A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man

James Joyce was and remains unique among novelists for whatever he published was a masterpiece. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a key work of twentieth century literature that remains as fresh, challenging and relevant as the day it was first published. It is an autobiographical novel and describes the early life and development of its central character, Stephen Dedalus (representing Joyce). Stephen, an intelligent but frail child, struggles towards maturity in Ireland at the turn of the century. His individuality is stifled by several levels of convention, dictated by the family Catholicism and Irish nationalism. He feels guilty of adolescent sexuality and this feeling is enhanced at a school ‘retreat’ where he listens to Father Arnall’s famous ‘hellfire’ sermon. Stephen rejects the call to the priesthood and goes in for the wider and more rewarding world of literature, philosophy and aesthetics and rids himself from the stultifying effects of family, church and state.