Mini-Lesson: Allusion Allusion is defined as: “An implied or indirect reference, especially in literature" (Merriam- Webster dictionary) © “an allusion is a reference made in a literary text to another text, or to a myth, historical or contemporary event, person, place, artwork, or element of popular culture" (AP) Allusions are generally used to provide further meaning to a text or story, by using an idea that most readers will already be familiar with Many popular illusions in literature refer back to the Judeo-Christian Bible or classical mythology of the Greeks and Romans. Mythological Allusions In Joyce's novel, the most prominent mythological allusion is that of Daedalus and Icarus. Stephen's last name, for instance, which is Dedalus, is a clear reference to Daedalus of the myth. By using the name Dedalus in the novel, Joyce creates a link between birds and artistry throughout the book. He repeatedly uses bird imagery to illustrate Stephen's artistic growth throughout the novel.Mythological Allusions (cont'd) The novel starts off with the birds close to the ground, like Icarus spiraling toward the sea. -This is shown when Stephen states that he is going to marry Eileen someday. In response to what Stephen says, Dante replied: "_O, Stephen will apologize. ~O, if not, the eagles will come and pull out his, By hiding under the table, Joyce refers to the fall of Icarus. By using this reference, Joyce is able to show readers Stephen's artistic immaturity Mythological Allusions (cont'd) When Stephen decides his future destiny to be an artist, we see a change in Stephen. “His heart trembled; his breath came faster and a wild spirit passed over his limbs as though he were soaring sunward” This feeling indicates that Stephen's change. He is now flying up and in the position of Icarus. This change illustrates that Stephen is more mature artistically.Biblical Allusions * Stephen's name is an allusion to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Like St. Stephen, Stephen Dedalus has conflicts with the established religion of his day. ° ° St. Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed by the aposties. Accused of blasphemy, at his trial he gave a long speech in which he challenged religious beliefs, and denounced the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him and was stoned to death * Many mentions of the Virgin Mary, and quotes from Catholic Mass. Literary Allusions Stephen's use of the name ‘Dante"forhis aunt (Mrs. Riordan) because of the way “The Auntie! ‘sounds in her Cork accentalludes to The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri ° ° Stephenmakesdirectallusions to the doctrines of Catholic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas. Stephen paraphrases Aquinas’ definiionof beauty as “ad pulchritucinem tia recuiruntur: integritas beauty: wholeness, harmony and radiance.” (Chapter5, pg. 229) ‘The epigraph ‘Etignotas animum dimititin artes" (And he sets his mind to unknown arts) rom. (Ovid's Metamorphoses alludes to the myth of Daedalus In Chapter3, Father Amall's sermon abouthell, which leads to a tuming pointin Stephen's life, draws heavily from Dante Alighieri's poem Infemo, which tells the story of Dante's descentintohel. Justas Dante's despairis easedby the appearance ofthe Virgin Mary summoning him upward to heavenly union with his beloved Beatrice, Stephen receivesa vision of Mary placing herhand on his beloved Emma, Asonantia, claritas,” which he then tansletes as "Three things are needed forA Portrait of the artist as a young man The full name of James Joyce (2 February 1882 — 13 January 1941) is James Augustine Aloysius Joyce. He is an early 20" century Irish novelist and poet. Joyce is one of the pioneers of ‘stream of consciousness’ technique in novel and a new type of poetry called ‘Prose Poem’. He is one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century also. He used the style of ‘the examination of big events through small happenings in everyday lives’. A Portrait of the artist as a g man Joyce was a polyglot. While serving as a teacher of English in Italy around 1904, he learned Italian. It was one of 17 languages he could speak, a list that included Arabic, Sanskrit, and Greek. In 1914 he published his first book, Dubliners, a collection of 15 short stories. In 1916,he published his second book ‘A Portrait of the artist as a young man’. The publication history was not pleasing to Joyce. No English publisher wanted to publish it.A Portrait of the artist as a young man However, Ezra Pound, the noted American poet came to his help and got the book published by an American Publishing House. The book was originally published as a newspaper serial and its title was ‘Stephen Dedalous’ after the name of its hero. At the advice of Ezra Pound, Joyce changed the title to ‘A Portrait of the artist as a young man’. It was not a commercial success. But it definitely created a permanent place for Joyce. Ezra Pound praised its style and voice. A Portrait of the artist as a young man Style of narration:- +» The style of narration of the novel is called ‘Stream of consciousness technique’. Another stylistic technique for which Joyce is noted is the epiphany. An epiphany reveals a moment in which a character makes a sudden, profound realization—whether prompted by an external object or a voice from within—that creates a change in his or her perception of the world. Joyce uses epiphany most notably in Dubliners, but A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is full of these sudden moments of spiritual revelation as well.A Portrait of the artist as a young man ‘The myth of Daedalus and Tearus Is in the structure ofthe novel, and gives Stephen his surname. Tearus was the son of Daedalus, the highly respected and _ talented ‘Athenian artisan. Both of them were imprisoned in the labyrinth. To come out Daedalus managed two big wings and attached them to their shoulders with wax. He taught the art of flying like birds to Iearus, but told him not to go closure to the Sun as the sunlight would melt the wax. Defying Daedalus’s. warning, adventurous Icarus started flying and had gone very close to the Sun. Wax melted and Icarus had to embrace death. This was the first flight of man. Genre::- The novel is called a Kiinstlerroman meaning "artist's novel” in German. It is a narrative about an artist's growth to maturity. In general, this type of novels are called ‘fictional autobiography’ or a Bildungsroman. More accurately it may be classified as a specific subgenre of Bildungsroman where a novel, tends to depict the conflicts of a sensitive youth against the values of a middle and upper class society of his or her time. Joyce traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Stephen Dedalus, a fictional alter ego of Joyce himself and an allusion to Daedalus, the consummate craftsman of Greek Mythology.A Portrait of the a Ss a young man + Point of view - Although most of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is in the third person, the point of view is Stephen's: as Stephen develops as a person, the language and perspective of the narration develop with him. We see everything in the manner in which he thinks and feels it. At the very end of the novel, there is a brief section in which the story is told through Stephen's diary entries. This section is in the first person. + Narrator: The narrator is anonymous. A Portrait of the artist as a young man Opener:- » The opening sentence of ‘A portrait of the artist as a young man’ is considered one of the most memorable openers in English novel. It reads--‘Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo...’+ Qu.How is Stephen influenced by his Irish nationality? + Ans. Stephen has a conflicted relationship to his Irish nationality, largely because of the fact that his family and friends have conflicting political views about Ireland and its independence. On one hand, Stephen's governess, Dante, is proud of the church and disdainful of Irish leaders like Parnell. On the other hand, Mr. Dedalus and John Casey see Parnell as the only hope for a free Ireland. Stephen's friends also stand on opposing sides of the question. Influenced by these divergent opinions, Stephen, though eager to leave Ireland by the end of the novel, is also inextricably tied to it. He feels that Ireland has always been at the mercy of other nations, just as he has always been bound by outside influences. When Stephen leaves, it is to forge the conscience of the Irish race—a project that, ironically, he feels he can accomplish only by leaving his native island behind. (Link: www.sparknotes.com] + Q.2. Discuss Joyce's use of religious imagery and language. Why are Father Arnall's three sermons so successful in overcoming Stephen's religious doubt? + Ans. Father Arnall's sermons touch Stephen at his core because they resonate with both Stephen's cultural background and his preoccupation with aesthetics. At the time when Father Arnall delivers his sermons, Stephen is struggling with the exact issues the priest addresses: the overwhelming strength of sinful emotions and the fear of being punished for them. When Father Arnall speaks, he validates and solidifies Stephen's vague concerns about morality and heavenly punishment. The cultural context in which Stephen has been raised creates an intolerable tension between his desire for various freedoms and his desire to meet the moral requirements placed upon him. + Additionally, Stephen, who is closely attentive to the sensory world around him, particularly connects with Father Arnall's vivid portraits of the sensory experience of being in hell. In addition to focusing on spiritual tortures, the priest describes the raw pain and grotesqueness of hell, painting a moral and religious punishment in emotional and aesthetic terms. AS Stephen is just awakening to the power of such emotions and aesthetics, Father Arnall's sermons have a particular resonance for him. Stephen's conversion to devout religiousness is, however, only temporary, The same tools father Arnall uses to such great effect in his sermons soon convert Stephen from a would-be priest of religion to a confirmed priest of art. (Link: www sparknotes. com]+ Qg.What role does Stephen's burgeoning sexuality play in his development as a character? How does his Catholic morality complicate his experience of sexuality? + Ans. Stephen's early life is dominated by moral restrictions embedded in the society and family environment surrounding him, and his coming-of-age process involves confronting and dismantling these restrictions. Stephen grows up enthralled by the hierarchies and rituals of school and chureh, a structure in which his growing adolescent lust is not acknowledged or validated. His newfound sexuality is so alien, in fact, that he initially fails to recognize it, and it is not until he falls into the arms of the prostitute that he realizes what he has been longing for. The encounter with the prostitute awakens Stephen to a side of his character that has until then been hidden. ‘The encounter symbolizes not only his awakening sexuality, but more generally, his awakening to the power of emotion and art. It also illustrates his extremely polarized conception of women: on the one hand are prostitutes with whom he can express his feelings of sexual desire, and on the other are revered, distant, near saintly figures such as Emma, whom he loves from afar but can never approach. + [Links wwnw.sparknotes.com] + Q.5.Compare and contrast Stephen's perception of art with his perception of religion, family, school, or country. What makes art such an appealing escape for Stephen? + Ans. For Stephen, art offers an escape from the constraints of religion, family, school, and country. Constrained by his surroundings and even his own self-imposed restraints, he looks to art as an independent, abstract realm where he can create a world that suits him. Stephen's obsession with aesthetic theory indicates that, for him, art is an abstract idea. Unlike the abstractions of religion, however, the abstractions of art are tied to the emotions with which Stephen struggles. In his love poem "To E— C—," for instance, he finds an outlet both for his aesthetic leanings and for the emotions that he is too restrained—or afraid—to express. + Link: www.sparknotes.com]+ Q.6.Why does Stephen turn down the offer to become a Jesuit? + Ans. Religion is Stephen's life up until the point when he is offered the possibility of centering the Jesuit order. After confessing his sins, he has tried to purify himself, and his superiors notice this remarkable devotion. It would seem that an offer to join the Jesuits is, the perfect culmination of a life that, aside from occasional lapses such as liaisons with prostitutes, has been destined for religion. Stephen, however, rejects the Jesuit offer as soon as it is made. Joyce suggests that Stephen clings to religion not because it is his calling, but merely as a source of stability within his turbulent life. He uses religion in an attempt to erect a barrier against the emotions that rage within him, Furthermore, Stephen has a strong aesthetic objection to the idea of being a priest, an objection that is ‘emphasized by the washed-out character of the priest who offers him the position. Even if the religious life appeals to Stephen on a religious or abstract level, the idea of walking, dressing, talking, and living like a priest is aesthetically unpleasant. At this point in the novel, Stephen's aesthetic inclinations have become so strong that he almost inevitably rejects anything that contradicts these aesthetic values. Linl: www.sparknotes.com Facts to know:- + 1James Joyce was born in nineteenth century Ireland + 2 Joyce was an important pioneer of the narrative technique known as stream of consciousness + 3. The name "Dedalus" makes allusion to the mythological figure who flew too close to the sun and drowned in the ocean + 4. James Joyce was raised in a family that was deeply Catholic + 5. In 1922, James Joyce published a book that some hail as the greatest masterpiece of twentieth century English literature. That book was Ulysses + 6. When describing the opening of this novel, one is most likely to talk about Sensual imagery and stream of consciousness + 7. Stephen's father is financially inept 8. Stephen is the oldest of roughly ten children+ 9. As a young boy, Stephen attends the Jesuit school of Clongowes. * 10. Asa young boy, Stephen is unathletic and shy. + 11, Two traits that the child Stephen has that he will keep for the rest of his life are his imagination and sensitivity. + 12, At Clongowes, Stephen is picked on by a bully named Wells. +» 13. One day, Stephen is attacked by the bully named Wells, who pushes Stephen into a cesspool. * 14. While in the clinic at Clongowes, Stephen is cared for by Brother Michael. + 15. While in the clinic at Clongowes, Stephen has the paper read to him. He hears about the death of Charles Parnell. + 16. At Christmas dinner, Stephen witnesses an argument between his father and John Casey on one side and Dante on the other + 17. The argument is over Charles Parnell + 18, One day in a Latin class, Stephen is excused from studying because he has broken. his glasses. The prefect Father Dolan accuses Stephen of breaking them on purpose and beats. + 19, Stephen has to withdraw from Clongowes because of his father's financial ineptitude. + 20, The Dedalus family moves to the town of Blackrock. + 21.Stephen takes long walks with his old Uncle Charles. + 22. In his new neighborhood, Stephen befriends a boy named Aubrey Mills. + 23. As a young boy, Stephen reads and is enraptured by The Count of Monte Cristo. + 24, Stephen's father manages to get Stephen back into private school. He is to attend Belvedere. + 25, Stephen falls in love with a girl named Emma Cler.e