Ulysses (James Joyce) - A literary discussion

[Haihao]

Thanks again, MrP. Now I have another 'trifle'.

[MrPedantic]

That looks like a more general allusion: in northern folklore, witches (and fairies, etc.) have a reputation for stealing milk from cows by night; while toadstools (and toads) are traditionally associated with witches and other malevolent entities.

(I'll check though whether there is a more particular reference.)

All the best,

MrP

[Haihao]

Good morning MrP!

Would you please take a look at:

[MrPedantic]

Hello Haihao,

This continues the religious theme: I think it picks up on the "Glory be to God!" of the old woman's entrance, and Buck's subsequent reference to "the collector of prepuces" (i.e. Jehovah, the god of the Old Testament, who requires the foreskins of his devotees, and also those of his enemies; cf. the Book of Samuel, where Saul asks David to collect 100 Philistine foreskins as a dowry; the success of the expedition is a sign of the favour of Jehovah).

More specifically, it may refer to the miraculous coin in the Book of Matthew 17:24:

[Haihao]

Hello MrP,

Thanks again. That's very informative and cleared up everything here completely!

Sorry to jump over to 'Oxen of the Sun' but I have been a little concerned about the following for a long time:

[MrPedantic]

Hello Haihao,

That section contains some very strange words. "Swire" (throat) and "ywimpled" ("y-wimpled", provided with a wimple) are both found in Chaucer; the y- prefix usually denotes a past participle, though it may also turn up in infinitives and adjectives. "Wot" is indeed "know"; with "of" it signifies "know about", as in Shakespeare's

1. more water glideth by the mill / Than wots the miller of

but can also take a direct object, as in (again, Shakespeare's):

2. The slave, a member of the country's peace, / Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots / What watch the king keeps to maintain the peace

Best wishes,

MrP

[Haihao]

O that satisfied me fully after so long a time! I never could have thought of Chaucer! Thank you so much indeed.

[MrPedantic]

It's my pleasure!

[Haihao]

Hello MrP,

There are a few more left on my mind for the Telemachus which I feel in my bones having a certain quantity of allusions but have no idea what exactly they are.

[MrPedantic]

Hello Haihao,

"Rotto" is slang for "drunk". It's also Italian for "broken" or "smashed"; since Joyce knew Italian, no doubt "rotto with money" ("drunk with money") had interesting reverberations for him, since "broke" means without money.

(Then too, "smashed" is also slang for "drunk".)

Back soon...

MrP

[MrPedantic]

Part 2:

[Haihao]

Thank you again. I am fully satisfied!

[Haihao]

Hello MrP,

I am now so satisfied with a broader and deeper understanding of Telemachus thanks to your precious help.

I would like to move on to Nestor now wishing a similar favour could be granted with all my thankful heart.

[MrPedantic]

Hello Haihao,

Those are dense passages, so this is very much a tentative offering!

1. For Haines's chapbook. ] S. means his bon mot about the pier ("a disappointed bridge") would be suitable for the collection of S's aphorisms Haines wishes to make ("chapbooks" are cheap booklets).

2. No-one here to hear. ] No one here to record my bon mot.

3. Tonight deftly amid wild drink and talk, to pierce the polished mail of his mind.] Haines appeared urbane and unperturbed during their earlier conversation; as an Englishman (and representative of "the imperial British state"), his mind is therefore like "polished [chain-]mail". But later, after the "sacred pint", S. promises himself, he will "pierce" Haines's mind; presumably with his brilliant exegesis of Hamlet, etc.

4. What then? A jester at the court of his master, indulged and disesteemed, winning a clement master's praise. ] But then S. realises the slight indignity of this desire to impress Haines: he will be in the position of a court jester, patronised by the Englishman. ("Clement master" might be a suitable form of address for a British monarch; there is probably also a reference here to Yorick, the jester whose skull appears in Hamlet.)

5. Why had they chosen all that part? ] Why had Anglo-Irish writers, etc. (e.g. Wilde?) accepted the role of jester to their English masters? (Cf. earlier: "Irish art is the cracked lookingglass of a servant".)

6. Not wholly for the smooth caress. ] Not entirely to win indulgent caresses (i.e. plaudits) from their masters. (This and the last sentence are in iambics, and therefore suggest verse; it may be that there's a quotation from a poet hidden away here; but I don't recognise it.)

7. For them too history was a tale like any other too often heard, their land a pawnshop. ] Perhaps a reference to Macbeth (cf. S's earlier "Yet here's a spot"):

[Haihao]

Thank you so much again for your precious help and precious time.

Haihao