Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2009. / Title from screen (viewed on February 1, 2010). Department of English, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Jason T. Eberl, Brian C. McDonald, Kenneth W. Davis. Includes vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 49).

This thesis examines the use of irony in Joyce’s Portrait, claiming that it has the effect of deconstructing common notions of maturity that are engrained within the Bildungsroman tradition, and that this was Joyce’s intention. In Portrait, irony plays the role of psychological reality, undercutting Stephen’s unrealistic expectation to see his life follow a traditional path of teleological progression. This essay proceeds by looking at the novel’s symbolic, thematic and literary cues, as well as through an analysis of its structure, and Stephen’s psychological and behavioral tendencies throughout the novel. This interpretation of the irony as bearing deconstructive meaning comes from the essay adopting a static, as opposed to a kinetic, apprehension of Stephen in Portrait.

This study is an examination of the beast motif associated with Stephen Dedalus in Joyce's Ulysses. The motif has its origins in Joyce's earlier novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In Ulysses the beast motif is related to Stephen's feelings of guilt and remorse over his mother's death and includes characterizations of Stephen as a fox, a dog, a rat, and a vampire. The motif consistently carries a negative connotation. Several literary sources for the imagery of the beast motif are apparent in Ulysses, including two plays by John Webster, a poem by Matthew Prior, medieval bestiaries, and a traditional Irish folk riddle. The study of the continuity of the beast motif in Ulysses helps to explain the complex characterization of Stephen Dedalus.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)