A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Unabridged)
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3.2 • 13 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
This novel was ranked by The Modern Library as the third greatest English language novel of the 20th century. It is semi-autobiographical in form and depicts the formative years in the life of Stephen Dedalus, a fictional alter ego of Joyce. The name Daedalus is an allusion to a craftsman of Greek mythology.
The story traces the intellectual and religio-philosophical awakening of young Stephen Dedalus as he begins to question and rebel against the Catholic and Irish conventions he has been brought up in. He finally leaves for Paris to pursue his calling as an artist. The work pioneers some of Joyce's modernist techniques that would later come to fruition in Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful!
James was an incredible, brilliant, insightful writer. In some books, like Finnegan's Wake and Ulysses, I think he pushed the envelop a bit too far and became imcomprehensible to the average Joe. Not so in this book. It was just a wonderful listening experience. I especially liked the fact that the reader was not Irish. I know that sounds odd, but I always find accents make it hard to concentrate on the meaning. The narrator was understated - as in nof over acted - but I think it fit James prose perfectly.
Great buy
Since my retirement I have been on a quest to read at least one book from each of the acknowledged "great authors." I tried listening to Joyce's "Ulysses" but had to give up. It was just too far out for me. Then I tried this version of "Portrait" and was delighted. It was a wonderful listening experience and I see now why Joyce is considered one of those greats.
Terrific!
Great book. Well read. And quite a bargain.