Funferal

Joyce on property and theft

I came across this excerpt in Portrait of an Artist today, and thought about the controversy regard Joyce’s estate’s attitude towards copyright protection. It’s a bit of a stretch, but does give a certain suggestion of Joyce’s thoughts, at least at the time/persona of Stephen. As the excerpt opens Stephen is speaking:

ask me rather would I suffer others to rob me, or if they did, would I call down upon them what I believe is called the chastisement of the secular arm?
– And would you?
– I think, Stephen said, it would pain me as much to do so as to be robbed.