James Joyce - novel - 1916 - p. 201, 202, 203, 204

James Joyce’s first novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a kunstlerroman that follows Stephen Dedalus, his rebellion against Irish and Catholic norms and expectations, and his development as an artist and thinker. The storyline consists of various recounted chapters of Stephen’s youth, his social travails at school, and the martinet disciplinarianism of the Church. The sympathetic Father Conmee helps to procure Stephen a spot at Belvedere College, where he blossoms intellectually.

Stephen’s relationship with his father--who struggles with debt and alcohol--remains a consistent struggle, and Stephen indulges in sensual vices such as prostitutes before coming to realize that he can sublimate some of his desire into writing. Feeling increasingly alienated from both the Church and from his friends, Stephen finally decides that he must leave Ireland. Stephen’s character also plays a significant role in Joyce’s opus Ulysses.

Key elements: alcoholism, art, Europe, father figures, Greek mythology