if you despise james joyce, you should really own that opinion! so like think his stuff isn't worth reading, hes not different than a million other failed writees except he got remembered, and that there are really good writers out there, but its not just him. once you have conviction you're half way there to standing up to the lit snobs. the weakest opinion is the opinion that you feel is just your opinion. lit snobs will see that and pounce on you, you look like prey. so first you need belief in yourself. second you need a strong foil to james joyce. a writer that you think is really good, and who you can hold up to being an example of whats good, and show how james joyce is the opposite of that. comparison doesn't have to make sense, it could be plutarch, you just have to be able to use them to highlight the silliness of the other guy. my secret weapon here would be chesterton since im familiar with him, but you can choose some other writer you really love and believe in.

but really, if someone is telling you you're wrong, that just means they're a bit insecure in their own likes. when someone says they dont like chesterton i dont tell them they're wrong, i never speak to them again. when you're confident in your likes you dont bother to convince anybody of your likes being good, you consider them a lost cause, say a quick prayer for their souls, and move on. also a question of taste is always overruled by a question of love, which is something that really matters. if all else fails, you need to say that you LOVE your author more than they LOVE james joyce, and thats why you're author is better, and why james joyce sucks, because he could make people LOVE him, while james joyce could only get people to like or appreciate him.