“A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” by James Joyce (1916) ★★★★

~ Veronica
Not to Be Reproduced (La Reproduction Interdite). René Magritte, 1937.
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

“To arts unknown he bends his wits, and alters nature.”

― Ovid, Metamorphoses.

Myriads of evocative images permeate the debut novel of the most influential Irish modernist, conveying the entire spectrum of feelings ranging from religious fervour to the ardour of lust. A master of intertextuality, Joyce intermingles philosophical discussions (unfortunately, often one-sided, despite their doubtless intellectual splendour) with “scraps of poetry and madness” – playful allusions to ancient myths and historical events. Nevertheless, a vivid combination of excessive naturalism and vague surrealism may be exhausting for the reader, as the rigorous author does not attempt to ease the acute transitions from one state of consciousness into another. It is only for the literary adventurers themselves to decide whether this egocentric coming-of-age journey is worth the effervescent, yet turbulent ride.

Joyce’s literary style evokes both rapture and horror, as the sagacious narrator delves deeper into the unconscious, depicting pleasures of Heaven and tortures of Hell as if they were unravelling before his very eyes. Reimagining Tolstoy’s majestic composition Childhood, Boyhood, Youth, as he already did in the tripartite short story collection Dubliners, Joyce painted three semi-autobiographical portraits in his premier Künstlerroman, using raw emotion to combine fact and fiction. Nevertheless, the Irish author dismantled stylistic traditions embraced by previous literary giants. Instead, Joyce had developed a closer, individualistic perspective, refracting each feeling and action through the character’s mind, as if merging the readers with his consciousness, whether they like it or not.

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Published by Veronica

Hello, lovely stranger! My name is Veronika Sizova, and I am currently studying in Canada. Since early childhood, I have been mesmerized by the literary art. The words – exquisite, intricately intertwined, sophisticated, magnificently powerful and fragile simultaneously, – remind me of the oceanic waves, and poetry hides in their unfathomable depths. This place is meant to become a sanctuary for the tortured souls, aflame with a passion for literature.

24 thoughts on ““A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” by James Joyce (1916) ★★★★”

  1. WOW!!!! It’s pretty rare that these jaded old eyes will tender their forks upon a digital meal of this length but in this case I dove in and delighted. Beautiful work!

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    1. Thank you so much for appreciating my writing! To be honest, I was worried about the length, but your reassuring words made me sigh in sweet relief. ☺️

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      1. With attention spans these days, I admit that it’s likely few will do more than skim… but it’s in no way due to the writing. I do have a fondness for this topic (as well as for good writing ;)). Anyone else who does will likewise appreciate its length, I’m sure. :)) Thanks so much for liking and following my blog, which brought me here… I really loved this article, especially with the artworks throughout. Reminded me of university days, and thoughtful essays… beautifully done! 😊🙏🌷

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      2. I’m incredibly happy to find a like-minded individual here. Your poetry is a splendid combination of wittiness and musicality, and it’s a joy to read every verse!

        Special thanks for appreciating the artworks – Magritte’s syle has always fascinated me, and it’s a pleasure to know someone feels the same. 😉

        It’s delightful that my words bring such fond memories! I’m about to start university – so, for now, writing helps to stay on track and prevents the last scraps of creativity from escaping.

        I wish you lots of inspiration and serene days filled with the warmth of spring!🌹

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      3. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that familiar with Magritte’s work, though your piece has majorly peaked my interest.

        It’s more the topic of creative energy, self and reflection/expression, illusion and reality that is my main muse, and though I haven’t read James Joyce I’ve read some things about his work, and I feel I can strongly relate, especially to the way you describe it in your piece.

        And… WOW!! again… you’re not even in university yet… you are truly incredible, in my books, to be so hard-working already, so diligent in craft and product. Miles ahead of the game!

        What you said about my poetry enlivened me so much… it means a huge lot to me, thank you very, very kindly. 🔆🌱

        I feel you’re a kindred spirit indeed, and I wish you all the same lovely things. 💖

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    2. Hey there Veronika, just want to say first of all that you provide a very, very thorough and illuminating view of the work through the reading of Daedalus’s rampant and almost infectious ego, so infectious that one is lead into a self aggraindaising stupor that utterly shunts reality as it presents itself, seeing only what one wants to see, and recoiling in a vague yet certain terror and pain in response to the truest nature of the outer world. As we, as people, further form ourselves, as we do observe vicariously through the eyes of Stephen, we gain something of a conceit, somewhat similar to Hobbes’s view of our wisdom, however I do not believe this conceit aids us, rather it may aid us, but just as all things, be it joy, ardour, and even pain, these things, when overtaking us, consume us. But, we would agree I think that egocentrism is not the absolute theme of Portrait of the Artist, no, rather it is one of a myriad of literary themes and devices that permeate and are promulgated throughout the 200 or so pages (really, the book’s diminutive length in comparison to what one gains from a reading is magnificent). Of course, all these themes, from the holy trinity, to body and soul, and the self ego and exile, all spiral into one, singular point, which I think is James Joyce’s proposed meaning of life, one he perhaps knows to be fallible, and yet proceeds because he sees no other path. There is a line that I do not want to quote, but it goes something like “I do not want to mourn the joys of the past, but to create the joys of the future.” which I do believe is the core of Daedalus’s (and by extension, Joyce’s) desire, to build the future world, to take from what one has experienced and seen, what one has suffered and enjoyed, and to birth from their own womb from the sperm of the world the new age, that shall be itself ingested and reborn time and time again. Yes, Daedalus, you egotistical prick! You see yourself as such a god? You compare yourself to Daedalus, the grand artificer? You proclaim him your father and you his son? But alas, what other choice do we have to build the new world but to become so enraptured by our own selves that we consume the past and puke forth the next dawn, the next horizon? That we may be ourselves idiots, that all our ideas may be wrong, but we do not truly care if we are wrong, us artists, we only care if what we create becomes the foundations of the next world, and that as we die we may forever become forever laid into the groundworks of posterity. And it is a dillusion, for Daedalus himself does little but take from his namesake, and take from Aristotle, aquinas, and other egomaniacs of the past, but he does so for himself, that all surrounds and exists in accordance to him, and thus, he is an artist, creating life out of life! And yet, I have not surmised the whole work, nor did you, for how may we forget that of the body and the soul? To be touched and recieve pleasure, opposed to be not touched and recieve absolution? And that of the first person perspective, that we must ask which lense is best through which we view our world? Certainly the first person view is more acccurate, shall mirror us, our thoughts and feelings far greater, but what if we rather seek to unveil the falsity of the eye, and desire to show all our grand delusions as they act our their brief part on the stage? The delusions of the eye, the harshness of reality, what shall we artists focus on? I do not know, for I am only human.

      (forgive me for any typos or grammatic absurdities. I write this in something of a rush, as your work excited me and got my mind buzzing with info and opinions. Thank you so much for this article, truly Joyce is one of the preeminent modernists of ours and any age.)

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      1. Hello, Quinn!

        Words can’t express how happy I am that you not only read my review but also composed such an eloquent, thoughtful reply! I could spend hours arguing with you about Joyce’s intentions and literary excellence. Instead, I merely admire your poetic stream of consciousness. Indeed, we always ”seek to unveil the falsity of the eye.” Thank you for providing me with new insight and inspiration!

        I wonder if you could be induced to share your writing with me one day…

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  2. It is a beautifully crafted work, with significant insight and multiple layers of depth. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this 😊

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  3. I enjoyed reading your review of Joyce’s “Portrait”.

    I must confess to not having derived much pleasure from the novel. This may have been due to the fact that I had to study it for A-Level whilst at school. I did, however enjoy “Dubliners”, particularly “The Dead”.

    Being blind (I use screen reading software called Job Access with Speech which translates text into speech and braille enabling me to use a Windows laptop), I regret that I can not see your beautiful art. I can see outlines of objects, but not enough to be able to appreciate the visual arts, which is one of my regrets in life.

    Best wishes, Kevin

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  4. Dear Kevin, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

    From now on, I am going to attempt writing descriptions for the artworks. Sometimes I put my writing directly on the pictures for aesthetic reasons – I promise to add it into descriptions, as well.

    Thank you for the honesty about your reaction to the “Portrait”! Also, I completely agree, “The Dead” is a captivating story!

    Did you know, Joyce himself struggled with eyesight throughout his life, and wrote novels full of sensory richness?

    Your wonderful poems tell me that you see even more than others! You are a very inspiring person, and I feel lucky to know you.

    Sending you my warmest appreciation,
    Veronica.

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    1. Hi Veronica,

      Thank you so much for your lovely reply, and for including descriptions of pictures on your future posts. I very much appreciate you doing that.

      I had heard that Joyce struggled with poor vision, however I had forgotten this and you mentioning it reminded me.

      I am touched by your kind words on my poetry. I also am glad to have found your blog and look forward to reading more of your poetry and short stories.

      All the very best, Kevin

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      1. Dear Kevin,

        It is a pleasure to talk to such a creative individual! I have just added alt text to the paintings of John William Waterhouse I used for my latest poem. It’s not a lot, but I still hope these short descriptions will make your experience at my website better!

        Warmest Regards,
        Veronica.

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  5. Hi, Veronica. I think your comments on this book accurately capture its strengths and limitations. And you have used an image from one of my favourite artists to crown the post. How could I possibly disagree with a word you then said! Please keep reading and writing.

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    1. Dear Pete, thank you so much for appreciating my work! Knowing that a true intellectual and a profoundly creative individual has praised my writing means a world to me. Undoubtedly, I’ll return to Joyce’s ”Portrait” many times, finding something new with every subsequent reading.

      I feel as if I’ve met a kindred spirit! It’s a pleasure to know you love Magritte, too. His captivating artworks masterfully convey the poetry of existence by illustrating the subconscious drives of the human psyche…

      Being only eighteen years old, I treasure advice from more experienced writers, and your words have inspired me to continue pursuing the creative path! I am eternally grateful for your generous support of my literary aspirations. ☺️

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  6. I confess that I have avoided reading James Joyce’s work because he seems to be somewhat too cerebral for my taste… But thanks to your brilliant review, I will check the book out in the future. Thanks!

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