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blueyorkie 's review for:
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce
James Joyce is widely recognized as a great writer but often obscure. This almost autobiographical novel belies this reputation. We read it without difficulty and do not have to look for complicated literary ulterior motives. Stephen Dedalus, a character the author has featured in several books, is Joyce's alter ego. This "Portrait" shows a boy (first attending college) becoming a young adult. Everything is intelligible in this journey. Everything sounds authentic. But Joyce introduces us to an era and a country that seem very distant. At the end of the 19th century, Ireland was trying to enter the modern era, but it is still very archaic. The hold of the Catholic Church is heavy. She is compassionate inside the religious school where the young Stephen D. studies. The preachers' speeches - both soothing and terrifying - sound almost unbelievable. This pressure very powerfully influences the young boy. Also, the Eire is still under British law, causing severe divisions among the Irish (even now, there are substantial remnants in Ulster).
There is, therefore, a coexistence between an unmistakable authenticity (underlined by the numerous notes collected at the end of the book, which refers to his personal experience of Joyce) and the impression of strangeness I mentioned above that may surprise me. But this makes it a fascinating novel.
There is, therefore, a coexistence between an unmistakable authenticity (underlined by the numerous notes collected at the end of the book, which refers to his personal experience of Joyce) and the impression of strangeness I mentioned above that may surprise me. But this makes it a fascinating novel.