A bildungsromand__and a difficult one at that__James Joyce's, " A Portrait Of the Artist as a Young Man," is not a light read. Joyce's meandering free form narrative and serpentine prose can be difficult to penetrate. This is impressionistic language honed to a fine level of skill__Joyce's forte. The plot follows the "coming of age story" of young Irish Catholic Stephen Dedalus as he makes his way from childhood to adult. Each of the novel's five parts is written in a language that reflects the age of Dedalus as he progresses through life. The first section is written in childlike language, starting with: "Once upon a time and a very good time there was a moocow coming down along the road this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo..."__hmm not an auspicious start. Many readers have put the book down right here. It then progresses in a never ending ascent of impressionistic language finally ending in a stream of consciousness written in abstruse Latin-sprinkled prose. So what makes this book worth reading? What makes it so rewarding and worth the struggle of navigating its symbolism and difficult style? And why afer 95 years is it still read today? Because it resonates. Most people will experience in some form or another what young Dadelus goes through as he transitions from child to adult. Many remember that experience in an impressionistic way and Joyce's work hits the mark using his prose style as the medium of his message. This is difficult literature written by a consummate prose stylist that makes a universal point__here are the universal themes of: coming of age, self discovery, self expression, the meaning of life, and religious beliefs. One consolation for the reader__it's short.
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