What Is According To Joyce In The Portrait Of The Artist The Role Of The Artist In Modernity - Term Paper Example

? What is according to Joyce in the Portrait of the Artist the role of the artist in modernity? Number] [Date] A notorious Irish novelist James Joyce, who reached the pinnacle of eminence and gratitude in literary society, was born in 1882, Dublin. The eldest among ten siblings, Joyce was exceedingly bright and possessed innate talent of mature writing. At a very young age, his immense fervour to read Henrik Isben’s plays enabled him to excel in reading Norwegian by himself. Moreover, he pondered over the philosophical scripts of Aristotle, Dante and Thomas Aquinas in his leisure time (Spinks, p.5). Due to his erudition inclination and genuine intelligence his family urged him to receive education properly despite of their financial constrains. Initially, he went to Irish Jesuits Schools of Clongowes College and afterwards to Belvedere College, and finally to University College of Dublin to attain a Bachelor degree in Arts of modern language. In 1916, Joyce published his partially fictional magnum opus “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” and stepped in the literary society with credible writing style. This vintage and highly recommended content of the Coming of Age novel is considered as the stepping stone of modernist movement and thus, a true book of modernism. James Joyce’s writings became accustomed to modernity, while he resisted to the Realist style prevailed in the 19th century. Through “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” James Joyce developed streaming style of consciousness and gradually it enhanced in his exceptional work of “Ulysses”. Thus, through explicitly of his speciality, he was able to cover the legitimate milestone of obscenity. During modernist era of twentieth century, Joyce was considered as the most prestigious revered writer due to his literal employment of language and inclusion of diverse literary forms. His notable inscription techniques entailed microscopic view of gigantic occurrences and their detection signs in everyday lives. “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”, the title articulates the book’s theme exactly. On solitary ground, this novel can be known as what the Germans reckoned a Bildungsroman, a novel interpretation instead of conventional plot scheme. Sited in Ireland in the late 19th century, this play is an influenced autobiographical novel entailing the edification of a young Irish individual, Stephen Dedalus. Thus, the central character Stephen Dudalus; has the locale identical to the author. Consequently, the author has fusion his fictional character with himself and has treated him with commiseration, mockery and eventually with approbation in the play (Joyce, p.10-13). Stephen’s childhood and his education embrace more than conventional training by the Strict Jesuits. However, that did not impede him in adulthood from illicit-sex and he wallows in transgressions. Subsequently, the author claims that the character received moral, sentimental, and lucid nurturing from his customary environment not from his initial religious educators. Afterwards, he becomes exceptionally devout and contemplates with the notion of becoming a minister. Eventually, he recognises his destiny was to become an author not a catholic priest. A spiritual and pragmatic author, who can nourish perpetual imaginations with the day-to-day experiences to enhance intellectuality and to groom perceptions of individuals despite of any association to the Church. The core of the novel is Stephen’s repudiation of his Roman Catholic ideologies and his thriving resilience as an emerging author. Decline of Catholic or religious ideologies and emphasis on individual’s attribute and aptitude was the foundation of Modernist movement, which is well-depicted throughout the novel (Lewis, p.122). Most importantly, the novel’s magnitude does not only revolve around the description of an astute and intricate juvenile novelist or in his autobiographical facet. This novel is an audacious attempt to originate a pioneering anecdote, which does not need to rely upon customary anecdote-tactics. Joyce’s distinctive style in depiction and narration; entails his quality to elaborate each stage of Stephan’s life in realm manner and age appropriate narrative of perceptions (Sicari, p.67). Thus, Joyce’s partially autobiography contains a unique set of language, which has various stages and matures through time, experience and age. Hence, this idiosyncratic feature was seldom observed in the early twentieth century authors, where most authors narrated their tales form a far away view, presenting their characters mere members of society, but not yielding much light on their insight. Thus, according to Joyce the role of artist or author is to represent pragmatic events with tangible characters, who are indulged in their problematic experiences, circumstances, potentials and achievements. Joyce initial free direct discourse in the novel vocalizes the memories and occurrences of a child from his age appropriate perceptions and language. This linguistic methodology enabled Joyce to promote eloquence in different tones of a single subject according to different phases of his character’s life. Thus, throughout the novel Joyce has adapted the diction of a youth, who proclaims his superiority of intellect over Irish society and civilising religious influences. Hence, Stephen Dedalus was Joyce’s representation of modern messiah, who vocalized individual soul saving perceptions despite of social and religious precincts (Balsamo, p.60). Through, Stephen’s character Joyce has depicted the modern juvenile artist, who is worthy of admiration due to his intellectuality and is excruciating due to his increased courageous rational nerve. Thus, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” was an interpretation of Joyce’s desire to be seen like a daring Stephen Dedlaus, who vocalized divine liberation of artists in modernity with aesthetic notions. Stephen buoyant honestly to put forth philosophical yet religious interpretations was governed with epithetic technique. Although, throughout, the novel Stephen as an artist emphasizes on depersonalize mechanism in narrations, but on the contrary Joyce has narrated his own epiphany. Thus, one can observe that the fledgling youth in the novel breaks through social, religious and family restrains and migrants to Paris to become an eminent poet and writer, is what Joyce’s personal monologue with few diversifications (Poplawski, p. 302). Modernism era entailed many distinctive characteristics, but among them few were prominent and most appreciated ones. Some of them are as follow: Rejection of traditional and religious customary writing styles To represent man’s perception in a differed style keeping the individual as a central theme rather than prioritizing universal factors over him Experimented and innovated unique style of content Discarded Victorian and Romantic literary organic theories, fragmentation and discourse Emphasized on unique sole narrative interpretation. Similarly, James Joyce anticipated freedom of humanity along with literal liberty for individual in terms of expression regardless of religious or customary conventions. His character is an artist, an artist who yearns for freedom, but cannot entirely articulate his inimitable notions in a land of literary constrains and conservatism. A significant part of the novel contemplated with the idea of Roman Catholic Church empowering ideologies to live a life and their impact on Irish people, especially on children under their supervision. Therefore, Joyce signified the realistic needs of a youth and sex related restrains, redundant to human basic nature (Mullin, p.83). Moreover, he interpreted the most clandestine aspects of an individual, which were considered impolite to be expressed bluntly. Moreover, he diction them as irrepressible needs rather than superficial requirements of gender. As an artist, Joyce realised that it’s his obligation as an author to put forth the realistic sexual urges of adolescents and their backdoor actions as solution (despite of religious obligations) to satisfy their needs as practical approach to be answered. Joyce emphasized that these individuals are not mere devil’s advocates, but are explores who would rise after a deep dive in hormonal gratifications (Plock , p.187). Hence, future lies in the hands of these individuals; who need to explore and experience in order to produce phenomenal pieces of art and yet, to realise their final destination eventually. Joyce does not discard the idea of afterlife and sins as non-effective due to modernity influence, but he emphasizes on human urges as pragmatic aspect often ignored by priests. He portrayed his artist to exemplify that in the custom of representing universal aspects, often artists and religious preachers forget basic human needs and nature. Which enable them to yield their exterior from pollution, but in the due course they tend to ignore or forget the inner nourishment of an individual, which later is evident through moral deficiencies prevailed in the society. There has been no definite plot of this play; as it revolves around a sole character and his soul’s prerequisites. The term soul has been used almost 95 times to emphasize enough on the mandatory ramifications when political, regional and language opposing oppressive elements exists in the environment. Irish Catholic have been considered the most steadfast in their devout obligations, therefore, to fully achieve the magnitude of his potential, Stephen decides to leave his country for good. Many artists in the past have done the same to explore their potential, diversifications and to exhibit their coherent style in a different language. The same has been observed in the novel and Joyce’s real life. The progression in the character’s individuality takes consecutive steps throughout his life in the form of a wave (Fargnoli & Michael, p.181). Hence, he initially as a young boy in a convent school, is a subject to empowering strict Jesuits, later on his adolescence enables him to become aware of his sexual inclinations and he praises beauty through illicit sex. Subsequently, he listens to few thought provoking sermons regarding sin, hell and castigations and contemplates to locate his final destination as a prolific artist, a preacher or a rational preacher. However, Stephen has been shown as a character that raises voice when his rationality evokes him to vocalize the misinterpretation and unjust events prevailed all around in the name of religious mortifications. Hence, in succeeding chapters of the novel, Stephen has been equipped with the subtlety to outwit the unmerited influence, especially from orthodox notions of sexuality and conventional moral restrains. Joyce, through his depiction of artist explicitly represented a role model for the modern society, who with all his natural deficiencies as a human conquers authority over him and gains the audacity to sustain his individualism and veracity. This fictional evolutional journey of Joyce through Stephen’s character is a narrative of ego from youth to adulthood. Hence, the novel is an artistic vocation and has served to expose intricacies faced by modern artists. Although, the artist has been severely criticized by the national and religious figures, but he denies to bound him to their tarnished concepts and pursues with his dubitative artistry (Gillespie, p.53). Stephen has been replicated as an enigma of rationality, thus, artist represented in such convection were aimed to direct nation towards the path of modernity. Yet, for the transitional phase a moral hero was required to lead, which was rightly chosen by Joyce in the form of Stephen Dudalus. Many artists of Joyce’s era and the preceding ones wrote on the Dublin and life interconnected to it, but none of them was able to touch the chord of the life in Dublin, the individual, which Joyce discovered and infused it with the rectification of an artist’s potential through liberty of expression. Joyce technique of writing was less narrative and more suggestive. He adapted poetic diction and infused it with modernism. His content was full of inconsequential episodes, which were mere hints of gigantic un-surfaced issues and thus, required political and social contemplation. Hence, Joyce, used his artistic podium to unearth the cohesive set of constrains, which obstruct an individual to be fully nourished both physically and spiritually. Modernist play “The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man” contained frenzy acoustic minutiae of pragmatism (Gillsepie, p.53). His monologue is cohesive and is fabricated with intrinsic language. Furthermore, the author establishes in his character a profound psychosomatic interiority, which intensifies oppression for the dualism embedded in Irish society and its dogmatic approach of life. Audacious author like Joyce; could only make a bold attempt and depict sex in his play with its complete specifications. Thus, adolescence sexual experiences have been portrayed with its full intensity, but in later age they have been overshadowed by faith and national stipulations. Yet, the inconsistent Sermons throughout the novel demonstrate the unique style of representation by modernist philosophers. The writing technique known as mimetic is noticeable in the discourse where Stephen is perplexed about his decision to enter priesthood. However, an epiphany at beach on the sight of a beautiful girl, acknowledged him his true inclination towards aesthetic beauty. To sum up the, the tangible modernist objective, it was to focus on creating vintage closely related to a swiftly changing world. Through which traditions incoherence to religious belief, capitalism, and culture get tossed into query by brand new and perplexing ideas such as trends, Marxism and systems. Moreover, the entire world occasions alike to the First World War (or perhaps in this case, the particular Irish patriot activists). Thus, one perceives that Joyce took on this particular dare merely by producing a character; that has advanced after dark hold-federal express involving the family members, cathedral, along with nation by making common wealth on his own. The special manifestation of Joyce’s narration is his eloquence to signify that every level in the child’s underdeveloped consciousness is represented in a dialect, through which a child’s interpretation is shown to the world. Therefore, the particular narration on its own depicts performer’s exploration of discourse. Throughout the play, this remembered puerility is read through the view point of a child then adolescent and eventually as a mature youth. Hence, Joyce has achieved this linguistically with diverse manifestation of peculiarity. Conclusively, this is a kind of intricate and complicated viewpoint, which was a true trait of modernity. Hence, the role and position of artist throughout modernity had been exceptionally immense and diverse. Works Cited: Balsamo, Gian. Joyce's Messianism: Dante, Negative Existence, and the Messianic Self. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2004. Print. Fargnoli, A N, and Michael P. Gillespie. James Joyce a to Z: The Essential Reference to the Life and Work. New York: Facts on file, 1995. Print. Gillespie, Michael P. James Joyce and the Fabrication of an Irish Identity. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2001. Print. Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man., 2013. Print. Top of Form Lewis, Pericles. The Cambridge Introduction to Modernism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Mullin, Katherine. James Joyce, Sexuality and Social Purity. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. Plock, Vike M. Joyce, Medicine, and Modernity. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2010. Print. Poplawski, Paul. Encyclopedia of Literary Modernism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003. Print. Sicari, Stephen. Joyce's Modernist Allegory: Ulysses and the History of the Novel. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2001. Print.Bottom of Form Spinks, Lee. James Joyce: A Critical Guide. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009. Print. Read More