A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN PROJECT

I. WRITE A ONE-PAGE RESPONSE (about 3000 characters) USING ONE OF THE

TOPICS BELOW. INDICATE REFERENCES CONSULTED.

DEADLINE FOR SENDING THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: MAY 13, 2022 (Assoc. Prof.
Nicoleta Stanca, nicoletastanca1506@gmail.com).

PROJECT TOPICS

 Major characters and their presences in the text: Stephen Dedalus

 The personality of Stephen Dedalus across several passages from different episodes in A Portrait of the
Artists as a Young Man

 Representations of the labyrinth

 Consider the physical/ psychological/ social/ mythological layers of meaning in the hero’s journey,
incorporating quotes from the novel as evidence.

 A reversed bildungsroman?
 Provide a close reading of specific novel passage(s) you have chosen and offer a detailed analysis of the
ways in which the novel follows and/or differs from a traditional bildungsroman

 Hugh Kenner, Dublin’s Joyce, “The Portrait in Perspective” (1948) – Stephen regarded as
an “idigestibly Byronic figure”
 Provide a close reading of specific novel passage(s) you have chosen and offer a detailed analysis of the
ironical portrayal of the protagonist

 Mapping James Joyce’s Dublin in A Portrait

 Map the journey of Stephen Dedalus through Dublin (indicate the small novel passages you have chosen as
evidence and provide a detailed analysis); compare and contrast life in/outside Dublin, offering relevant
examples from the novel to support your arguments; comment on the connections between the real and
fictional spaces; discuss the relationship(s) between the character's mind and the real world (spatial
events) as depicted in specific passages; highlight the image of Dublin in different passages: sights, smells,
sounds, depiction of social types and professional classes (e.g. mothers, fathers, priests, teachers,
politicians- or any other), the manner in which particular characters are used to portray life in the city,
incorporating quotes from the novel as evidence.

II. DIGITAL DISSEMINATION

DEADLINE FOR POSTING THE BLOG CONTRIBUTION: MAY 13, 2022
(supervised by Dr. Alina Cojocaru, alina_ct7@yahoo.com).

Blogging – write a short blog post using your individual project on one of the subtopics
suggested; insert digital material that complements your written ideas (images, music, videos,
etc., connections to other art forms- painting, poetry, drama etc.) and, to celebrate James Joyce’s
vision, share at the end of your post what you enjoyed most about the novel and the experience
of reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
RESOURCES

*** TEACHING JOYCE : http://www.teachingjoyce.com/urg-helpful-links--resources.html

***BLOOMSDAY http://www.bloomsdayfestival.ie/about-us

*** Attridge, Derek. The Cambridge Companion to James Joyce. CUP, 2004.
***Bulson, Eric. The Cambridge Introduction to James Joyce. CUP, 2006.
*** Zimbaro, Valerie Pursel. Cliffs Notes on Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1992.