Sunday 25 November 2018

Monday,19 November 2018, Pages 511 - 512

We read as far as "... but shekleton's my fortune?" (512.28)

As on earlier pages, an inquest/enquiry is going on. A witness is being asked question after question. Who could be this witness? Who is the questioner?

At the start of this chapter 38 pages earlier (only 38 pages earlier (!), on page 474) Shaun was being interrogated by four old men, whom we have met many times in earlier chapters too. So, let us assume that the witness, the one being asked questions, is still Shaun. And that the one who is asking questions is one of the four old men. And that the entire inquest is taking place in the dream world of Earwicker.

Last week we had read about a ball that took place in the Taylors' Hall and the breakfast afterwards at Heaven and Covenant. Only two people, the bride and the priest were sober. McGraw the wedding beastsman was kicking the bedding out of the old sexton. The witness, Shaun, says that while that was going on he and some others were gickling his missus to gackles (tickling Mcgraw's wife to giggles?).
He also describes the dress the bride was wearing: a floating panel, secretairslidingdraws, a budge of knees on her schalter,...

Joseph Campbell says that here 'Joyce is describing the costume of the bride in terms of modern paintings (Dali, Klee, Croce) and esthetic philosophies.'


Saturday 17 November 2018

Monday, 12 November 2018, Pages 509 - 511

We read till "Or he was in serge?" (511.5)

Louties also genderymen, according to Joseph Campbell, my help in the matters of FW, the inquest about the incidence in the Phoenix park is continuing. A witness (we do not know who it is) is on the stand. He had watched the two girls in the park. That night there was a ballay (ball) at the Tailors' Hall. Everybody there was thomistically drunk.  In the morning they all went for breakfast at the Heaven and Covenant.The witness then describes how it was at the ball and at breakfast. He says that only the priest (the right reverend priest, Mr Hopsinbond) and the bride-elect (the reverent bride eleft, Frizzy Fraufrau) were sober.

Monday 5 November 2018

Monday, 5 November 2018, pages 507 - 509

The reading stopped at "... outer my ear." (509.29)

Apologies for the one-line post!

Saturday 3 November 2018

Monday, 29 October 2018, Pages 505 - 507

Our reading stopped at "...would be finished with his tea?" (507.12)

Today's passage seemed mostly to be located in the Garden of Eden with references to God (Grand Precurser) Adam, Eve, Lucifer (looseaffair) turned into snake (Bomslinger) and apple tree (Upfellbowm). But it did turn in the end to HCE, a man of around fifty, struck on Anna Lynsha's Pekoe...

Joseph Campbell interprets the scene as a description "of the great World Tree, or World Axis, known to all mythologies. ... a primal symbol of Life. Eternally growing, eternally casting its dead leaves and branches, masculine and feminine and neuter at once, all-sheltering, ..."