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A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Myth and Identity in Joyce's Fiction: Disentangling the Image
In the excerpt below, O'Neill illustrates how Joyce's understanding, appreciation, and use of myth informing one's identity is revealed in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
The Literary Revival of turn-of-the-century Dublin was much concerned with expressing Irish aspirations through heroes. Finn and Cuchullain supplied imaginatively what Ireland had not been able to achieve in reality: an Irish hero who vanquished all foes. Joyce’s contempt for this form of self-consolation is well documented. In his broadside “The Holy Office” he parodies Yeats as he declares that he, Joyce, “must not accounted be / One of that mumming company.” Stephen of Stephen Hero devotes much energy to debunking the Revival. What is perhaps less well known is that...
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- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Introduction
- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Summary
- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Overview
- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: James Joyce Biography
- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Summary and Analysis
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