Journal response to Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

 

Portrait of the Artist… is quite possibly the most unique book I have
ever read.  The autobiographical style of Joyce is intriguing; his style of
writing is like a fluent chain of thought.

The progression of Stephen Dedalus through his childhood was a difficult one
filled with hardships and misunderstandings.  Stephen was a different child.
I believe he had what some would call the curse of genius.  Stephen looked
at things differently - he analyzed words and looked for divine moments of
enlightenment or epiphanies to rationalize life.   I personally could only
boast maybe one half of a brief moment of divine truth or epiphany and I'm
probably lucky for just that.  The main influences on his life - his family,
religion, and the politics of Ireland - were constantly sources for his
experiences and encouragement. Stephen's experiences with his sin and in
turn his temporary spiritual rebirth shows his devotion and the impact religion
had on his life and career.  His father's misfortune and his family's fall
into poverty gave Stephen great unrest and shame about his whole aspect on
life and contributed to many of his choices. 

 

At the very beginning of the book when Stephen comes home from school for Christmas he experiences his first political discussion about Parnell and Ireland .  All of these influences along with his personal feelings about Women and Sin contribute to his decision to take his own coarse in life and to become an artist.  I
believe that this book is for anybody deciding what their niche in life is,
or it wouldn't hold that universal appeal that is embedded in art. 

 

I really enjoyed the emphasis Stephen put on walking, I think that walking is the
best way to examine anything and for me walking is the best way to
brainstorm.  Stephen strikes me as the type who may be very popular but
doesn't necessarily have any true friends.  I can completely relate to his
experience at the birthday party at which he participates mildly but doesn't
really enjoy himself.  Many times I find myself attending social events for
no reason at all but to make others happy.  I see parties as labours at the
best of times and are especially dull when I am in deep thought. 

 

The article “On A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is an excellent 
insight into Joyce's style and motives and even a good resource for the
actual reading.  This again examines Stephen's "aesthetic formulation" in
which wholeness, harmoniousness, and significant character all contribute to
making art.  I found the line in which the article discusses Stephen's
association with The Universe quite intriguing. "His ambulatory, dialectical
journey is a quest to find the defining unity, the composing harmony, and
the significant character of each of these broadening localities containing
'Stephen Dedalus'."  This was a good read and I think I shall look forward
to reading more Joyce in the future.