A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce, J Joyce · first published 1818
33% recommend48% neutral18% critical
Why HN recommends it
A semi-autobiographical, more accessible entry point into Joyce, with a style that is easier to follow. A useful warm-up for Ulysses and his later work, suited to readers new to Joyce.
Common criticism: Some readers find it dull or hard to get into on its own
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Stephen Dedalus grows up in Dublin, feeling different from the other boys. His childhood and adolescence are shaped by bullying, his father's weaknesses and the growing realization that in order to make his way in the world he must reject a conventional life and boecome an artist. Penguin Popular Classics are the perfect introduction to the world-famous Penguin Classics series — which encompasses the best books ever written, from Homer's Odyssey to Orwell's 1984 and everything in between.
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…Darkness and The Secret Agent Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary George Orwell: Any and all of the essays, but especially "Shooting an elephant" and "A hanging" Stendahl: Red and Black James Joyce: A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man Andre Dumas: The Three Musketeers Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot Tom Stoppard: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead I'll shut up, except to say that although I agree with some of the people on…
on “Becoming "well read"” ↗…that much out of it. About five years ago, I tried Ulysses again, listening to it as an Audible audio book with several skilled actors speaking the roles. That was great! I then also listened to Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in audiobook form and enjoyed it much more than reading it in school 50 years ago.
on “James Joyce’s Ulysses reviewed (1922)” ↗…pretty well, which is to say that there is a thriving Joyce industry. I haven't read much of its production, but I recall Hugh Kenner's Joyce's Voices as pretty good. If you haven't already done so, read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners, for many characters from both crop up in Ulysses.
on “Bought and Unread Books” ↗…"Dubliners" is a straight forward read, not lot of allusions and doesn't need lot of context to understand, and is probably the most accessible work of Joyce. I can't fathom "Ulysses". Probably one can try "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by Joyce, and finds it interesting can try "Ulysses".
on “Who the Hell Is This Joyce (1928)” ↗…incredible. It’s not a hard read at all and will enrich your life. I recommend it to basically everyone and several people have talked to me years later about stories in it. It’s fantastic. Then maybe read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. A really great semi-autobiographical work. At that point you’ve probably made your mind up one way or the other about whether you like Joyce, so then if you feel like it, go read Ulysses and/or Finnegan’s…
on “Yes I Will Read Ulysses Yes” ↗You should try out some better books. Have a go at this passage from A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, by Joyce, wherein the protagonist Stephen Dedalus is losing his mind after having spent a week being whipped into a religious frenzy. He is alone in his room pondering his frequent visits to brothels:…
on “U.S. children read, but not well or often: report” ↗If you want a shot at liking Joyce try "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man."
on “Books of the Century by Le Monde” ↗For anyone curious about Ulysses: It’s great. Read Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man before Ulysses. If you gave up on it before: try again. I used to think it was BS for years but I tried again and ended up loving it. I’d advise skipping student editions or getting hung up on reading…
on “United States vs. One Book Called “Ulysses”” ↗…lectures on Ulysses. http://books.google.com/books/about/Lectures_on_Literature.h... This is a wonderful chapter-by-chapter companion that will make sense of the chaos. 5. If you want a warm up, read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
on “James Joyce's "Ulysses": Why you should read this book” ↗Tough choices .. Moby Dick has so much to offer .. Gulliver's Travels ... Tristam Shandy ... Essays by Montaigne.. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man .... Probably the collected works of Shaw? Things with dialogue feel freah every time you read them.
on “Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?” ↗It took me a few tries to get through Ulysses, but I enjoyed it when I finally figured it out. What helped for me is first reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which is kind of like an easier version of the same style that introduces some of the characters in Ulysses. And then following along on ulyssesguide.com when I was reading it. Some of the parts (the…
on “Yes I Will Read Ulysses Yes” ↗I'd recommend John Huston's film 'The Dead' to anyone who would like experience something by Joyce. I did read a bit of 'A portrait of the artist as a young man'. He really got into the head of a small boy who was being bullied in one part. I never finished it though, I can't remember why. I don't think that I could ever read Ulysses, I did listen to a reading…
on “What to Make of Finnegans Wake? (2012)” ↗In fact, if Joyce had written nothing at all, that might not have been a bad thing. I was afflicted with having to read "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" in high school. In it, Joyce puts forth his theory of art - that to be pure art, it should cause no response whatsoever in the viewer. Joyce is a great writer, and was able to achieve the effect he…
on “Stephen King: “Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully”” ↗…below and https://jamesjoyce.ie/day-24-february/ — the timeline was this: - In 1917 (when Wells would have been ~51 and Joyce ~35), Wells had written “one of the most favourable reviews” of Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. This was very helpful to Joyce, and Joyce wrote a letter to Wells thanking him. Even earlier, Wells had helped Joyce secure a grant. - In 1928 (a few days before this letter), Wells and Joyce met for…
on “Who the Hell Is This Joyce (1928)” ↗…that's how I've described them. These kids were vicious. It's not a racial dig. 4. That's a good point. I suppose what I'm currently reading influenced my word choice there. I've been reading Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." In that book there's a lot of stuff about his schooling and the book was published in 1916. 5. Not sure what your point is here. I just didn't want to draw any attention to myself, at all, because…