I was raised Southern Baptist, primarily in the Okie tradition of rural churches. As such I held the opinion that the Baptists had cornered the market on fire and brimstone, damnation, hell and guilt. I experienced all of these as real threats much too far into my adult life. James Joyce reminded me unflinchingly that Catholics have been marketing these commodities long before the Baptists came along. As to who does the dance of eternal damnation better it is a toss-up in my mind.
I did not know anything about this book before I read it. I had read Dubliners and enjoyed it very much. I had read Ulysses which left me scratching my head a bit. What I was not expecting was such a religious work. I suppose Joyce wanted the reader to know the journey he had undertaken to get to where he was. If you read any biographical articles about James Joyce you will find that his relationship with the Catholic religion is described as “complex”. Continue reading “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man By James Joyce”