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Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

#122: July - Sept. 2013 (Fiction)
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Chris OConnor

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Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
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Saffron

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Re: Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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Well, I in chap 1. So far I like, I like! Anyone else reading? Maybe we can set an early August date for a live posting, where we can respond to one another in real time.
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Re: Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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I'm having a read of this. Loving the experiential feel of joyce's language. Like scattered sense memories of childhood. Enjoyed 'the dead' but really loving this so far...on UK time so might have respond when i can.
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Flann 5
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Re: Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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Hi, I've just joined.Read chapter one.Very good and easy to read.Felt strange, the wintery descriptions and Christmas scene, in the middle of a rare heatwave here in Ireland right now.Not many posts on this.Pity.The spectre of clerical harshness to children looms large here.Joyce's originality of style and language present even in this early work. Enjoyable, and quietly funny given the harsh context.Good to see ,two others enjoying this book.
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I'm going to start reading soon. Saffron's idea to have a live discussion is brilliant. Maybe a bit towards the end of July?
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My goodness the christmas dinner scene is powerful. As often happens before a row it starts with an almost playful teasing. It becomes a storm, a runaway train of desperate genuinely painful conflict. I felt like stephen just watching with a terrible fascination :o as the darkness descends on them all. Powerful.
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I agree with Mr C. about the Christmas dinner scene. Much of the political and moral argument seems to me to be beyond Stephen's grasp.The furore over Charles Stewart Parnell's affair with Kitty O' Shea ,which incurred the wrath of the Catholic church at the time.What age do you think Stephen is at this time? I find it hard to guess myself.Quite a difficult task Joyce undertakes here, writing in the third person author's voice about Stephen while trying to convey his childlike perception and description of things. Well done, considering.......For anyone interested in the bone of contention,( Parnell)Simon Schama covers this very well and poignantly in his "History of Britain".
Last edited by Flann 5 on Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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Flann 5 wrote:Hi, I've just joined.Read chapter one.Very good and easy to read.Felt strange, the wintery descriptions and Christmas scene, in the middle of a rare heatwave here in Ireland right now.Not many posts on this.Pity.The spectre of clerical harshness to children looms large here.Joyce's originality of style and language present even in this early work. Enjoyable, and quietly funny given the harsh context.Good to see ,two others enjoying this book.
I am very much enjoying the first chapter. I love the narration, how it jumps around a bit and is given in snips and rambling bits just the way a child does describe things and it also captures how we remember things - all in a jumble. But I am getting away from my intention of responding to your post. I wanted to welcome you to BT and to our discussion of Portrait. I am personally glad, because I am hoping you can enlighten me to all that I am missing not being Irish. Things such as who the heck is Katie O'Shea (I did find out when I looked up Parnell) and what is a Pandybat.
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Re: Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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Mr C wrote:My goodness the christmas dinner scene is powerful. As often happens before a row it starts with an almost playful teasing. It becomes a storm, a runaway train of desperate genuinely painful conflict. I felt like stephen just watching with a terrible fascination :o as the darkness descends on them all. Powerful.
Me too! I think this attests to the strength of Joyce's prose. He is able to put the reader right in it, sitting right next to Stephen at the table.
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Re: Ch 1 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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If you guys want to talk live why not use the BookTalk.org chat room? http://www.booktalk.org/chat/index.php
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