Stephen's Aesthetic Theory Two chief principles (from Thomas Aquinas): •
Those things are beautiful the perception of which pleases.
•
The good is that toward which the appetite tends o
o
The creative artist is concerned only with the creation of the beautiful The productive artist is concerned with the productions of the good.
Other major principals: •
•
•
Art must produce a stasis in the observer that is! it see"s no end by the satisfaction of an aesthetic sense Art should not be kinetic that is! it should not product an emotion such as desire or loathing. #f it does does it assumes assumes the function of a useful art! such as rhetoric. Three things are necessary for the perception of the beautiful: o
wholeness or integrity
o
harmony or proportion
o
clarity or radiance
$sing the e%ample of a bas"et! &tephen elaborates on the three things necessary for the perception of the beautiful. •
'irst! one sees the bas"et as one thing (wholeness)
•
Then one perceives it as a thing with parts (harmony)
•
'inally! one sees it as that thing and no other (clarity)
&tephen e%plains to ynch that beauty and truth produce stasis in the mind of the observer. e quotes *lato: +,eauty is the splendor of the truth.+ As they proceed on their wal"! &tephen divides art into a progression of three forms: •
•
•
yrical: the image is presented in immediate relation to the artist himself. -pic: the image is presented in immediate relation to the artist and to others (not purely personal). ramatic: the image is presented in immediate relation to others. The artist/s personality is re0ned out of e%istence (impersonal)
The Aesthetics of Stephen Dedalus The Aesthetics of Stephen Dedalus
Stephen's Classical and Scholastic Roots
Stephen Dedalus, the aspiring poet, amateur philosopher, and protagonist of James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, while speaking to his dean about philosophy, tells him, “For my purpose I can work on at present by the light of one or two ideas of Aristotle and Auinas ! ! ! I need them only for my own use and guidance until I ha"e done something for myself by their light# $%&(! )ere, Joyce is in"oking an attitude, common to modernist literature, of blending traditional and classical perspecti"es to create new ideas! Although Joyce's work is renowned for its de"iations from narrati"e con"ention, he was also learned in ancient and scholastic thought! Joyce's notebooks ha"e shown scholars that the author was familiar with the writing of Auinas and that he studied Aristotle's Poetics. $*co ++( -ne cannot break from the past, after all, without knowing well what it is one's breaking from! .he skeletal structure of Portrait is itself taken from a classical myth, that of Daedalus and Icarus!
Stephen's growth as a artistic in"entor is paralleled by the industriousness of his eponym, the legendary artificer Daedalus! St. Thomas Aquinas by Carlo Crivelli (147!. "rom the Demidoff Altarpiece. (Source# The $ational %allery& 'ondon!
.he epitaph that opens the book is a uote from the Daedalus section of -"id's The Metamorphoses , which translated means, /)e turned his mind toward unknown arts!/ 0ike Daedalus, who used his cunning to create unprecedented de"ices, such as a set of wa1 wings used to escape from the prison of 2ing 3inos, Stephen uses his cunning to create art and a new identity deracinated from his Irish heritage! If the classical model for Stephen's identity is Daedalus, howe"er, then his philosophical thoughts, as he admits to the dean, come from Aristotle and Auinas! 0ater in the same chapter, Stephen muses with his friend 0ynch on pity, tragedy, and the beautiful4 the basic tenets of aesthetic studies! .he precocious Stephen occupies himself outside the classroom by critici5ing and formulating an aesthetic theory based on his classical and medie"al readings! Another classmate, Dono"an, lets it slip that Stephen is e"en writing an essay on the topic, though Stephen seems to deny it $ “I hear you are writing some essay about esthetics! Stephen made a "ague gesture of denial/ 6%7&8(! From the con"ersation with 0ynch, we can discern that aesthetics is a sub9ect that greatly engrosses Stephen, the burgeoning artist, and one in which he far surpasses his peer! From his e1patiation in this chapter, it is possible to construct, in general terms, Stephen:s beliefs on the nature of art! Such con9ecture, howe"er, can be perilous! First, there are only a few pages of con"ersation we can use to e1trapolate the entire system of thought of an indi"idual! .he con"ersation on art holds a relati"ely small claim on the chapter, lasting about se"en pages, let alone on the entire book! ;ather than a formal, elaborate discourse, it is a picture of an ambitious student sharing his philosophic reali5ations with a sympathetic friend! Second, the fact that these are spoken words, not a formal, written argument Stephen would intend for publication, should make us skeptical of how in"ested he is in what he is saying! If we do assume that Stephen is telling us what he actually belie"es, we must still keep in mind that Stephen himself is a work
(! Joyce's no"el is a Künstlerroman, a no"el about the de"elopment of an artist! Stephen:s immaturity is the whole point! )e is an artist creating an artist! It is also important to note that the Portrait is semi< autobiographical! .hat does not mean, howe"er, that we can freely ascribe Stephen:s aesthetic beliefs to Joyce! As obser"ed by Da"id Jones, there is much debate among Joycean scholars concerning degree of influence and by Aristotle and Auinas in the section $>%(! .his article, therefore, will not try to interpret the fidelity of Stephen's polemic to ancient and 3edie"al philosophy? rather, it will e"aluate the rele"ance of Stephen:s thoughts to the no"el and determine the dramatic function of Stephen:s philosophi5ing! The Aesthetic Context of Portrait
@hile Stephen informs us that he draws his aesthetic theory from his own ruminations
and readings in ancient and medie"al philosophy, his creati"e personality is in harmony with the artistic ethos of Joyce's own time! Stephen defines art as, “the human disposition of sensible or intelligible matter for an esthetic end/ $%7(! .he implications of this statement will be fully e1amined in the ne1t section, but, for now, the latter part of this definition is especially significant4 the esthetic end! For a pagan such as Aristotle, art mimetically reproduced nature and di"inity! If e1ecuted properly, it could praise the gods by accurately and deferentially telling, and thereby "enerating, their stories! It could also, howe"er, slip into blasphemy if the gods were inappropriately depicted! For a medie"al theologian such as Auinas, art was a "ehicle for celebrating od $perhaps through liturgical music(! Art based on the Bible could teach the illiterate lay Christian parables through stories or poems! As with the ancients, art ser"ed a definite spiritual purpose! But for the artists of the Fin de Siècle, art e1isted only for its own e1istence4 l:art pour l:art? “art for art:s sake!# @hile the Aesthetic 3o"ement can be said to ha"e originated in France with the Symbolist poets in the late %7s, two of its most luminous proponents, -scar @ilde and @alter Eater, were Dubliners, like Joyce! Eater, an influential art critic and essayist, was well regarded in literary circles for his writings that helped fuel the Aesthetic 3o"ement! In the conclusion of his most famous work, Studies in the History of the Renaissance $%7+(, Eater writes of the richness of a life steeped in artistic appreciation and the usefulness of philosophic thought in the understanding of art! /.he ser"ice of philosophy, of speculati"e culture,/ he writes, /towards the human spirit is to rouse, to startle it into sharp and eager obser"ation/ $>> Eater(! If the full life is full of aesthetic e1perience, philosophy is a tool to articulate and understand the beauty one's e1periences! )e concludes the chapter saying, /-f this wisdom, the poetic passion, the desire of beauty, the lo"e of art for art's sake, has most? for art comes to you professing frankly to gi"e nothing but the highest uality to your moments as they pass, and simply for those moments' sake/ $+%(! Eater transforms the artistic appreciation into the uasi
A marble bust of Aristotle () *C+! by Copy of 'ysippus. (Source# $ational ,useum of
-ome!
Stephen makes many points on the purpose of art, but two in particular, his definitions of beauty and genre, are interesting because they are in con"ersation with the form of Portrait. Stephen defines art as a disposition, that is to say, a natural tendency, recogni5ing the human propensity for creation! .his impetus for creation is two
The Aesthetic Speech and Stephen's Development
Ehilosophy aside, the inclusion of Stephen:s aesthetic theory is indicati"e of both his artistic acumen and social alienation! @e know from the opening of the book that Stephen stands aloof from his fellow Irishmen! )is last name itself, Dedalus, is obtrusi"ely non
aesthetics! It begins with some a"uncular uestioning on the definition of beauty, but the dean soon loses interest and Stephen e"en catches him not paying attention4 “.he use of the word in the marketplace is uite different! I hope I am not detaining you! M Not in the least, said the dean politely! MNo, no, said Stephen smiling, I meanO# $%&< %&( .he dean, an adult figure who should ha"e the utmost interest in stimulating Stephen:s intellect, is seen only as passing the time with him! @e know, howe"er, from the con"ersation with 0ynch, that Stephen is capable of elaborate philosophic discourse! .he con"ersation would more accurately be called pontification, as 0ynch does little more than humor Stephen by listening to his theories! 0ynch e"en professes that he has no interest in the sub9ect and is probably only there to take cigarettes from Stephen! @hat we see is a lone aesthete, completely de"oted mentally and spiritually to his craft but alienated from his peers and teachers by his own abilities! *arlier, Stephen dolefully muses4 •
but yet it wounded him to think that he would ne"er be but a shy guest at the feast of the world:s culture and that the monkish learning, in terms of which he was stri"ing to forge out an esthetic philosophy, was held no higher by the age he li"ed in that the subtle and curious 9argons of heraldry and falconry! $%(
Stephen despairs that not only at the interminable store of human knowledge but that
his own contributions to the “feast of the world:s culture# will be thought esoteric or irrele"ant by his community! .he reali5ation that his passion is but a speciali5ed curiosity, such as heraldry and falconry, to the world is undoubtedly a painful one! Portrait as
a Künstlerroman
Stephen is a character in de"elopment! .he tra9ectory of the no"el takes him from his early fascination with sounds as a youth to an adolescent aesthete! )is artistic theories are a phase in his de"elopment and thus they should be approached with incredulity, knowing his growth is not yet complete! Cordell Pee obser"es that there is a lack of sophistication to Stephen's aesthetics4 “Stephen:s lack of this understanding shows that by the end of A Portrait he is not an artist in a fundamental way! )e is immature4 the would( .his suggests that this section of chapter fi"e, r ather than a coherent philosophic treatise, is indicati"e of character building
by Joyce! Aesthetic theori5ing is a milestone in Stephen's artistic growth! )is con"ersation and thoughts, reminiscent of Eater's Renaissance& are ine"itable parts of artistic life he is leading so there should be no surprise in that Stephen, the young aesthete, will grow up into someone who thinks seriously about the nature of art! Pee further notes the early e"idence of Stephen:s interest in the beautiful4 /As a child, Stephen has a uestioning mind4 he wonders about the world and shows a philosophic bent! )e does not take things for granted and seems to recogni5e a distinction between nature and con"ention! )e often thinks about language, asking why certain words are used, why they mean what they mean!/ $( A young Stephen is hypnoti5ed by the “pick, pock, puck# $( of the balls striking cricket bats in the school yard! )is childhood fears manifest themsel"es in his consciousness as "erse as he hides under a table4 “Eull out his eyes,GApologise,G Apologise,G Eull out his eyes# $&(! Indeed, his whole life seems to resonate with artistic and intellectual preoccupation! Joyce, here, has traced the path of an artist from his rawest form to the more $but not completely( refined! .he no"el begins with a story read to infant Stephen by his father and ends with a diary entry, /-ld father, old artificer, stand me now and e"er in good stead/ $(! Significantly, the no"el ends with the in"ocation of Daedalus, Stephen's assumed artistic father and, implicitly, the casting off of Stephen's old parentage and his entrance into his own self
*co, =mberto! /.he Artist and 3edie"al .hought in the *arly Joyce!/ A Eortrait of the Artist as a Poung 3an! *d! John Eaul ;iuelme! New Pork4 @! @! Norton Q Company, Inc! ! Erint! Jones, Da"id *! /.he *ssence of Beauty in James Joyce's Aesthetics!/ James Joyce Ruarterly! %!+ $%>+( 4 >%<+%%! @eb! %+ 3arch %%! Joyce, James! A Eortrait of the Artist as a Poung 3an! *d! John Eaul ;iuelme! New Pork4 @! @! Norton Q Company, Inc!, ! Erint! 2enner, )ugh! /Joyce's Eortrait<
3an! *d! John Eaul ;iuelme! New Pork4 @! @! Norton Q Company, Inc! ! Erint! Eater, @alter! /'Conclusion' of ;enaissance!/ A Eortrait of the Artist as a Poung 3an! *d! John Eaul ;iuelme! New Pork4 @! @! Norton Q Company, Inc! ! Erint! Pee, Cordell D! 2! /.he Aesthetics of Stephen's Aesthetic!/ ritical !ssays on "ames "oyce#s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man! *d! Ehilip Brady and James F! Carens! New Pork4 ! 2! )all Q Co! %>>7! Erint!
