Author: imrantosharit

  • Jocasta dispel the suspicion from Oedipus’s mind the suspicion of being the kill of his own father?

    Short-Note

    Ans. When Jocasta listens to the story of Oedipus’s killing an old man, and when Oedipus expresses his desire to hear what the survivor (servant of Laius) says, Jocasta asks Oedipus what he expects to find out from the man. Oedipus says if his: story fits with Jocasta’s — that is, if he spoke of robbers, and if he still speaks of robbers — then it was not Oedipus. But if he speaks of one lone wayfarer, there is no escape; the finger points to Oedipus. Jocasta assures him that the man said that it was robbers, not a lone wayfarer. He cannot go back on it now; the whole town, not only she, heard what he said, and even if he changes his story in some small point; he cannot pretend that Laius died as was foretold. The oracle said that a child of Jocasta should kill Laius. But that did not happen, or it was not possible to happen, because the poor child died in its infancy. So, Jocasta proves that prophecies do not come true, and they should not care a fig for prophecies or divination. Oedipus admits that Jocasta is wise in her views, but still he would like to meet the survivor, the Theban shepherd, and to hear what he says. If he tells the same story — the story of Laius being killed by a band of robbers, they can be assured of Oedipus’s innocence.
    Jocasta’s statement of the circumstances in which King Laius was killed, as she heard it long ago from their servant, now a Theban shepherd, and her assertion that prophecies do not come true, dispel the suspicion from Oedipus’s mind to a great extent.

  • Led to Oedipus’s encounter with the monster Sphinx and its destruction

    Ans. Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes, were warned by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, that their newborn son was destined some day to kill his father and marry his mother. Laius riveted the baby’s (Oedipus) ankles, gave him to a servant to leave him in the mountains to die there from exposure. That servant, out of pity, gave it to a Corinthian shepherd who in turn gave it to the childless king Polybus of Corinth. There the baby was named Oedipus and was brought up as the prince of Corinth. When Oedipus became young he heard vague rumours that Polybus was not his real father. He went to Delphi to learn the truth frém the oracle. The same prophecy was repeated — he would kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid doing his (supposed) parents any harm, he decided not to return to Corinth while they were alive. He travelled through Greece and eventually came into the vicinity of Thebes. At that time Thebes was being ravaged by a savage monster, Sphinx. At a crossroads Oedipus encountered Laius, a dispute took place, and he killed Laius and his companions. He continued on his way to Thebes. Outside the city he met the Sphinx, the monster with woman’s head, lion’s body, eagle’s wings, and serpent’s tail. She asked every Tbeban to solve a riddle, and ate him up if he could not. Oedipus solved the riddle, and the monster was mortified. She leaped from the Mount Phicium and dashed herself to pieces in the valley below.

  • Jocasta’s character is revealed through her attempt to prevent Oedipus from making further investigation

    Ans. When Jocasta comes to realize, from the Corinthian shepherd’s account of how he got the baby Oedipus from another shepherd, a Theban shepherd, and when Oedipus asks Jocasta if that was the shepherd he has sent for, she turns white with terror, and begins to evade the question by talking in ambiguous terms. She says, “Forget what he has told you … It makes no difference”. When Oedipus insists on pursuing this trail to the end, she says, “No! In God’s name — if you want to live, this quest must not go on.”
    Through these words and behaviour of Jocasta, an important aspect of her character is revealed. It is quite a feminine aspect of her character. It is usually found that a woman, when she faces a situation in which something dangerous or too disturbing for the tranquility and peace of life might come up if full exploration is made, she prefers not to stir up the thing, and wants to remain in blissful ignorance. A woman usually does not have the courage to face the situation and accept the truth. Jocasta’s words and attitude in this particular situation are consistent with that feministic tendency. When she realizes that truth — and her realisation happens a little earlier than that of Oedipus
    — that Oedipus is her son but she has lived with him as husband and wife, she does not want Oedipus to dig up the truth, because such truth Will violently shake up her tranquil life so far. So her caution to Oedipus comes as her last words to him, “0 never live to learn the truth.”
    In her attempt to dissuade Oedipus from further investigation at this point of the story, Jocasta betrays an important aspect of her feminine nature

  • quarrel between Oedipus and Creon absolve Creon from the blame of conspiracy and give Oedipus some light of the truth

    Short-Note

    Ans. When Oedipus and Creon were quarrelling, Oedipus putting the blame of conspiracy on Creon and Creon defending himself, Jocasta comes out of the palace and intervenes. Jocasta appeals to Oedipus to believe Creon’s words, and to have respect for the allegiance that Creon has towards him. The chorus also joins Jocasta in defending Creon. Jocasta asks Oedipus to tell her the reason why he is so furious. Oedipus tells her that her brother Creon plotted against him. He used the crafty soothsayer, Teiresias, as a tool to accuse him of being the murderer of Laius. Jocasta then advises her husband Oedipus not to be afraid of any prophecies because all prophecies so far have not come true. She then proceeds to explain how.
    She says an oracle prophesied that Laius would have a son by Jocasta. This son would kill his father. But events later on proved the falsehood of the prophecy. Soon after the child was born, Laius riveted the ankles of the child, gave it over to a ervant who was instructed to leave it on a mountain to die from exposure there; Later on, Laius was killed by a band of robbers at a place where three roads met. So the prophecy of the oracle did not come true, Laius’s son did not kill his father. Oedipus now startles; he remembers he killed an old man with some of his companions at a place where three roads met. He asks Jocasta to give a description of Laius. Her description tallies with the appearance of the old man. On further asking about the party of the king, Oedipus comes to know from Jocasta that there were five men in all. Oedipus now remembers the whole thing, Jocasta’s description fits his experience, and only one man escaped from.his attack. He is now almost sure that Laius was his father. He now asks about the man that escaped. Jocasta says he will send for the man.

  • 18th Century Literature (1700-1800): History of English Literature

    The 18th century was a period of significant social, political, and cultural transformation in Europe, and literature reflected these changes. Known as the Age of Enlightenment, the 18th century witnessed a shift towards reason, science, and intellectual inquiry. In this essay, we will explore the characteristics, major authors, and significant works of 18th century literature.

    One of the key characteristics of 18th century literature is its emphasis on reason and rationality. This period saw the rise of Enlightenment philosophy, which advocated for the use of reason, scientific method, and skepticism. The literature of the time reflected these ideals, with writers exploring human nature, social institutions, and the pursuit of knowledge.

    The novel emerged as a prominent literary form during the 18th century. Authors such as Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, and Samuel Richardson contributed to the development of the novel as a genre. Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” is considered one of the earliest and most influential novels in English literature, exploring themes of survival, self-reliance, and colonialism. Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” is a satirical work that critiques human nature, society, and politics through the lens of fantastical journeys. Richardson’s “Pamela” and “Clarissa” are epistolary novels that delve into themes of morality, virtue, and gender roles.

    Poetry also continued to flourish during the 18th century. However, there was a shift towards a more polished and refined style. Neoclassical principles influenced the poetry of the time, emphasizing reason, clarity, and balance. Alexander Pope, one of the most prominent poets of the era, exemplified this neoclassical style. His “Essay on Criticism” and “The Rape of the Lock” showcased his mastery of satire, wit, and the use of heroic couplets.

    Another significant literary figure of the 18th century was Samuel Johnson. He is known for his contributions to literary criticism, lexicography, and his influential work “A Dictionary of the English Language.” Johnson’s essays, collected in “The Rambler” and “The Idler,” provided moral and social commentary on a wide range of subjects.

    The 18th century also witnessed the rise of the periodical essay, a form of nonfiction prose that appeared in regular publications. Writers like Joseph Addison and Richard Steele contributed to this genre with their collaborative work in “The Tatler” and “The Spectator.” These essays covered various topics, including literature, politics, manners, and society, and they played a significant role in shaping public opinion and cultural discourse of the time.

    The 18th century also saw the development of the Gothic novel, a genre characterized by elements of horror, suspense, and the supernatural. Horace Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto” is considered the first Gothic novel, setting the stage for works by writers like Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis, and Clara Reeve. These novels explored themes of fear, the sublime, and the psychological depths of human experience.

    Women writers made significant contributions to 18th century literature. Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” challenged societal expectations of women and advocated for gender equality. Fanny Burney’s novel “Evelina” provided a satirical and insightful portrayal of social manners and the position of women in society.

    In summary, 18th-century literature reflects the intellectual and cultural shifts of the Age of Enlightenment. The rise of the novel, the development of neoclassical poetry, the emergence of the periodical essay, and the exploration of Gothic themes are key features of this period. The works of authors like Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson, and Mary Wollstonecraft, among others, exemplify the diversity and richness of 18th-century literature.

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man[point of view]

    POINT OF VIEW

    Just as the literary style of Portrait of the Artist is more subtle and in some ways more difficult than that of traditional novels, so is the novel’s point of view. Portrait of the Artist is, in general, an example of a third-person, limited omniscient narrative. Stephen Dedalus doesn’t tell his story himself. But in general we perceive only what he perceives. We don’t enter other characters’ minds. Only occasionally—as at the Christmas dinner scene, or during the trip to Cork with Simon Dedalus— do we even hear or see other characters who haven’t been completely filtered through Stephen’s perceptions.

    Indeed, the book focuses so closely on Stephen, and takes us so. Deeply into his mind, that at times it resembles a first-person narrative. In fact, however, the book is a little trickier than that. If Portrait of the Artist were a first-person narrative, or a traditional third-person, limited omniscient narrative, it would be difficult for us to get outside of Stephen. We would see him only as he sees himself. We could judge him only as he judges himself. But that isn’t what happens.

    First, Joyce very occasionally lets us step outside of Stephen’s consciousness. For example, at the end of the Christmas dinner scene, we are told that Stephen raises “his terror-stricken face.” Stephen, of course, can’t see his own face while sitting at the dinner table—but by taking us outside Stephen for this instant, Joyce emphasizes the impact the vicious argument has had upon the young boy.

    More subtly, and more frequently, Joyce lets us stand just slightly outside Stephen—in this way giving us the distance we need to judge him—a through the language he uses to describe Stephen’s thoughts. For example, in Chapter Two, Stephen dreams of finding ‘in the real world the unsubstantial image which his soul so constantly beheld. …. They would meet quietly as if they had known each other and had made their tryst … and at that moment of supreme tenderness he would be transfigured.” Some readers feel such sentences are merely accurate descriptions of Stephen’s thoughts; they feel that since Stephen approves of his own thoughts, Joyce does too. But many other readers feel that Joyce has purposely laid it on a little too thick here, and in many other parts of the book. They feel the language, he uses to express Stephen’s thoughts is purposely a little too “poetic,” because Stephen himself is a little too poetic. He takes himself, his art, and his rebellion too seriously. Even the famous lines — “Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race”

    — can be taken as a brave vow or as an eloquent-sounding but hollow promise that Stephen won’t be able to fulfill. In these ways, language in Portrait of the Artists becomes closely connected to point of view. We are inside Stephen’s mind, yet Joyce’s language may put us slightly outside it as well.

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man[PLOT OVERVIEW]

    PLOT OVERVIEW

    The novel begins with Stephen Dedalus’ first memories, when he was about three years old. The fragmented lines are from a childhood story and a nursery song, and are linked with family associations, sensory perceptions, and pieces of conversation. In this opening scene, Joyce is presenting to us the genesis of a future artist’s perception and interpretation of the world. Moving from Stephen’s infancy to his early days at Clongowes Wood College, a Jesuit boarding school for boys, Joyce focuses on three key incidents which significantly affect Stephen’s personality. First„ Stephen is pushed into an open cesspool by a bullying classmate and, subsequently, he develops a fever which confines him to the school infirmary; here, he begins to discern that he is “different,” that he is an outsider. Later, when he is probably six years old, Stephen returns home to celebrate Christmas dinner with his family and is invited, for the first time, to sit with the adults at the dinner table. This extraordinarily happy occasion is marred by. A heated political argument between Stephen’s old nurse, Dante Riordan, and a dinner guest, Mr. Casey, leaving Stephen confused about the issues of religion and politics in the adult world.

    On returning to school, Stephen accidentally breaks his glasses and is unable to complete his class work. He is unjustly humiliated and punished by the cruel prefect of studies, but after receiving encouragement from a friend, Stephen bravely (if fearfully) goes to the rector of the school and obtains justice. The success of this meeting instills in him a healthy self-confidence and ennobles him, for a moment, in the eyes of his classmates. After a brief summer vacation at his home in Blackrock, Stephen learns that his father’s financial reversals make it impossible to return to Clongowes Wood; instead, he is enrolled in a less prestigious Jesuit day school, Belvedere College. Here, he develops ‘a distinguished reputation as an award-winning essay writer and a fine actor in his school play. Despite these accomplishments, however, Stephen feels increasingly alienated from his schoolmates because of his growing religious skepticism and his deep interest in literature and writing. This feeling of isolation is intensified during a trip with his father to Cork, where he learns more about his father’s weaknesses.

    Stephen becomes increasingly repelled by the dead-ü end realities of Dublin life. Frustrated by his loss of faith in the Catholic Church, in his family situation, and in his cultural bonds, Stephen seeks to “appease the fierce longings of his heart.” After wandering through the city’s brothel district, he finds momentary solace with a Dublin prostitute. He is fourteen years old, and this is his first sexual experience. After a period of “sinful living,” Stephen attends an intense three-day spiritual retreat. During that time, he is overwhelmed by guilt and remorse; he believes that Father Arnall is speaking directly to him. Panicking, he seeks out a kindly old Capuchin priest, pledges moral reform, and rededicates himself to a life of purity and devotion. He fills his days with fervent prayers and takes part in as many religious services as he can. Noticing Stephen’s exceedingly pious behavior, the director of the school arranges a meeting to encourage Stephen to consider entering the priesthood. At first, Stephen is flattered, fascinated by the possibilities of the clerical life, but increasingly he is tormented by carnal desires, He finally realizes that his “inherent sinful nature” makes it necessary for him to reject a religious vocation. Having made this discovery about himself, Stephen decides to enroll in the university, where he hopes to shape his destiny as an artist. This decision is immediately followed by a climactic “epiphany”: he sees a girl wading in the sea; to Stephen, she embodies the attraction, the promise, and the abandon which he wishes to experience in life. It is at this moment that Stephen understands that he can only hope to gain this experience through a life of artistic expression. Shortly thereafter, Stephen begins a new life as a young man in search of his own values and his own credo. In comparison with the other college students, Stephen often seems anti-social and more concerned with pursuing his own interests than supporting the causes of others. Even Stephen himself realizes that unlike most of his friends, he is unusually introspective. He is not the typical devil-may-care university student; he rejects the typical blind patriotic blather, and although he continues to respect the Catholic faith, he no longer believes that its tenets should govern his life. Through conversations with friends and a dean of studies, Stephen eventually develops his own aesthetic theory of art, based on the philosophies of Aristotle and

    Aquinas. Simultaneously, he concludes that if he is ever going to find his artistic soul, he must sever all bonds of faith, family, and country. He must leave Dublin and go abroad to “forge” his soul’s “uncreated conscience.”

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    CRITICAL CONTEXT

    Published in 1916 and set in Ireland in the late. Nineteenth A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man established James Joyce as a leading figure in e international movement known as literary modernism. The title describes the book’s subject quite accurately. On one level, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man can be read as what the Germans call a Bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel.

    Chronicling the life of Stephen Dedalus from early childhood to young adulthood and his life-changing decision to leave Ireland, the novel is profoundly autobiographical. Like Stephen, Joyce had early experiences with prostitutes during his teenage years and struggled with questions of faith. Like Stephen, Joyce was the son of a religious mother and a financially inept father, Like Stephen, Joyce was the eldest of ten children and received his education at Jesuit schools, Like Stephen, and Joyce left Ireland to pursue the life of a poet and writer. Stephen’s education includes not only his formal schooling but also his moral, emotional, and intellectual development as he observes and reacts to the world around him. At the center of the story is Stephen’s rejection of his Roman Catholic upbringing and his growing confidence as a writer. But the book’s significance does not lie only in its portrayal of a sensitive and complex young man or in its use of autobiographical details. More than this, A Portrait is

    Joyce’s deliberate attempt to create a new kind of novel that does not rely on conventional narrative techniques. Rather than telling a story with a coherent plot and a traditional beginning, middle, and end, Joyce presents selected decisive moments in the life of his hero without the kind of transitional material that marked most novels written up to that time. The “portrait” of the title is actually a series of portraits, each showing Stephen at a different stage of development. And, although this story told in a third-person narrative, it is filtered through Stephen’s consciousness. Finally, the book can be read as Joyce’s artistic manifesto and a declaration of independence—independence from what Joyce considered the restrictive social background of Catholic Ireland and from the conventions that had previously governed the novel as a literary genre. More than eighty years after its publication, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man continues to be regarded as a central text of early twentieth-century modernism.

    MYTHICAL CONTEXT: DAEDALUS MYTH

    The name Stephen Dedalus was chosen by James Joyce to link his hero with the mythical Greek hero, Daedalus. The Latin epigraph is from the Roman poet Ovid’s version of the story.

    In Greek myth, Daedalus was an architect, inventor, and craftsman whose name is often translated as “cunning (skillful artificer.” By the request of king Minos, Daedalus built a labyrinth—a maze— on Crete to contain a monster called the Minotaur, half bull and half man. Later, for displeasing the king, Daedalus and his son Icarus were both confined in this labyrinth, which was so complex that even its creator couldn’t find his way out.

    Instead, Daedalus fashioned wings of wax and feathers so that he and his son could escape. But when Icarus flew too high—too near the sun—in spite of his father’s warnings, his wings melted, and he fell into the sea and drowned. His more cautious father flew to safety. Joyce had always been drawn to myths—ancient legends and tales that, despite their cultural origins, relate universal themes like the conflict between father and son or the role of the creative artist. The legend of

    Daedalus and his headstrong son particularly interested him. He found in it parallels to his own predicament as an artist caught in the maze of his own constricted life, with his own father-son conflict. Like Daedalus, he needed skills and courage to fly away and escape. Joyce signed the name Stephen Daedalus to some of his early stories. Later, when he decided to use the name for the hero of Portrait of the Artist, he changed the spelling to Dedalus to make it seem a more Irish last name. The Daedalus myth gives a basic structure to Portrait of the Artist. At first, Stephen doesn’t understand the significance of his unusual name. He comes to realize, by the fourth chapter, that like Daedalus he is caught in a maze. If he wants to be free, he must fly high above his hazardous existence. At the end of Chapter Five, he is poised to fry his wings. Novel echoes the myth on several levels. Stephen seeks a way out of the restraints of family, country, and religion. Like Daedalus, he will fashion his own wings—of poetry, not of wax—as a creative (“cunning”) artist. But there are also times when Stephen feels like Icarus, the son who will not heed his father’s advice and who died for his stubborn pride. At the end of Portrait of the Artist, he seems to be calling on a substitute, spiritual parent for support, when he refers to Daedalus as “old father, old artificer.”

    The myth’s pattern of flight and fall also gives shape to the novel. Some readers see each chapter ending as an attempted flight followed by partial failure — a fall — at the beginning of the next chapter. The last chapter ends with the most ambitious attempt, to fly away from home, religion, and a nation to a self-imposed artistic exile. If we identify Joyce with Stephen Dedalus, the last flight will appear to have been a success. As a purely fictional matter, however, it is not certain whether Stephen will soar like Daedalus or drown like Icarus

    POLITICAL CONTEXT: IRELAND

    The most troubling issue in the history of Ireland was its difficult relations with England

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Critical Context

    A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN CRITICAL CONTEXT

    CRITICAL CONTEXT

    Published in 1916 and set in Ireland in the late. Nineteenth A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man established James Joyce as a leading figure in e international movement known as literary modernism. The title describes the book’s subject quite accurately. On one level, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man can be read as what the Germans call a Bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel.

    Chronicling the life of Stephen Dedalus from early childhood to young adulthood and his life-changing decision to leave Ireland, the novel is profoundly autobiographical. Like Stephen, Joyce had early experiences with prostitutes during his teenage years and struggled with questions of faith. Like Stephen, Joyce was the son of a religious mother and a financially inept father, Like Stephen, Joyce was the eldest of ten children and received his education at Jesuit schools, Like Stephen, and Joyce left Ireland to pursue the life of a poet and writer. Stephen’s education includes not only his formal schooling but also his moral, emotional, and intellectual development as he observes and reacts to the world around him. At the center of the story is Stephen’s rejection of his Roman Catholic upbringing and his growing confidence as a writer. But the book’s significance does not lie only in its portrayal of a sensitive and complex young man or in its use of autobiographical details. More than this, A Portrait is

    Joyce’s deliberate attempt to create a new kind of novel that does not rely on conventional narrative techniques. Rather than telling a story with a coherent plot and a traditional beginning, middle, and end, Joyce presents selected decisive moments in the life of his hero without the kind of transitional material that marked most novels written up to that time. The “portrait” of the title is actually a series of portraits, each showing Stephen at a different stage of development. And, although this story told in a third-person narrative, it is filtered through Stephen’s consciousness. Finally, the book can be read as Joyce’s artistic manifesto and a declaration of independence—independence from what Joyce considered the restrictive social background of Catholic Ireland and from the conventions that had previously governed the novel as a literary genre. More than eighty years after its publication, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man continues to be regarded as a central text of early twentieth-century modernism.

    MYTHICAL CONTEXT: DAEDALUS MYTH

    The name Stephen Dedalus was chosen by James Joyce to link his hero with the mythical Greek hero, Daedalus. The Latin epigraph is from the Roman poet Ovid’s version of the story.

    In Greek myth, Daedalus was an architect, inventor, and craftsman whose name is often translated as “cunning (skillful artificer.” By the request of king Minos, Daedalus built a labyrinth—a maze— on Crete to contain a monster called the Minotaur, half bull and half man. Later, for displeasing the king, Daedalus and his son Icarus were both confined in this labyrinth, which was so complex that even its creator couldn’t find his way out.

    Instead, Daedalus fashioned wings of wax and feathers so that he and his son could escape. But when Icarus flew too high—too near the sun—in spite of his father’s warnings, his wings melted, and he fell into the sea and drowned. His more cautious father flew to safety. Joyce had always been drawn to myths—ancient legends and tales that, despite their cultural origins, relate universal themes like the conflict between father and son or the role of the creative artist. The legend of

    Daedalus and his headstrong son particularly interested him. He found in it parallels to his own predicament as an artist caught in the maze of his own constricted life, with his own father-son conflict. Like Daedalus, he needed skills and courage to fly away and escape. Joyce signed the name Stephen Daedalus to some of his early stories. Later, when he decided to use the name for the hero of Portrait of the Artist, he changed the spelling to Dedalus to make it seem a more Irish last name. The Daedalus myth gives a basic structure to Portrait of the Artist. At first, Stephen doesn’t understand the significance of his unusual name. He comes to realize, by the fourth chapter, that like Daedalus he is caught in a maze. If he wants to be free, he must fly high above his hazardous existence. At the end of Chapter Five, he is poised to fry his wings. Novel echoes the myth on several levels. Stephen seeks a way out of the restraints of family, country, and religion. Like Daedalus, he will fashion his own wings—of poetry, not of wax—as a creative (“cunning”) artist. But there are also times when Stephen feels like Icarus, the son who will not heed his father’s advice and who died for his stubborn pride. At the end of Portrait of the Artist, he seems to be calling on a substitute, spiritual parent for support, when he refers to Daedalus as “old father, old artificer.”

    The myth’s pattern of flight and fall also gives shape to the novel. Some readers see each chapter ending as an attempted flight followed by partial failure — a fall — at the beginning of the next chapter. The last chapter ends with the most ambitious attempt, to fly away from home, religion, and a nation to a self-imposed artistic exile. If we identify Joyce with Stephen Dedalus, the last flight will appear to have been a success. As a purely fictional matter, however, it is not certain whether Stephen will soar like Daedalus or drown like Icarus

    POLITICAL CONTEXT: IRELAND

    The most troubling issue in the history of Ireland was its difficult relations with England. England, which from the twelfth century had controlled portions of Ireland, gained near-complete dominance of the island in the sixteenth century. Irish resentment towards the conquerors was strong, especially when under King Henry VIII the English monarchy became Protestant, while Ireland clung to Roman Catholicism. Irish Catholics became victims of religious persecution in their own country. Unjust agricultural policies also contributed to the difficulties. Most Irish land was owned by absentee landlords and leased to tenant farmers. It was an inefficient system that was in part responsible for a series of Irish famines, the most terrible of which occurred after the failure of the potato crop in 1848. Over a million people died during this famine. From time to time, revolutionary heroes—like the eighteenth-century patriots

    Wolfe Tone and Hamilton Rowan admired by young Stephen—aroused Irish hopes for independence, only to be crushed. In Joyce’s youth, confrontation was once again in the air. The Land League, led by Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell, had campaigned ‘ successfully for agricultural reforms. Other groups campaigned for Irish cultural independence by promoting the use of Gaelic, Ireland’s native tongue, rather than the English brought by Ireland’s conquerors. Perhaps most important was the campaign for Irish Home Rule, self-government through an independent Irish parliament. The Home Rule campaign was led by Charles Stewart Parnell. Parnell’s leadership in the British Parliament had succeeded in winning over his colleagues to Home Rule.

    Before the bill was passed, however, Parnell’s enemies exposed his personal relationship with the married Katherine (Kitty) O’Shea, with whom he had been living secretly for many years.

    The Parnell affair divided Ireland. Parnell’s own party deposed him, the Catholic Church denounced him, and his British backers withdrew their support. Parnell died of pneumonia shortly afterwards, in 1891, when Joyce was nine. (In the scene in Chapter One, the feverish Stephen dreams of his hero’s funeral procession.) Irish politics remained hopelessly tangled after Parnell’s downfall. Some groups still wanted to work for independence by peaceful means. Others believed that violence was necessary. Irish nationalists, like Stephen’s friend Davin, joined a group called Sinn Fein, whose military arm was called

    The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). Remnants of the IRB later became The Irish Republican Army, known as the IRA. The Sinn Fein’s armed Easter Sunday Rebellion of 1916 against the British was unsuccessful in its attempt to seize Dublin and proclaim a republic. The British outlawed the group in 1918 and sent in troops (“Black and Tans”) to round up remaining guerrilla fighters.

    Nevertheless, the Irish Free State (now the Republic Of Ireland) was established four years later; it included most, but not all, of Ireland. The six counties of the northern region of Ulster remained, as they are now, a part of Britain—but violently divided over religious issues. Thus, the long tradition of Anglo-Irish conflict continues to this day. The influences of Ireland on Stephen appear to him as a part of the labyrinth in which he is entangled; he feels that he must escape it. The country is the very opposite of Stephen’s ideal, because the Irish have allowed themselves to be shaped by alien forces and cultures. They are, in this view, victims of two empires, the British, which controls them politically, and the Roman Catholic, which rules them spiritually from Rome. That this is foreign to Ireland’s true nature is made very clear when Stephen, now a Student at University College, enters a house owned by the Jesuits. He senses the history of the place and asks himself, “(Was the Jesuit house extraterritorial and was he walking among aliens? The Ireland of Tone and of Parnell seemed to have receded in space”. Tone and Parnell were Irish nationalists; Stephen will also soon find out that the Dean of Studies is an Englishman. So the Jesuit house is “extraterritorial”; not really part of Ireland at all.

    Part of Stephen’s quest is to break through this Irish net of foreign-dominated cultural history and create an art that is free. He has been aware, from a very young age, of the conflict in Ireland because the fierce quarrel that erupts at the family Christmas dinner makes a deep impact on him. It shows the divisions between the Irish regarding their own history and destiny. Dante Riordan supports the Church, which opposed Charles Parnell, the Irish nationalist who nearly brought Home Rule to Ireland. The Church in general opposed Irish nationalism. Opposing Dante are Stephen’s father and Mr. Casey, who argue that Ireland is a “priest-ridden” country; the Church is a harmful influence. As Stephen matures, he does not take sides; he transcends the debate. He will not side with the nationalists because he sees no hope in that path, based on the way the Irish people have treated their own leaders. He tells his friend Davin that “No honorable and sincere man.

    has given up to you his life and his youth and his affections from the days of Tone to those of Parnell but you sold him to the enemy or failed him in need or reviled him and left him for another”. Nor does Stephen have any interest in following the Roman Catholic Church, which would merely be to follow a system and a doctrine laid out by an authority external to himself. Stephen does want to do something for his country, but he wants to free it through art, not politics. Or religion. This is clear from his penultimate diary entry, when he goes to “encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race”

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man summary

    A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN SUMMARY (BRIEF SUMMARY)

    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man summary : A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man takes place in Ireland at the turn of the century. Young Stephen Dedalus comes from an Irish Catholic family; he is the oldest of ten children, and his father is financially inept. Throughout the novel, the Dedalus f family makes a series of moves into increasingly dilapidated homes as their fortunes dwindle. His mother is a devout Catholic.

    A-Portrait-of-the-Artist-as-a-Young-Man-summary-Part-One

    When Stephen is young, he and the other Dedalus children are tutored by the governess Dante, a fanatically Catholic woman. Their Uncle Charles also lives with the family. Book opens with stream of consciousness narrative filtered through a child’s perspective; there is sensual imagery, and words approximating baby talk, we leap forward in time to see young Stephen beginning boarding school at Clongowes. He is very young, terribly homesick, un-athletic and socially awkward. He is an easy target for bullies, and one day he is pushed into a cesspool. He becomes ill from the filthy water, but he remembers what his father told him and doesn’t tell on the boy.

    A-Portrait-of-the-Artist-as-a-Young-Man-summary-Part-Two

    That Christmas, he eats at the adult table for the first time. A terrible argument erupts over politics, with John Casey and Stephen’s father on one side and Dante on the other. Later that year, Stephen is unjustly hit by a prefect. He complains to the rector, winning the praises of his peers.

    A-Portrait-of-the-Artist-as-a-Young-Man-summary-Part-three

    Stephen is forced to withdraw from Clongowes because of his family’s poverty. The family moves to Blackrock, where Stephen takes long walks with Uncle Charles and goes on imaginary adventures with boys from around the neighborhood. When Stephen is a bit Older, the family moves to Dublin, once again because of financial difficulties. He meets a girl named Emma Clere, who is to be the object of his adoration right up to the end of the book. His father, with a bit of charm, manages to get Stephen back into private school. He is to go to Belvedere College, another institution run by the Jesuits. Stephen comes into his own at Belvedere—a reluctant leader and a success at acting and essay writing. Despite his position of leadership, he often feels quite isolated.

    A-Portrait-of-the-Artist-as-a-Young-Man-summary-Part-Four

    He continues to be a sensitive and imaginative young man, acting in school plays and winning essay contests. He is also increasingly obsessed with sex; his fantasies grow more and more lurid. Finally, one night he goes with a prostitute. It is his first sexual experience. Going with prostitutes becomes a habit. Stephen enters a period of spiritual confession. He considers his behavior sinful, but he feels oddly indifferent towards it. He cannot seem to stop going to prostitutes, nor does he want to stop. But during the annual spiritual retreat at Belvedere, he hears three fire sermons on the torments of hell. Stephen is terrified, and he repents of his old behavior.

    A-Portrait-of-the-Artist-as-a-Young-Man-summary-Part-Five

    He becomes almost fanatically religious. After a time, this feeling passes. He becomes increasingly frustrated by Catholic doctrine. When a rector offers him priesthood, Stephen realizes that it is not the life for him. One day, while walking on the beach, he sees a beautiful girl. Her beauty hits him with the force of spiritual revelation, and he no longer feels ashamed of admiring the body. He will live life to the fullest. Next time we see Stephen, he is a university student, University has provided him with valuable structure and new ideas; in particular, and he has had time to think about the works of Aquinas and Aristotle on the subject of beauty. Stephen has developed his own theory of aesthetics. He is increasingly preoccupied with beauty and art.

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    Although he has no shortage of friends, he feels isolated. He finds Ireland as a trap, and he realizes that he must escape the constraints of nation, family, and religion. He can only do that abroad. Stephen imagines his escape as something parallel to the flight of Daedalus who escaped from his prison with wings crafted by his own genius. The book ends with Stephen leaving Ireland to pursue the life of an artist.

    A-Portrait-of-the-Artist-as-a-Young-Man-summary-Part-Seven

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