I'd put that in the now reading thread but this book was just so incredible I think it deserves a thread of its own. I became interested in Joyce after reading shit on this forum but I figured out I'd try out something a bit easier before dwelling into the monstrosities that are Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.
Anyway, as the title suggests, the book deals with a young man and his way to become an artist from childhood to maturity. The way Joyce deals with maturing in this book is very notable: as the book progresses, the man grows older, his thoughts become less disjointed and more focused and the vocabulary gets more complex. Joyce, in fact, does not have a writing style as much as his character has a thinking style: for example, when he turns to Catholicism, all his emotions are fake and untrue and so the style becomes academic and dry to reflect that.
I have seen someone label him as a modernist in ideals on this forum and I think it's really unfair (seeing as modern on here is considered almost a curse). His views of art are simply fascinating. I'll quote something from the end of the book which I found particularly poetic:
"Welcome O life! I go encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race"
In the end, Stephen (the hero and supposedly Joyce's alter-ego) becomes an artist and is writing a journal. The fact he writes a journal is significant because he creates it, and that stands in contrast to the beginning, when his father tells him a story. Notice the joyful acceptance of life ("Welcome O life!"); art as both a logical process which requires technique and hard working - "forge in the smithy" - and at the same time involving emotions and irrationality - "soul"; the individual creating something for his community to which he owes a debt, and still struggling to be free ("the uncreated conscience of my race"); the creation of art from EXPERIENCE, the everyday experience he ecounters for the "millionth time"; etc, etc...
Anyway this book is not so long and not very difficult (even I managed to read it!) and very highly recommended to anyone. There are some parts that are a bit tedious but some very insightful points are made towards the end and it's definitely worth it. Everyone must read that book
Anyway, as the title suggests, the book deals with a young man and his way to become an artist from childhood to maturity. The way Joyce deals with maturing in this book is very notable: as the book progresses, the man grows older, his thoughts become less disjointed and more focused and the vocabulary gets more complex. Joyce, in fact, does not have a writing style as much as his character has a thinking style: for example, when he turns to Catholicism, all his emotions are fake and untrue and so the style becomes academic and dry to reflect that.
I have seen someone label him as a modernist in ideals on this forum and I think it's really unfair (seeing as modern on here is considered almost a curse). His views of art are simply fascinating. I'll quote something from the end of the book which I found particularly poetic:
"Welcome O life! I go encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race"
In the end, Stephen (the hero and supposedly Joyce's alter-ego) becomes an artist and is writing a journal. The fact he writes a journal is significant because he creates it, and that stands in contrast to the beginning, when his father tells him a story. Notice the joyful acceptance of life ("Welcome O life!"); art as both a logical process which requires technique and hard working - "forge in the smithy" - and at the same time involving emotions and irrationality - "soul"; the individual creating something for his community to which he owes a debt, and still struggling to be free ("the uncreated conscience of my race"); the creation of art from EXPERIENCE, the everyday experience he ecounters for the "millionth time"; etc, etc...
Anyway this book is not so long and not very difficult (even I managed to read it!) and very highly recommended to anyone. There are some parts that are a bit tedious but some very insightful points are made towards the end and it's definitely worth it. Everyone must read that book
