The Re-Enactment of the Word as Words in the Art of James Joyce

The literary works of James Joyce are unique expressions/portraits of the artist as creator. This need to objectify himself through his ‘creations’ is informed by two distinct creator models: the Biblical creator of Genesis and Gnostic demiurge/craftsman. These two models correspond to the conscious/unconscious dynamics underlying the process of creative activity. In the course of his literary career, Joyce moves away from the Biblical/Christian/Catholic model of the creator archetype as a self-aware entity and gradually embraces the model of the Gnostic demiurge as authentic creative force. This paradigmatic shift, from conscious creator/artist to semiconscious demiurge/craftsman, provides a possible explanation as to the radical diversity characterizing literary works such as Dubliners and Finnegans Wake.