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 Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:34 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Hello Haihao,
Yes, I think that would be fine for #1; except that the "mudslinging" is presented as "mutual". I suppose this refers to the meeting of the Irish Parliamentary Party about the Parnell case, in the winter of 1890, at which 45 (not 72) members walked out.
For #2, you could say "a fact out of which the weekly papers, rather addicted to lubricious (titillating) stories, simply made a lot of money".
All the best,
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:49 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Thank you so very much, MrP. I am on my summer vacation now.  |
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Haihao
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| Wed Aug 27, 2008 15:31 pm Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Go n-éirí an bóthar leat agus slán go fóill - have a good trip and see you soon, Haihao!
Where are you going? And will you take the mighty Ulysses tome with you?
All the best!
Ralf
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| Thu Aug 28, 2008 0:22 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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It seems somehow appropriate to go on holiday just before Molly's monologue.
Have a very pleasant break!
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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Haihao
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| Fri Aug 29, 2008 23:55 pm Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Actually a long sentence never gets off my mind:
| Quote: | | ...though possibly with her tongue in her fair cheek at the same time, as quite possibly there were several others. He personally, being of a sceptical bias, believed, and didn't make the smallest bones about saying so either, that man, or men in the plural, were always hanging around on the waiting list about a lady, even supposing she was the best wife in the world and they got on fairly well together for the sake of argument, when, neglecting her duties, she chose to be tired of wedded life, and was on for a little flutter in polite debauchery to press their attentions on her with improper intent, the upshot being that her affections centred on another, the cause of many liaisons between still attractive married women getting on for fair and forty and younger men, no doubt as several famous cases of feminine infatuation proved up to the hilt. |
1. Is it from 'tongue-in-cheek'?
2. Is 'not make the smallest bones about' = without doubt and hesitation'? It's brand new to me.
3. Could the 3rd underlined part be reworded as: they got on fairly well together but for the sake of argument between them, then, neglecting her duties, she chose to be tired of wedded life.?
4. Is 'getting on for fair and forty' = nearly fair and nearly forty?
Thank you!
Haihao |
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Haihao
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| Sat Aug 30, 2008 2:18 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Hello Haihao, I hope you're enjoying your holiday.
1. Yes; "with her tongue in her cheek" is an elaborate way of saying "tongue in cheek", i.e. "in irony".
2. "To make no bones about" is "to make no attempt to conceal", or "to have no scruples about". It's often followed by "the fact that...".
3. Maybe: "He personally believed that men would be always hanging around a lady to press their attentions on her (even when she was the best wife in the world and they got on fairly well together, let us say), if, neglecting her marital duties, she decided that married life was dull..."
"For the sake of argument" means "let us say", "let us posit", "let us suppose". "A little flutter" is an inexpensive gamble.
4. Yes; though probably just "getting on for forty".
"Fair and forty" is another cliché (an attractive older woman). It comes from O'Keefe's play The Irish Mimic (1795): "Fat, fair and forty were all the toasts of the young men" – i.e. the young men were keen to find attractive well-off widows.
(We're still in the parodic world of sub-literary cliché, in this passage; and especially of the would-be humorous varying of clichés. The syntax is deliberately slightly dislocated, in the manner of a hasty writer.)
All the best,
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:42 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Thank you, MrP. I am enjoying my holiday very much in the hills with rich forests, giving me a lighter heart and brighter eyes. Your consummate analysis on any part of my left-home book always enables me to see the forest in stead of the tree.
Haihao |
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Haihao
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| Sun Aug 31, 2008 11:03 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Some trifles from the ending part of Eumeus:
| Quote: | | it often turned in uncommonly handy to be handed a cheque at a muchneeded moment when every little helped. |
Does it mean: it often turned out to be uncommonly handy to be...?
If so, why 'turned in'? Is it a common usage?
Thank you!
Haihao |
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Haihao
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| Sun Aug 31, 2008 22:38 pm Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Hello Haihao,
Yes, I think it must mean "turned out to be uncommonly handy". I've only encountered "turned in" with this sense here and earlier on, where Mr Daedalus says that Bloom "turned in handy". I wonder whether it reflects ordinary Irish usage in Joyce's day.
I hope all is well in the hills, with plenty of interesting flora and fauna.
Best wishes,
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:29 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Hello MrP,
Thanks again. The plenty of interesting flora and fauna made me a little away from my favorite book. Here is the evidence:
| Quote: | | A stratagem. Resting his feet on the dwarf wall, he climbed over the area railings, compressed his hat on his head, grasped two points at the lower union of rails and stiles, lowered his body gradually by its length of five feet nine inches and a half to within two feet ten inches of the area pavement and allowed his body to move freely in space by separating himself from the railings and crouching in preparation for the impact of the fall. - Ithaca |
I am not quite sure if these underlined parts are all of one thing, say, a dwarf wall with railings on its top?
Thank you!
Haihao |
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Haihao
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| Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:27 am Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Hi Haihao,
Your observation was accurate. After using a small wall as a stepping stone for his ascent, he then overcomes a physical barrier; the railings.
The interesting thing here is the very detailed description. Joyce asked friends in letters to provide him with exact measurements of places in Dublin. You can be sure that the fence used to be exactly 5 feet 9.5 inches high!
Enjoy your holidays
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| Wed Sep 03, 2008 18:19 pm Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion |
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Hi Ralf
I get the impression that the speaker's height is five feet nine and a half.
(Me -- I'm 5 inches shorter than that.) 
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