James Joyce was one of the modernist writers who embraced the opportunities brought about by the modernist era. Joyce was one of the most notable authors of the modernism era. He was part of the group of writers who set the pace and laid grounds which writers of the next generation followed. He incorporated the resources of language at his disposal into his work. He made an enormous contribution to the era by influencing the technique of the writers who cropped up in the 21st century. His novel A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a work of the modernist era. Harry Levin said in regard to A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man main character : “ He becomes his own hero, and begins to crowed his other characters into the background.” In what follows I will explore the elements of the modernist era that are evident in the novel.
Modernism Techniques Evident in the Novel
The novel is a literary work that has multiple elements of the modernist era. The dialogue is minimal and it is a third-person narrative. The style used in the novel changes and evolves all through the five chapters. It describes the life of Stephen from his childhood. The beginning of the book relays his conscious experience and thoughts when he was young. With time as he grows older, language has been skillfully used to describe in an indirect way his state of mind. Joyce intended to highlight the subjective experience by using language instead of presenting the protagonists’ actual experiences by prose narrative.
The novel has several characteristics of the modernism era. There are numerous important and clear modernistic techniques incorporated in the novel. The techniques connect the character who is Stephen to Joyce, the author. These are some of the most common characteristics of modernism.
The novel is semi-autobiographical. The development of the character is reflected through his thoughts and experiences. There is a close and clear identification between Stephen and Joyce. Mixing the third and second person creates a personal reality. Joyce felt that modern fiction had to evolve from the previous conventions. This move he believed would express modern life more accurately.
The last section of the novel represents the diary of Stephen before leaving for Paris. The book leaves readers with the task of concluding the events that will eventually unfold. The diary announces the experiences of the character. It also announces the process of Stephens’ consciousness. It represents his thoughts and relays them to the reader.
Stream of Consciousness
The technique was popular in the modernist era. Joyce represents the consciousness of Stephen by relaying his thoughts. He focused on the individual rather than the society. This is attributed to be the reason behind why he uses the stream of consciousness and interior monologue. Joyce was known to favor this style. The style adopted by Joyce was free-flowing and uninhibited. This is reflected in the unrestrained conscious thought of Stephen.
This is an important technique of modernism. It manages to create a psychic reality that is not connected with true reality. The stream of consciousness technique renders the inner life of a character through a continuous flow of feelings, thoughts, fantasies and impressions. Modernist writers did not chronologically render the consciousness of a character; instead the style was more like an interior monologue.
