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Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Study Guide

by James Joyce

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man study guide contains a biography of James Joyce, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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 family makes a series of moves into increasingly dilapidated homes as their fortunes dwindle. His mother is a devout Catholic. 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. The 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…

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• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Summary
• About Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
• Character List
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of Chapter 1
• Summary and Analysis of Chapter 2
• Summary and Analysis of Chapter 3
• Summary and Analysis of Chapter 4
• Summary and Analysis of Chapter 5
• Related Links on Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Major Themes
• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Essays
• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: E-Text
• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Questions
• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• James Joyce: Biography