One of the most important events regarding Stephen's theory of aesthetics is when he explains it to his friend Lynch in Chapter 5. In this section, it is evident that he is still trying to get his theory straight in his own mind. There's a specific section of Chapter 5, from the point where Joyce writes, "They lit their cigarettes and turned to the right," through the end of that section, where he says: "Her heart, simple and wilful as a bird's heart." The section is about 12 pages long. In this section is where Stephen explains his theory to Lynch.

As he's explaining, it's noted that Lynch is hung over, having been out on a "yellow drunk" the night before. Lynch isn't the smartest cat in the tree to begin with, so he serves as a perfect audience for Stephen to attempt to explain his theory. There are points, especially at the beginning in which he corrects himself or second guesses himself. For instance, in explaining the "tragic emotion," he corrects himself: "You see I use the word arrest. I mean that the tragic emotion is static. Or rather the dramatic emotion is." It's a very difficult process to explain this, but in my mind, he's practicing on Lynch, so he can get it straight. Lynch gives him ideas as to where the questions and holes lie in his theory.

In essence, his theory can be summed up in the following passage from this section: "When we come to the new phenomena of artistic conception, artistic gestation and artistic reproduction I require a new terminology and a new experience." Through Stephen, Joyce is pushing the envelope of aesthetic beauty, requiring something new of people. As we know, Joyce himself lived up to that requirement in his writings.