My Understanding Of A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young...

Reading and exploring various literary pieces can be an interesting task for the young mind. By observing myself and my peers I have developed an opinion, this opinion was reinforced by reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. There are different stages of comprehension. Authors and readers utilize both experiences and prior knowledge quite often. My understanding of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man By James Joyce was vastly impacted after reading Foster’s book. Instead of just reading the novel, I dove deeper into the text. Originally I might have just said the novel was simply a sort of biography. Instead I would consider it a search of identity and transformation of religious/spiritual perspective. Prior†¦show more content†¦Although this is its own story, it is nothing new. Considering the idea that everything is apart of one story, it is more of a symbiotic relationship. When you boil down the facts it is easier: young person, feels â€Å"special†, wants satisfaction, falls to temptations, questions moral upbringing. Sound familiar? It s basically 95% of teenagers. I find comfort in the thought that everything in the world is interconnected, but I never made that connection with literature. When a reader discerns the individuality of the text while relating with personal experience, the reading gains value. It is no secret that Joyce is a master of symbolism and allusion. The first stage of comprehension is to see as much information as possible. Next a reader learns how to pick out more important facts. You know you are getting somewhere when you notice rhetorical devices while continuing to absorb the pleasure of the story. Foster talks about how acts of communion are meaningful and representative in stories. Joyce always makes a point to describe the meal and table. He makes it evident down to the green and maroon accents. The untrained mind would have frivolously skimmed over the colors, even though they represent the irish resistance and symbolize the state of politics at the time. Likewise he alludes to the bible a multitude of times. The bible names many of the tribulations to which humans are subjected to in their lifetimes. This vastShow MoreRelated Stephens Journey to Maturation in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 1234 Words   |  5 PagesMaturation i n A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce    In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the author James Joyce uses the development of Stephen from a sensitive child to a rebellious young man to develop the plot of the novel. 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A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce is a semi-autobiographical novel that takes place in Ireland during a surge of political reformation, and calls for separation from England during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Describe your response to reading this novel. Was the novel absorbing? Burdensome? Aligned with your expectation? Not? Was there a difference in your usual reading, since this