to read reams and reams of content/rants about hell, and then Stephen himself turns overly religious- I saw a comment on the GR Status Updates where someone said 'I think the whole of Ch3/4 was ironic', which is true and funny, but was still tedious to read. Also Stephen himself turned dislikeable when he started going to 'harlots' like! What happened to sweet Stephen who revered women?? He also turned into a bit of an arrogant arse aswell...
But then it brought it back at the end of Ch4 because that whole end of the chapter was beautiful and I was listening to a Harry Potter music playlist and it had just hit a really beautiful/inspiring part of the playlist at the same time I was reading it and it made a really nice moment. And then
in Ch5 I did like (as someone who occasionally writes poetry) that we got to see what he was thinking and feeling, and how that translated into him writing a poem- that was such a fun and enjoyable idea.
I also learnt a lot about Irish history, which considering I'm part Irish (but idk that side of the family at all) I should probably know about it, but anyway I've learnt more now! It was really interesting getting Stephen's (arrogant) perspective on the fact that Ireland was actually colonised, but the arrogance that he blamed his ancestors for losing their language and that he shouldn't have to repay their debts by learning it... Stephen