Models and Joyce -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 05:23:59 02/28/08 Thu
Author: Janelle
Subject: Models and Joyce

As I was reading James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" I was struck by the way Joyce addresses the issue of models. The protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, needs and searches for individuals he can imitate, and Joyce makes it clear that Stephen, at least as a boy and young man, needs to have a model in order to give himself an identity. His models range from his parents, to the clergy, to literary figures and as he moves from one model to another he cannot help but look on his previous models with at least some bitterness. These models are such an integral part of who Stephen is, his thoughts and conversation frequently include quotes from these models. Any really well thought out ideas Stephen presents, at least early on, appear to all come from his models, including Byron, Shelley, and Cardinal Newman. It is interesting how Joyce presents a character who is actively seeking and testing models and manages to illustrate how Stephen's mind even works differently with the acquiring of a new model. It is also interesting to see the crisis Stephen goes through whenever he begins to feel that his model isn't working.

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