Joyce: "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"

[Robert Cohen]

narrated by Donal Donnelly

8 audio cassettes

I've listened to an introduction (book notes) and a chapter, and fell asleep

Because Joyce is said to be a difficult but worthwhile read, I am hoping that
the important novel will be entertaining and/or interesting enough for me to
grasp

The narrator's brogue certainly gives it authentic flavor

So many of the allusions, phrases, words, songs, poems in Joyce's life and the
era & locale are so foreign to my ears that it's as if I were also exploring
another language, though fortunately it's not French

If this highly touted art is too encumbering to my mentality, disposition and
concentration, I shall have to abort

If you were trying to teach Joyce to me, what would you point-out to your
semi-diligent student?

[Robert Cohen]

i did about 2 hours of listening yesterday

the protagonist, "stephen daedleus," goes to a catholic prep or boarding
school, and joyce has a fine time recounting the ordeal with descriptions of
the faculty and what they (might have) conversed about (being catholic, for
instance)

the traditional catholic--protestant dichotomy on interpreting new testament
theology at the turn of the century is interesting to this ole jewboy who
doesn't have a god in the fight

the actor-narrator makes it more colorful than should be allowed

i hope to audit the whole proto-autobiographical novel, because joyce is deemed
as a good guy when ww II push came to shove regarding the jews

the sometime archaic lingo isn't as complex, but it's generally hard for me to
catch many of the gists/drifts/subtleties/nuances/references
which as far as i'm concerned a good reason to expend time with a novel, which
contains another's complex reality

[English1413]

Robert, I'd just follow the inner development of the character. It's the story
of how a young man becomes an artist (as indicated by the title). That is, he
looks for meaning in life, doesn't find it, and decides to create his own
meaning through art.

Another way to say that is that Stephen tests his traditions, finds them
lacking, rejects them, and sets out to create new meaning by becoming a writer.
This is the prototypical story of the beginning of Modernism, and is very
important to understanding modern literature.

You may be misreading the Christian angle. Joyce is not trying to convert
anyone to Christianity, he's trying to justify his own rejection of
Christianity. I would argue that his presentation of Catholicism is grossly
unfair, but that's only my opinion.

Stephen's choice to focus on himself is an incredible gesture of egomania, but
that's pretty typical of artists in general. Artists are unpleasantly
self-involved, generally. They have to be, to imagine that the whole world
will be interested in their thoughts (as we usually are).

You don't need to catch the Irish references and so on to grasp Joyce's overall
meaning and to follow the story.

Gray

[Robert Cohen]

thanks for that neat note of guidance to joyce, gray

i was just now trying to watch the demo convention and read the on-line press
and tabloids simultaneously, but when the actress glen close started doing
9/11, i turned it off, and ...now contemplate something less complex & less
stressful/depressing, james joyce, a creator of relative joy and simplicity in
comparison to 9/1, although joyce devotes a chapter to discussing Hell

i went to amzon, and read a half-dozen reviews on the paperback--there are
many, many editions, commentaries and reviews available on the famous work

i found my perceptions--positive & negative & chaotic--expressed within the 6
or so reviews i skimmed

one reviewer candidly gave it one star, while others think it's 5 star sliced
bread

damn, i luv amazon and the internet, because otherwise i would be watching my
former interest on tv ad nauseam