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Potential Articles
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - This page is very lacking in its "Reception" category. Brittany has done a lot of research on James Joyce's novels and we know that this one had particularly positive critical reception that is not accurately represented by this section. It also doesn't have a characters list.

Dubliners - The talk page specifically requests for someone to update the publication history section of the article. The page also doesn't have any section or other mention of the reception that the novel received, either by critics or the general public.

The Stranger - This page has a general "critical analysis" section, but doesn't mention any themes or break it down further into sections, when there is certainly extensive scholarship on the themes in this novel. The talk page is extensive, and clearly there is a lot of interest in having an updated page for the novel.

Psycho - This is lacking a character list and critical reception section entirely.

The two articles we're most interested in:

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Dubliners

New Plan of Action for A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Addition of "Themes" section under analysis. There has been extensive literary research published on some of the prevalent themes in this novel, and they can be broken down into subcategories under analysis and then elaborated on. Some themes we will include: youth, identity, transformation, religion, and the home. We will also greatly expand the section about reception, because it doesn't accurately reflect the reception that the novel received, and has a note on the section indicating a need for expansion

Annotated Bibliography
Akca, Catherine. “Religion and Identity in Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” Online Journal of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. 1.1 (2008): 52. Researchgate.net. Web.

This source examines closely the themes of religion and identity in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which are the primary themes in the novel. This will be the primary source for the themes section, especially when it comes to themes of identity. This paper discusses Stephen's transition into adulthood that leads to him leaving behind any religious identity, and in doing so, considering himself freed from the constraints of his past traditional Irish identity.

Canadas, Ivan. “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: James Joyce, the Myth of Icarus, and the Influence of Christopher Marlowe." Journal of Irish Studies.(2006): 21. Print.

Canadas writes of Stephen Dedalus’ religious upbringing, and the links between religion and Irish nationalism. Then he moves to write on the influence of Marlowe, particularly Dr Faustus, on the narrative of Dedalus turning to become a priest, and the rebellious nature of Marlowe’s life and narrative of Dr Faustus. This ingenious rebellion is further explored by the relation to the mythical Dedalus. By making reference to two figures who went against the status quo, particularly in the sense of preferring hell to heaven, Joyce is tying in the theme for the character Stephen of renouncing his Catholic faith. This is seen particularly in Stephen’s stout refusal to serve his Easter duty later in the novel, which mirrors a both Faustian and Luciferian tone. In this refusal, Stephen sets his soul free of the nets into which he was born: Irish nationalism, Catholicism, and language.

Deming, Robert H. James Joyce The Critical Heritage. Routledge, 1997.

Pages 81-110 show contemporary(1916-7) reviews of this text. Some sources lament his lack of restraint and focus, even saying that there is no plot to speak of,while some say that its formlessness has literary merit, imitating moral chaos in the developing mind. Others write of its lens of vulgarity, being unafraid to delve the disgusting topics of adolescence. This is not always represented as a bad thing in these reviews, but it is often shied away from. Quite a few comment on it as a work of genius, but are reserved to say that it does not always exhibit this genius throughout the text. Others do focus on the novel’s failures, even commenting that Joyce may not be fit to be a novelist, and dismissing the novel as not being artistic. Few outside of these groups gush about the novel and its complexity, heralding Joyce’s talent and the beauty of the novels originality. Reading the breadth of these reviews, there is no doubt that Joyce’s novel catalyzed intense discussion on its effectiveness by critics.

Fargnoli, Nicholas A. Critical Companion to James Joyce: A Literary Reference to his Life and Work. Facts on File, 2008.

This is a very authoritative text when it comes to James Joyce's works, and will function well not only for the themes section of the page, which is our main focus, but can also help to refine the current reception section. The critical companion contains excerpts of reviews, such as H.G. Wells' review of the novel, and also focuses on themes, and provides the places where these themes are prevalent, broken down by chapter.

Güneş, Ali. "Crisis of Identity in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi, 2002/6, 37-49.

Güneş looks at two sides to the construction of identity in the novel. He writes that Joyce looks to society and the ways that it forces individuals to conform to types, and then turns to the particular character of Stephen Dedalus, who rejects being trapped in this way by society, making him a modernist character in the eyes of Güneş.

Conde-Parrilla, M Angeles. “Hiberno-English and Identity in Joyce’s A Portrait.” Language & Literature. 22.1 (2013): 102. Print. This is a definitive source on what is the most prevalent theme in the novel, identity. We will synthesize this with the other sources to construct an accurate picture of the theme of identity in its different forms in the novel.

Identity
As a narrative which depicts a character throughout his formative years, M. Angeles Conde-Parrilla posits that identity is possibly the most prevalent theme in the novel. Towards the beginning of the novel, Joyce depicts the young Stephen's growing consciousness, which is said to be a condensed version of the arc of Dedalus' entire life, as he continues to grow and form his identity. Stephen's growth as an individual character is important because through him Joyce laments Irish society's tendency to force individuals to conform to types, which some say marks Stephen as a modernist character. Themes that run through Joyce's later novels find expression there.

Religion
As Stephen transitions into adulthood, he leaves behind his Catholic religious identity, which is closely tied to the national identity of Ireland. His rejection of this dual identity is also a rejection of constraint and an embrace of freedom in identity. Furthermore, the references to Dr Faustus throughout the novel conjure up something demonic in Stephen renouncing his Catholic faith. When Stephen stoutly refuses to serve his Easter duty later in the novel, his tone mirrors characters like Faust and Lucifer in its rebelliousness.

Myth of Daedalus
The myth of Daedalus and Icarus has parallels in the structure of the novel, and gives Stephen his surname, as well as the epigraph containing a quote from Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Ivan Canadas, the epigraph may parallel the heights and depths that end and begin each chapter, and can be seen to proclaim the interpretive freedom of the text. Stephen's surname being connected to Daedalus may also call to mind the theme of going against the status quo, as Daedalus defies the King of Crete.

Irish Freedom
Stephen’s struggle to find identity in the novel parallels the Irish struggle for independence during the early twentieth century. He rejects any outright nationalism, and is often prejudiced toward those that use Hiberno-English, which was the marked speech patterns of the Irish rural and lower-class. However, he is also heavily concerned with his country’s future and considers himself as “belonging to Ireland”.

Critical Reception
While some critics take the prose to be to ornate, critics on the whole praise the novel and its complexity, heralding Joyce’s talent and the beauty of the novel's originality. These critics view potentially apparent lack of focus as intentional formlessness which imitates moral chaos in the developing mind. The lens of vulgarity is also commented on, as the novel is unafraid to delve the disgusting topics of adolescence. In many instances, critics that comment on the novel as a work of genius may concede that the work does not always exhibit this genius throughout.