Fiction
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce — Summary, Key Ideas & Full Text
281 pages5 chapters5h 39m read4h 1m speed read✦ 9-min Big ideasFree · no account
What is A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man about?
Stephen Dedalus grows from boyhood faith to artistic rebellion — Joyce’s groundbreaking coming-of-age novel.
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Skip the 281 pages · 10 key ideas · read or listen
- 1Childhood Innocence and Imagination
- 2The Burden of Family Expectations
- 3Religious Influence and Guilt
- 4The Search for Identity
- 5Art as a Means of Liberation
+5 more ideas · 🎧 listenRead or listen to the summary →
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A glimpse inside
Childhood Innocence and Imagination
The novel opens with a glimpse into Stephen's early childhood, where his perception of reality is shaped by the whimsical stories told by his father and the vivid sensory…
The Burden of Family Expectations
As Stephen matures, he becomes increasingly aware of the expectations placed upon him by his family, particularly his father, Simon Dedalus.
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About the author
James Joyce
James Joyce has 3 works free to read on Lumina, including Dubliners, Ulysses.
All 3 books by James Joyce →Frequently asked
Yes — the complete text of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is free to read online, with no account and no ads. The 8-minute Big-ideas summary and audio narration are unlocked too.
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