James Joyces Development of a Young Artist As an account of the formative years of ambitious author Stephen Dedalus James Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man suggests by the title that the focus covers events in Stephens life relevant to his development as an artist On a moral spectrum Stephens development ranges from devout Catholicism to the depths of sin and as the driving forces behind this moral ambiguity shift him between the two Stephen eventually puts himself in the center of
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man The novel begins with Stephen Dedalus first memories when he was about three years old The fragmented lines are from a childhood story and a nursery song and are linked with family associations sensory perceptions and pieces of conversation In this opening scene Joyce is presenting to us the genesis of a future artists perception and interpretation of the world Moving from Stephens infancy to his early days at Clongowes Wood College a Jesuit boarding scho