A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce
Assigned by 3 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1916
- Form
- Novel
- Language
- English
- Length
- Medium · 280 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendA Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManPenguin Classics, 2003Seamus Deane's edition, with notes on the Dublin and Catholic references a student will need.
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Joyce's first novel follows Stephen Dedalus from infancy to his early twenties, its style growing with him from a child's babble to the diary of a would-be artist. Stephen is bullied at Clongowes, watches his family argue over Parnell at Christmas dinner, sinks into adolescent sin, is terrified into piety by a retreat sermon on hell, and is invited to become a Jesuit. On the strand he sees a girl wading and chooses art instead. At university he sets out his theory of beauty and resolves to leave Ireland, refusing to serve family, nation or church.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
