“Portals of Discovery”: Historical Allusions in Joyce’s Portrait

The Irish context informs the process of composition of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Joyce's use of historical allusions is an essential literary device when recontextualising the novel in its original cultural dynamics. Varied in form and elusive to the eye, allusions function a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Estudios irlandeses 2020-03, Vol.15 (15), p.13-25
Main Author: Conde-Parrilla, Maria-Angeles
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
a portrait of the artist as a young man
Allusion
Artists
Awards & honors
creative process
Cultural groups
historical allusions
History
ideologies
Ideology
ireland
james joyce
Joyce, James
Joyce, James (1882-1941)
Literary devices
Narratives
Novels
Politics
Students
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Summary:The Irish context informs the process of composition of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Joyce's use of historical allusions is an essential literary device when recontextualising the novel in its original cultural dynamics. Varied in form and elusive to the eye, allusions function as textual signs that introduce multiple layers of contextual meaning, unveiling the main characters' contradictions and the workings of coercive ideologies. Joycean allusions thus act as metonymic portmanteau signs; they become the true "portals" of discovery of a less apparent portrait: that of Ireland as a British colony. Key Words. James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Historical Allusions, Ireland, Ideologies, Creative Process. El contexto irlandes es determinante a la hora de entender la composicion de A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man y el uso de las alusiones historicas por parte de Joyce es un recurso literario esencial si se quiere recontextualizar la novela en su dinamica cultural original. Las alusiones historicas son variadas y escapan a simple vista, funcionando como signos textuales que introducen multiples capas de significado contextual, desvelando las contradicciones de los personajes principales y la forma en la que actuan las ideologias coercitivas. Las alusiones joyceanas actuan por tanto como complejos signos metonimicos; se convierten en autenticos "portales" de descubrimiento de un retrato no tan aparente, el de Irlanda como colonia britanica. Palabras clave. James Joyce, Retrato del artista adolescente, alusiones historicas, Irlanda, ideologias, proceso creativo.
ISSN:1699-311X
1699-311X
DOI:10.24162/EI2020-9296