Monday, 18 February 2019, Pages 532 - 534

We read as far as "... holding down the throne." (534.24)

Earlier in the work, Joyce had used in many places a single idea as the thread connecting a number of paragraphs/pages. For instance, the names of the rivers of the world was the thread running through pages 196 to 216.
Now it is the turn of cities to connect ideas, sentences, paragraphs and pages. The paragraph starting with Amtsadam (page 532) hints at Bucharest, Mecca, Jerusalem, Brussels, Oslo, London, Gretna Greene, New York, Stockholm, Liverpool, Tokyo, Kyoto, Athens, Belfast, Rome, Peking, Lambay Island, Frankfurt and Dublin, among others.

Monday, 11 February 2019, 531 - 532

We stopped at "... ouija ouija wicket up." (532.18)

Last week we had read that the 4 old men want to call Kitty the Beads, the Mandame of Tipknock Castle (530/32) to answer their questions. According to McHugh, Kitty the Beads lived near Ticknock, County Dublin, and she carried rosary beads. Joseph Campbell identifies her as the female janitor at HCE's pub.

What follows is her statements (hidden among many words that are to do with kitchen, cooking, ...) about HCE, how she massaged him till he was red in the face, etc. In Joseph Campbells' rendition of parts of page 531, she says, "He sizzled there, watching my picture as the refined soubrette, with my broached bust. And he never saw anything finer than he saw when I started so ladylike to leg a jig, highly tight, kickakickkack...."

At this point HCE himself participates in the inquisition conducted by the 4 old men.

Monday, 4 February 2019, Pages 529 - 531

The reading stopped at "Master's gunne he warrs the best." (531.4)

When I think about the pages we read this week, I have to remind myself - constantly - that what we are reading takes place in the dream world.  Earwicker is dreaming and we are kind of voyeurs of his dreams. This is the only way I can extract some sense out of these pages.

This chapter (chapter 3, book 3) started with Shaun being subjected to interrogation by four old men (four wise men, four evangelists, ...).  Now others are being interrogated. As Joseph Campbell writes, "The whole great world of the sons and the grandsons simply vanishes like a dream, and only the primordial, archetypal presence of HCE and ALP remains." A couple of things they want to know about HCE is whether he is the co-owner of a circus (hengster's circus near North Great Denmark Street; 529.33), whether he sent his son to buy the usual jar of porter ... and set it down before the wife ... bidding her mine the hoose (mind the house)..., while he and his buddies go rampaging the roads? (530.12 ff)

Monday, 28 January 2019, Pages 527 - 529

We read as far as "... from their last situations?" (529.14)

From last week's topic of 'fish', we have moved on to the topic of 'Virgin Mary,' reciting Joyce's version of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

Joyce's version vs (Version of the original litany)

Mirror do justice,      (Mirror of justice)
taper of ivory,            (Tower of ivory)
heart of the conavent,  (Ark of the covenant)
hoops of gold!            (House of gold)

The litany is available here!

Or is this Issy talking to herself, watching her reflection in the mirror (water) as at the very beginning of the paragraph she tells herself, '... you are a viry vikid girl...'? (Why does she suddenly mention here 'Bartolo mio?' Bartolo is the doctor who has designs on marrying his beautiful ward, Rosina  in Rossini's opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia (A wonderful recording of this opera can be watched here!) Most probably Issy is talking here of the apostel Bartholomew and not of Dr. Bartolo of the above opera!)

McHugh also interprets this scene as Tristan returning disguised to Cornwall to meet Isolde. There you go!