In this highly autobiographical novel, Joyce introduces us to Stephen Dedalus, the character who reappears in his widely acclaimed work, "Ulysses". "A Portrait of the Artist" portrays Stephen's childhood and youth in Dublin as he struggles to rid himself of the religious, political and moral constraints of his background and forge his own identity as an artist and as a man. The novel raises questions of origin and source, authority and authorship and the relationship of an artist to his family, culture and race. It is also an important portrayal of Ireland and Irishness in the late nineteenth century.