A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Quotes
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Source: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Author: James Joyce
"Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo"
Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo....
Context
Welcome to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Get ready for some weird.
In the opening line of the novel, Stephen Dedalus is being told a children's story by his father—hence the kiddo language. That's about all the context we get, Shmoopers. After all, Joyce isn't one for explaining himself.
Still, in this first line, we're introduced to the limited perspective, stream-of-consciousness style of the novel. We're thrown into the mind of Stephen as he hears this classic children's tale; and as Stephen identifies himself as the baby tuckoo in the story, readers are brought in on the process of a child beginning to form his unique identity through the stories of his father.
And hey, who wouldn't identify with lil' tuckoo? He's so 'nicens'.
Where you've heard it
What possible context could there be for quoting these lines?
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
You're quoting James Joyce. Possibly to your children.