I am rereading Stanislaus Joyce’s book My Brother’s
Keeper and I loved this line:
“Much more than his reputation for being clever,
his good humor and gaiety made him a favorite with
his many sisters and relatives.” (59)
Some people think that Stannie should be taken with
a grain of salt because his memories of Joyce are
influenced by his jealousy of him. Whether that’s true
or not, I believe the above lines are true. It’s nice to
be reminded of that side of Joyce every once in a while.
Saturday, August 23, 2003
Friday, August 22, 2003
Split Pea Press, located in Edinburgh Scotland, was
established in 1987. They have a number of inter-
esting publications including a poster which reproduces
the Evening Telegraph of June 16, 1904 (something I
plan to purchase on my next payday).
Here’s an excerpt from their website telling how they
came up with the idea for the poster:
“On Friday October 5, 1967, Timothy Finnegan (55), a
labourer of 5 Walkin Street, was working on the demolition
of a row of Dublin houses in Eccles Street to make way
for a new hospital extension when he discovered a cache
of old newspapers among the bricks and mortar. A lover
of the turf he decided to take them home to peruse the
old sports pages over a pipe while waiting for his supper.
Sadly he died the next day in an accident at work. It was
after an encounter with his son, Michael, in The Ship Tavern,
Lower Abbey Street, that Mr Ian Gunn, a visiting scholar
and gentleman from Scotland asked if he might see the
papers which the son had kept for sentimental reasons.
Gunn (72) of Edinburgh recognised immediately that among
this pile of papers was the original copy of the Evening
Telegraph for June 16, 1904, owned by one of Dublin's most
famous literary characters, Leopold Bloom.
On return to Scotland Mr Gunn showed the documents to
Mr Alistair McCleery (17) of the Split Pea Press in Edin-
burgh and together they decided on its immediate repro-
duction as a poster together with a guide to the refer-
ences to this newspaper in the account by James Joyce
in his Ulysses.”
established in 1987. They have a number of inter-
esting publications including a poster which reproduces
the Evening Telegraph of June 16, 1904 (something I
plan to purchase on my next payday).
Here’s an excerpt from their website telling how they
came up with the idea for the poster:
“On Friday October 5, 1967, Timothy Finnegan (55), a
labourer of 5 Walkin Street, was working on the demolition
of a row of Dublin houses in Eccles Street to make way
for a new hospital extension when he discovered a cache
of old newspapers among the bricks and mortar. A lover
of the turf he decided to take them home to peruse the
old sports pages over a pipe while waiting for his supper.
Sadly he died the next day in an accident at work. It was
after an encounter with his son, Michael, in The Ship Tavern,
Lower Abbey Street, that Mr Ian Gunn, a visiting scholar
and gentleman from Scotland asked if he might see the
papers which the son had kept for sentimental reasons.
Gunn (72) of Edinburgh recognised immediately that among
this pile of papers was the original copy of the Evening
Telegraph for June 16, 1904, owned by one of Dublin's most
famous literary characters, Leopold Bloom.
On return to Scotland Mr Gunn showed the documents to
Mr Alistair McCleery (17) of the Split Pea Press in Edin-
burgh and together they decided on its immediate repro-
duction as a poster together with a guide to the refer-
ences to this newspaper in the account by James Joyce
in his Ulysses.”
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Another Molly Song
In Old Madrid was written by G. Clifton Bingham and
Henri Trotère. In Old Madrid is a chipper love song that
Molly first sang in Gibraltar. She thinks of it on the night
of June 16th because it is so much more romantic than
the letters of Blazes Boylan. Featured most in Sirens
and Penelope.
The song begins:
Long years ago
In old Madrid
Where softly sighs of love the light guitar.
Two sparkling eyes
A lattice hid
Two eyes as darkly bright as love's own star
And Molly:
"... will i ever go back there again all new faces
two glancing eyes a lattive hid Ill sing that for
him they're my eyes if hes anything of a poet
two eyes as darkly bright as loves own star
aren't those beautiful words ..." (637)
You can find In Old Madrid on the album
Along the Road of Dreams; there is a sample of the song
at the Amazon page for this album.
In Old Madrid was written by G. Clifton Bingham and
Henri Trotère. In Old Madrid is a chipper love song that
Molly first sang in Gibraltar. She thinks of it on the night
of June 16th because it is so much more romantic than
the letters of Blazes Boylan. Featured most in Sirens
and Penelope.
The song begins:
Long years ago
In old Madrid
Where softly sighs of love the light guitar.
Two sparkling eyes
A lattice hid
Two eyes as darkly bright as love's own star
And Molly:
"... will i ever go back there again all new faces
two glancing eyes a lattive hid Ill sing that for
him they're my eyes if hes anything of a poet
two eyes as darkly bright as loves own star
aren't those beautiful words ..." (637)
You can find In Old Madrid on the album
Along the Road of Dreams; there is a sample of the song
at the Amazon page for this album.
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
It’s one of the most significant songs used in
Ulysses. It’s one of the songs Molly will be
singing in her upcoming concert, in the key of
G. Its words are by G. Clifton Bingham. Its
melody is by J.L. Molloy. The sheet music of this
song is placed on the piano at 7 Eccles Street,
open at the last page “with the final indications
ad libitum, forte, pedal, animato, sustained
pedal, ritirando, close.” (580)
Molly contemplates how she will render it as
she lay in bed in the last chapter of Ulysses
“...that train again weeping tone once in the
dear deaead days beyondre call close my eyes
breathe my lips forward kiss sad look eyes open
piano ere oer the world the mists began I hate
that istsbeg comes loves sweet sooooooooooong
Ill let that out full when I get in front of the
footlights again...” (627)
Its first lines are:
Once in the dear dead days beyond recall,
When o’er the world the mists began to fall...
Its chorus goes:
Just a song at twilight
When the lights are low
And the glimmering shadows
Softly come and go
Though the heart be weary
Sad the days and long
Still to us at twilight
Comes love’s old song
Comes Love’s Old Sweet Song.
Ulysses. It’s one of the songs Molly will be
singing in her upcoming concert, in the key of
G. Its words are by G. Clifton Bingham. Its
melody is by J.L. Molloy. The sheet music of this
song is placed on the piano at 7 Eccles Street,
open at the last page “with the final indications
ad libitum, forte, pedal, animato, sustained
pedal, ritirando, close.” (580)
Molly contemplates how she will render it as
she lay in bed in the last chapter of Ulysses
“...that train again weeping tone once in the
dear deaead days beyondre call close my eyes
breathe my lips forward kiss sad look eyes open
piano ere oer the world the mists began I hate
that istsbeg comes loves sweet sooooooooooong
Ill let that out full when I get in front of the
footlights again...” (627)
Its first lines are:
Once in the dear dead days beyond recall,
When o’er the world the mists began to fall...
Its chorus goes:
Just a song at twilight
When the lights are low
And the glimmering shadows
Softly come and go
Though the heart be weary
Sad the days and long
Still to us at twilight
Comes love’s old song
Comes Love’s Old Sweet Song.
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Today is the first day of school for students here in
Chico and though I thoroughly enjoy my children, it’s
a blessing to have my days back.
I find myself thinking of Nora today; what a relief it
must have been to her to have the children go back
to the local school on Via Veronese where they weren't
the must studious of students, but had many friends.
No more trying to keep them occupied in the small
Trieste kitchen while Joyce had students in the front
room for English lessons.
And the mornings when Georgio and Lucia were in
school AND Jim was off writing at a cafe - maybe Il
Caffe Bizantino - well Nora must have surely set
aside a few moments to sit back in silence, taking
pleasure in the rare moment of quiet and solitude.
Chico and though I thoroughly enjoy my children, it’s
a blessing to have my days back.
I find myself thinking of Nora today; what a relief it
must have been to her to have the children go back
to the local school on Via Veronese where they weren't
the must studious of students, but had many friends.
No more trying to keep them occupied in the small
Trieste kitchen while Joyce had students in the front
room for English lessons.
And the mornings when Georgio and Lucia were in
school AND Jim was off writing at a cafe - maybe Il
Caffe Bizantino - well Nora must have surely set
aside a few moments to sit back in silence, taking
pleasure in the rare moment of quiet and solitude.
Monday, August 18, 2003
Tech note: Comments installed today thanks to
maystardesigns. Finally my site is up and pretty
near complete. Look for additions to the music
page soon. I want to extend a HUGE thank you
to May (of Maystardesigns - link in sidebar) who
put this site together and helped me switch over
all my old posts for a very reasonable fee. Not
only is she reasonable, she was also patient with
all 3542 questions I asked her. Thanks May!
maystardesigns. Finally my site is up and pretty
near complete. Look for additions to the music
page soon. I want to extend a HUGE thank you
to May (of Maystardesigns - link in sidebar) who
put this site together and helped me switch over
all my old posts for a very reasonable fee. Not
only is she reasonable, she was also patient with
all 3542 questions I asked her. Thanks May!
Tin Pan Alley
Joyce used a number of songs from Tin Pan Alley
in his works.
Tin Pan Alley was an area in NY populated by
popular music publishers and song writers who
developed the idea - now prevalent in the pop
music world - that hit songs could be made
through the fine art of plugging.
Imagine the year 1900 : no records, no cds, no top
40, no MTV, no radios; yet even in that era there
were songs that sold a million copies - of sheet
music! The music movers and shakers from 1890 -
1920 had to be especially creative in getting their
songs before the public. One technique was to hire
boys to stand around in front of music stores and
saloons whistling their tunes over and over and
over. Another much used technique was to hire a
“stooge” or “boomer”, usually a clear voice tenor or
soprano who would sit in the galley of a of a concert
hall. When the performer had finished the song to
be plugged, the boomer would then stand, as if
inspired by the song and repeat the chorus. The idea
was to get the audience to join in, thus reinforcing
the song in their memories.
That might be why most Americans know the chorus
to songs like Take Me Out to the Ball Game, but not
the verses. Take Me Out was not one of the songs
Joyce used in his works but several other Tin Pan Alley
hits are, including Sweet Rosie O'Grady, My Irish Molly-O,
Daisy Bell and When Irish Eyes are Smiling.
Joyce used a number of songs from Tin Pan Alley
in his works.
Tin Pan Alley was an area in NY populated by
popular music publishers and song writers who
developed the idea - now prevalent in the pop
music world - that hit songs could be made
through the fine art of plugging.
Imagine the year 1900 : no records, no cds, no top
40, no MTV, no radios; yet even in that era there
were songs that sold a million copies - of sheet
music! The music movers and shakers from 1890 -
1920 had to be especially creative in getting their
songs before the public. One technique was to hire
boys to stand around in front of music stores and
saloons whistling their tunes over and over and
over. Another much used technique was to hire a
“stooge” or “boomer”, usually a clear voice tenor or
soprano who would sit in the galley of a of a concert
hall. When the performer had finished the song to
be plugged, the boomer would then stand, as if
inspired by the song and repeat the chorus. The idea
was to get the audience to join in, thus reinforcing
the song in their memories.
That might be why most Americans know the chorus
to songs like Take Me Out to the Ball Game, but not
the verses. Take Me Out was not one of the songs
Joyce used in his works but several other Tin Pan Alley
hits are, including Sweet Rosie O'Grady, My Irish Molly-O,
Daisy Bell and When Irish Eyes are Smiling.
Sunday, August 17, 2003
The more I think about Gary's Hart's recent statement
(see post for Aug 14th ) the more pissteroff I get. First of
all, he compares himself to Joyce which is annoying but
utterly laughable. More bothersome is Hart's assumption
that Joyce didn't read other writers which is untrue;
Hart may be too egotistical to read other bloggers
but Joyce recognized the great value of reading others.
Joyce loved Tolstoy and Shelley. Joyce said he had read
every line of only three writers: Flaubert, Ben Jonson and
Ibsen. Ibsen was one of his heroes and a huge influence.
As was Dujardin's 1888 novel Les Lauriers sont Coupés to
which Joyce ascribed his use of stream of consciousness.
Aquinas and Giordano Bruno were two of his favorite philo-
sophers. He once remarked that "I love Dante almost as
much as the Bible. He is my spiritual food, the rest is
ballast."
And it has been suggested that the proposal in Vico's
"Scienza Nuova" to write an ideal and timeless history into
which all ordinary histories are embodied provided Joyce
with the basis for Finnegans Wake.
Joyce was also a frequent library Patron. You can see his
Paris library card here.
(see post for Aug 14th ) the more pissteroff I get. First of
all, he compares himself to Joyce which is annoying but
utterly laughable. More bothersome is Hart's assumption
that Joyce didn't read other writers which is untrue;
Hart may be too egotistical to read other bloggers
but Joyce recognized the great value of reading others.
Joyce loved Tolstoy and Shelley. Joyce said he had read
every line of only three writers: Flaubert, Ben Jonson and
Ibsen. Ibsen was one of his heroes and a huge influence.
As was Dujardin's 1888 novel Les Lauriers sont Coupés to
which Joyce ascribed his use of stream of consciousness.
Aquinas and Giordano Bruno were two of his favorite philo-
sophers. He once remarked that "I love Dante almost as
much as the Bible. He is my spiritual food, the rest is
ballast."
And it has been suggested that the proposal in Vico's
"Scienza Nuova" to write an ideal and timeless history into
which all ordinary histories are embodied provided Joyce
with the basis for Finnegans Wake.
Joyce was also a frequent library Patron. You can see his
Paris library card here.
Saturday, August 16, 2003
A Bothersome Book
I recently began to read a book entitled Clairvoyant: The
Imagined Life of Lucia Joyce. Written by Alison Leslie Gold,
it purports to be a “tribute to Lucia’s ability to survive in
the face of a most mysterious and terrible illness” and also
claims it is based on “factual details of the Joyce family...”.
Okay. I can understand that. The author has to imagine
Lucia’s emotions and thoughts during her 47 years in
asylums. Sure. So I open the book and on the first page I
come to this line:
“Her wavy gingerbread-and-gray hair looked as though
it had been recently permed.”
That sentence gave me pause, but I continued to read.
Upon reaching page 7 . I encountered another such line:
“....her wild, irrepressible ginger colored hair”. I was initially
bewildered. Lucia? A redhead?
I flipped to the afterword where the author summarizes
what were facts and which parts of the book were fiction.
The last line reads “Lucia Joyce did not have red hair”.
I can understand that Gold would have to use her imagin-
ation for portions of the book, but red hair? What the hell!?
I put the book down and I won’t be reading any more of it.
I recently began to read a book entitled Clairvoyant: The
Imagined Life of Lucia Joyce. Written by Alison Leslie Gold,
it purports to be a “tribute to Lucia’s ability to survive in
the face of a most mysterious and terrible illness” and also
claims it is based on “factual details of the Joyce family...”.
Okay. I can understand that. The author has to imagine
Lucia’s emotions and thoughts during her 47 years in
asylums. Sure. So I open the book and on the first page I
come to this line:
“Her wavy gingerbread-and-gray hair looked as though
it had been recently permed.”
That sentence gave me pause, but I continued to read.
Upon reaching page 7 . I encountered another such line:
“....her wild, irrepressible ginger colored hair”. I was initially
bewildered. Lucia? A redhead?
I flipped to the afterword where the author summarizes
what were facts and which parts of the book were fiction.
The last line reads “Lucia Joyce did not have red hair”.
I can understand that Gold would have to use her imagin-
ation for portions of the book, but red hair? What the hell!?
I put the book down and I won’t be reading any more of it.
Thursday, August 14, 2003
In an article entitled Blah Blah Blog Maureen Dowd quotes
Gary Hart, who doesn't bother to read other bloggers as
saying, "If you're James Joyce you don't read other authors."
Mr. Hart, I know James Joyce. I consider him to be my
friend. Mr. Hart, you are no James Joyce.
Gary Hart, who doesn't bother to read other bloggers as
saying, "If you're James Joyce you don't read other authors."
Mr. Hart, I know James Joyce. I consider him to be my
friend. Mr. Hart, you are no James Joyce.
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Dateline 2003 - James Joyce Censored - AGAIN
"History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake."
Stephen Dedalus
A must read article by Jonathon Wallace entitled
DirtyGerty:James Joyce , Censorship and the Net can
be found here. He writes of the censorship trial of the
Little Review after carrying the Nausicaa chapter in their
publication and gives up nauseating information on current
censorship :
“Go into the Austin, Boston or Loudoun County public
libraries and try to access the page of excerpts from Molly
Bloom's soliloquy at http://www.dimensional.com/~randl/
molly.htm. You won't be able to, because the SpaceTime
Portal site is blocked by CyberPatrol and X-Stop. (Its also
blocked by Surfwatch.)
Various other Joyce resources on the Web have been
blocked by CyberPatrol. For some time, you could not
access the Fileroom, a site which summarizes incidents
of censorship around the world... Similarly, you could not
get to the Wiretap server to read Donald Theall's essay
on James Joyce and the Prehistory of Cyberspace.
And X-Stop, the product installed in the Loudoun County
library, blocks a Banned Books page which has the entire
text of Ulysses.”
August 11th, 2003
Finn’s Hotel
Joyce considered "Finn's Hotel" as a title for Finnegans
Wake. Finn's was the hotel where Nora worked as a
chambermaid when James Joyce first made her acquain-
tance. Finn's Hotel still stands in Dublin and you can see
a photo of it (thanks to The Modern Word) here.
August 10th, 2003
Dante
Mrs. Riordan from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was
based on Mrs. Conway, a distant relative of John Joyce’s who
lived with the family in Dublin for several years. The children
called her Dante, which was a childish derivation of “Auntie”.
She considered joining the nunnery when she was in her late
20s but her brother died and left her a large sum of money.
So she passed on being a Bride of Christ and instead married
a solemn, bald man who worked at the Bank of Ireland. A few
years afterwards her husband left for South America, taking
most of her fortune with him. The original plan had been for
her to meet him there, but after a few letters between them,
he stopped correspnding with her and she never heard from
him again.
Stanislaus Joyce describes her as the “most bigoted person I
ever met”. In his book My Brother’s Keeper, Stannie tells of a
morning when he and James were walking with Dante and
they passed a house where a small coffin was being carried
out the front door. They could hear the hysterical mother
screaming and crying inside. The nursemaid of the dead baby
talked to Dante and explained that the mother was distraught
because the child had not been baptized. As Dante and the two
boys walked home, she explained , “So now you see what
happens. That child can never go to Heaven. Now you see what
comes of not baptizing immediately”.
"History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake."
Stephen Dedalus
A must read article by Jonathon Wallace entitled
DirtyGerty:James Joyce , Censorship and the Net can
be found here. He writes of the censorship trial of the
Little Review after carrying the Nausicaa chapter in their
publication and gives up nauseating information on current
censorship :
“Go into the Austin, Boston or Loudoun County public
libraries and try to access the page of excerpts from Molly
Bloom's soliloquy at http://www.dimensional.com/~randl/
molly.htm. You won't be able to, because the SpaceTime
Portal site is blocked by CyberPatrol and X-Stop. (Its also
blocked by Surfwatch.)
Various other Joyce resources on the Web have been
blocked by CyberPatrol. For some time, you could not
access the Fileroom, a site which summarizes incidents
of censorship around the world... Similarly, you could not
get to the Wiretap server to read Donald Theall's essay
on James Joyce and the Prehistory of Cyberspace.
And X-Stop, the product installed in the Loudoun County
library, blocks a Banned Books page which has the entire
text of Ulysses.”
August 11th, 2003
Finn’s Hotel
Joyce considered "Finn's Hotel" as a title for Finnegans
Wake. Finn's was the hotel where Nora worked as a
chambermaid when James Joyce first made her acquain-
tance. Finn's Hotel still stands in Dublin and you can see
a photo of it (thanks to The Modern Word) here.
August 10th, 2003
Dante
Mrs. Riordan from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was
based on Mrs. Conway, a distant relative of John Joyce’s who
lived with the family in Dublin for several years. The children
called her Dante, which was a childish derivation of “Auntie”.
She considered joining the nunnery when she was in her late
20s but her brother died and left her a large sum of money.
So she passed on being a Bride of Christ and instead married
a solemn, bald man who worked at the Bank of Ireland. A few
years afterwards her husband left for South America, taking
most of her fortune with him. The original plan had been for
her to meet him there, but after a few letters between them,
he stopped correspnding with her and she never heard from
him again.
Stanislaus Joyce describes her as the “most bigoted person I
ever met”. In his book My Brother’s Keeper, Stannie tells of a
morning when he and James were walking with Dante and
they passed a house where a small coffin was being carried
out the front door. They could hear the hysterical mother
screaming and crying inside. The nursemaid of the dead baby
talked to Dante and explained that the mother was distraught
because the child had not been baptized. As Dante and the two
boys walked home, she explained , “So now you see what
happens. That child can never go to Heaven. Now you see what
comes of not baptizing immediately”.
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Saturday, August 08, 2003
O’Casey on Joyce
This quote, from Irish playright Sean O’Casey, graced out
Bloomsday poster last year. I think it sums him up quite
nicely.
“Joyce, for all his devotion to his art terrible in its austerity,
was a lad born with a song on one side of him, a dance on
the other - two gay guardian angels every human ought
to have” . . . Sean O’Casey
Thursday, August 07, 2003
Araby: The Film
Dennis Courtney has made a film of Araby, a short story
from Dubliners - one of my favorites in fact. The film has
won several awards. You can order it or see a trailer for
it here .
I haven't seen the film but the musical credits are unim-
pressive, as is their synopsis of the story (below).
"Based on the short story by Irish author James Joyce,
Araby is the bittersweet tale of a young boy's confused
affection for his friend's older sister. Taught by Jesuits
in turn-of-the-century Dublin, and raised in a strict
Catholic family, the boy worships his love from afar.
When she finally notices him, the girl expresses her sad -
ness in not being able to attend the enchanting Araby
bazaar. The boy nobly sets out to attain a gift for the
girl but instead meets with a harsh revelation. The boy's
romantic quest through the streets of Dublin becomes
a religious pilgrimage, merging the sensual and the sacred."
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Sweny’s Lemon Soap
I did something special this past Bloomsday. I made lemon
soap. Then I designed an old fashioned looking label and
used an old font to write the words “Lemon Soap” and
under that in smaller letters “F. W. Sweny, Pharmacist”. I
hand colored the labels so they looked like old Breck ads.
I gave several bars away and kept three for myself.
Sweny’s was an actual pharmacy in Dublin, might even
still be there. Bloom purchases lemon soap in the fourth
chapter of the book and carries it around for the day.
It serves as a talisman throughout the day, reassuring
him through various disturbing moments of the day.
Here’s a few examples:
"…I’ll take one of these soaps’…Mr. Bloom raised a
cake to his nostrils. Sweet lemony wax…He strolled
out of the shop, the newspaper baton under his armpit,
the coolwrapped soap in his left hand" .
He has the soap in his breast pocket at Glasnevin
Cemetary. The fresh smell comforts him when his
thoughts turn to death.
In the Aeolus Chapter, the newspaper carries an article
about soap. And the soap helps him overcome a greasy
smell from Thom’s next door. "He took out his handker-
chief to dab his nose. Citron-lemon? Ah, the soap I put
there. Lose it out of that pocket. Putting back his handker-
chief he took out the soap and stowed it away…"
After making the soap, I realized how comforting lemon
soap can be. Washing your hands and face with it is like
therapy. I haven’t tried carrying it around with me through-
out the day yet, but the next time I have a bad day, I’ll give
it a try.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Busy day today. My son received an eye injury at
work so we’ve spent the afternoon at the ER and
the Pharmacy. Luckily I’ve been saving up a few
quotes for this kind of day.
Here’s a few sayings by himself:
- There is no heresy or no philosophy which is so
abhorrent to thechurch as a human being.
- Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill
of a world a mother's love is not.
- Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is
honoured by posterity because he was the last to
discover America.
- I will tell you what I will do and what I will not
do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe,
whether it call itself my home, my fatherland,
or my church: and I will try to express myself in
some mode of life or art as freely as I can and
as wholly as I can, using for my defence the only
arms I allow myself to use--silence, exile and
cunning.
Monday, August 04, 2003
Reading Ulysses
Catherine Finn of Bookslut writes about not
having read Ulysses here.
She says, "I have meant to read it for years. Every
time I hear the title I wince in shame that I have still
not tackled it. Two things have held me back, laziness
and fear."
She nailed it: laziness and fear are the two main impe-
diments to reading Ulysses.So here's some advice for
those who are contemplating reading Ulysses.
First of all, a secret: Ulysses is like the Bible - you don't
have to read it in the order it was written. If you can't
get into Stephen and Buck Mulligan in the Martello Tower
jump ahead to Chapter Four and read about Molly and
Bloom's morning. Whatever....Find a part that attracts you
and start there. Once you are engaged you'll want to read
every chapter in the book.
And remember this: Joyce has a famous quote about put-
ting enough puzzles in Ulysses to keep professors guess-
ing for decades. Joyce was a bit of a tease in that way.
But I believe he meant this book for the common man/
woman. The puzzles were to keep the professors talking,
but the beauty of the book is meant for the rest of us. It
took him ten years to write the book, surely you can spend
a few weeks trying it out. You may come away with a book
you can read and enjoy for the rest of your life.
Sunday, August 03, 2003
Joyce Exhibit at The Ruth Haas Library in Westbury
Wrong side of the US for me, but I'd love to see this exhibit
which includes a Shakespeare & Company first-edition
volume of Ulysses printed in Paris in 1922; the 1934 first
American edition featuring a dust jacket designed by Ernst
Reichl; and copies of The Little Review, the New York literary
journal that published serialized installments of the novel
until 1919 when the U.S. Post Office began seizing issues
on grounds that the passages were obscene. The main item
I'd want to see is James Joyce's death mask - a bronze mask
cast from a plaster mold taken at Joyce's death.
Find out more about the exhibit here.
Saturday, August 02, 2003
We Missed Lucia Week !!
Lucia Anna Joyce was born on July 26, 1907. Schizophrenia
Ireland 's national awareness week (July 21st - 27th) is
named after Lucia, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia
at a young age.You can find out more about this year's
events here. SI is"dedicated to upholding the rights and addressing the needs
of all those affected by schizophrenia and related illnesses,
through the promotion and provision of high-quality services
and working to ensure the continual enhancement of the
quality of life of the people it serves."
Friday, August 01, 2003
Joyce & BDSM
Joyce’s sexual penchants can be found in both his work
and his private life. Bondage, domination, submission, S & M,
fetishism: Joyce was one of those rare men who knew
that when you love someone passionately and completely,
nothing is dirty.
Here is a short excerpt from his the Nightown Chapter of
Ulysses:
“BELLO: Cheek me, I dare you. If you do, tremble in anticipa-
tion of heel discipline to be inflicted in gym costume.” AND
“BELLO: You will be laced with cruel force into vicelike
corsets of soft dove coutille, with whalebone busk, to the
diamond trimmed pelvis, the absolute outside edge, while
your figure, plumper than when at large, will be restrained
in nettight frocks...”
Private examples of Joyce’s sexual leanings can be found
in the letters Joyce wrote to Nora, some of which can be
found here. When the letters were published there was a bit
of a scandal over the content of some of the letters as well
as the violation of Joyce’s privacy. Anticipating such a reaction,
Richard Ellman wrote in the introduction to the volume of letters:
"This correspondence commands respect for its intensity and
candour, and for its fulfillment of Joyce's avowed determination
to express his whole mind."
Here’s a an excerpt:
“ I would be delighted to feel my flesh tingling under your
hand . Do you know what I mean, Nora dear? I wish you would
smack me or flog me even. Not in play, dear, in earnest and
on my naked flesh. ..... I would love to be whipped by you,
Nora love! “
O’Casey on Joyce
This quote, from Irish playright Sean O’Casey, graced out
Bloomsday poster last year. I think it sums him up quite
nicely.
“Joyce, for all his devotion to his art terrible in its austerity,
was a lad born with a song on one side of him, a dance on
the other - two gay guardian angels every human ought
to have” . . . Sean O’Casey
Thursday, August 07, 2003
Araby: The Film
Dennis Courtney has made a film of Araby, a short story
from Dubliners - one of my favorites in fact. The film has
won several awards. You can order it or see a trailer for
it here .
I haven't seen the film but the musical credits are unim-
pressive, as is their synopsis of the story (below).
"Based on the short story by Irish author James Joyce,
Araby is the bittersweet tale of a young boy's confused
affection for his friend's older sister. Taught by Jesuits
in turn-of-the-century Dublin, and raised in a strict
Catholic family, the boy worships his love from afar.
When she finally notices him, the girl expresses her sad -
ness in not being able to attend the enchanting Araby
bazaar. The boy nobly sets out to attain a gift for the
girl but instead meets with a harsh revelation. The boy's
romantic quest through the streets of Dublin becomes
a religious pilgrimage, merging the sensual and the sacred."
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Sweny’s Lemon Soap
I did something special this past Bloomsday. I made lemon
soap. Then I designed an old fashioned looking label and
used an old font to write the words “Lemon Soap” and
under that in smaller letters “F. W. Sweny, Pharmacist”. I
hand colored the labels so they looked like old Breck ads.
I gave several bars away and kept three for myself.
Sweny’s was an actual pharmacy in Dublin, might even
still be there. Bloom purchases lemon soap in the fourth
chapter of the book and carries it around for the day.
It serves as a talisman throughout the day, reassuring
him through various disturbing moments of the day.
Here’s a few examples:
"…I’ll take one of these soaps’…Mr. Bloom raised a
cake to his nostrils. Sweet lemony wax…He strolled
out of the shop, the newspaper baton under his armpit,
the coolwrapped soap in his left hand" .
He has the soap in his breast pocket at Glasnevin
Cemetary. The fresh smell comforts him when his
thoughts turn to death.
In the Aeolus Chapter, the newspaper carries an article
about soap. And the soap helps him overcome a greasy
smell from Thom’s next door. "He took out his handker-
chief to dab his nose. Citron-lemon? Ah, the soap I put
there. Lose it out of that pocket. Putting back his handker-
chief he took out the soap and stowed it away…"
After making the soap, I realized how comforting lemon
soap can be. Washing your hands and face with it is like
therapy. I haven’t tried carrying it around with me through-
out the day yet, but the next time I have a bad day, I’ll give
it a try.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Busy day today. My son received an eye injury at
work so we’ve spent the afternoon at the ER and
the Pharmacy. Luckily I’ve been saving up a few
quotes for this kind of day.
Here’s a few sayings by himself:
- There is no heresy or no philosophy which is so
abhorrent to thechurch as a human being.
- Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill
of a world a mother's love is not.
- Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is
honoured by posterity because he was the last to
discover America.
- I will tell you what I will do and what I will not
do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe,
whether it call itself my home, my fatherland,
or my church: and I will try to express myself in
some mode of life or art as freely as I can and
as wholly as I can, using for my defence the only
arms I allow myself to use--silence, exile and
cunning.
Monday, August 04, 2003
Reading Ulysses
Catherine Finn of Bookslut writes about not
having read Ulysses here.
She says, "I have meant to read it for years. Every
time I hear the title I wince in shame that I have still
not tackled it. Two things have held me back, laziness
and fear."
She nailed it: laziness and fear are the two main impe-
diments to reading Ulysses.So here's some advice for
those who are contemplating reading Ulysses.
First of all, a secret: Ulysses is like the Bible - you don't
have to read it in the order it was written. If you can't
get into Stephen and Buck Mulligan in the Martello Tower
jump ahead to Chapter Four and read about Molly and
Bloom's morning. Whatever....Find a part that attracts you
and start there. Once you are engaged you'll want to read
every chapter in the book.
And remember this: Joyce has a famous quote about put-
ting enough puzzles in Ulysses to keep professors guess-
ing for decades. Joyce was a bit of a tease in that way.
But I believe he meant this book for the common man/
woman. The puzzles were to keep the professors talking,
but the beauty of the book is meant for the rest of us. It
took him ten years to write the book, surely you can spend
a few weeks trying it out. You may come away with a book
you can read and enjoy for the rest of your life.
Sunday, August 03, 2003
Joyce Exhibit at The Ruth Haas Library in Westbury
Wrong side of the US for me, but I'd love to see this exhibit
which includes a Shakespeare & Company first-edition
volume of Ulysses printed in Paris in 1922; the 1934 first
American edition featuring a dust jacket designed by Ernst
Reichl; and copies of The Little Review, the New York literary
journal that published serialized installments of the novel
until 1919 when the U.S. Post Office began seizing issues
on grounds that the passages were obscene. The main item
I'd want to see is James Joyce's death mask - a bronze mask
cast from a plaster mold taken at Joyce's death.
Find out more about the exhibit here.
Saturday, August 02, 2003
We Missed Lucia Week !!
Lucia Anna Joyce was born on July 26, 1907. Schizophrenia
Ireland 's national awareness week (July 21st - 27th) is
named after Lucia, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia
at a young age.You can find out more about this year's
events here. SI is"dedicated to upholding the rights and addressing the needs
of all those affected by schizophrenia and related illnesses,
through the promotion and provision of high-quality services
and working to ensure the continual enhancement of the
quality of life of the people it serves."
Friday, August 01, 2003
Joyce & BDSM
Joyce’s sexual penchants can be found in both his work
and his private life. Bondage, domination, submission, S & M,
fetishism: Joyce was one of those rare men who knew
that when you love someone passionately and completely,
nothing is dirty.
Here is a short excerpt from his the Nightown Chapter of
Ulysses:
“BELLO: Cheek me, I dare you. If you do, tremble in anticipa-
tion of heel discipline to be inflicted in gym costume.” AND
“BELLO: You will be laced with cruel force into vicelike
corsets of soft dove coutille, with whalebone busk, to the
diamond trimmed pelvis, the absolute outside edge, while
your figure, plumper than when at large, will be restrained
in nettight frocks...”
Private examples of Joyce’s sexual leanings can be found
in the letters Joyce wrote to Nora, some of which can be
found here. When the letters were published there was a bit
of a scandal over the content of some of the letters as well
as the violation of Joyce’s privacy. Anticipating such a reaction,
Richard Ellman wrote in the introduction to the volume of letters:
"This correspondence commands respect for its intensity and
candour, and for its fulfillment of Joyce's avowed determination
to express his whole mind."
Here’s a an excerpt:
“ I would be delighted to feel my flesh tingling under your
hand . Do you know what I mean, Nora dear? I wish you would
smack me or flog me even. Not in play, dear, in earnest and
on my naked flesh. ..... I would love to be whipped by you,
Nora love! “
Saturday, August 09, 2003
Thursday, July 31, 2003
I continue to struggle with Finnegans Wake. (NO
apostrophe unless you are referring to the song or
to Tim Finnegan's wake itself).I stumble around and
then come across something wonderful which gives
me the incentive to carry on. It begins and ends
beautifully.
Here's how Finnegans Wakebegins:
"riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore
to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of
recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs."
Here's how Finnegans Wake ends:
"Till thousendsthee. Lps. The keys to. Given! A way a
lone a last a loved along the"
Get it? The book is a circle.
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
James Joyces and His Siblings
Jorn Barger has compiled an excellent timeline of Joyce
and his siblings which gives interesting insight into
their family. You can find the entire fascinating thing
here.Below are some of the basics:
1880
05May (Wed): 30yo John S Joyce marries 20yo May Murray
23Nov (Tue): John Augustine Joyce born (2 mos premature?)
01Dec (Wed): John A Joyce dies, age 8 days
1881
02Feb (Thu): James Augusta Joyce born
1884
Elizabeth 'Dante' Hearn moves in with Joyces
18Jan (Sun): Margaret Alice 'Poppie' Joyce born
17Dec (Wed): John Stanislaus 'Stannie' Joyce born
1886
24Jul (Sat): Charles Patrick 'Charlie' Joyce born
1887
04Jul (Mon): George Alfred 'Georgie' Joyce born (named for Washington 4 July )
1889
22Jan (Tue): Eileen Isabel Mary Xavier Brigid Joyce born
1890
18Jan (Sat): Mary Cathleen 'May' Joyce born
1891
26Oct (Mon): Eva Mary Joyce born
1892
at home: James 10yo, maybe Poppie 8yo, Stannie 8yo, Charlie 6yo, Georgie 5yo, Eileen 4yo, May 2yo, Eva 1yo
1893
27Nov (Mon): Mabel Josephine Anne 'Baby' Joyce born
1895
18Jul (Thu): Frederick Joyce born
31Jul (Wed): Frederick Joyce dies, JSJ tries to strangle May
1902
13Mar (Thu): 14yo George Joyce (brother) falls ill
03May (Sat): George Joyce dies
1903
10Apr (Good Friday): MOTHER DYING telegram from JSJ
12Aug? (Wed): JAJ ignores uncle John Murray's order to kneel & pray
13Aug (Thu): death of 44yo May Murray Joyce
1904
at home: Poppie 20yo, Stannie 20yo, Charlie 18yo, Eileen 16yo, ?May 14yo, Eva 13yo, Florrie 12yo, Baby 11yo
Mar? JSJ sells piano, JAJ moves out
08Oct (Sat): JAJ and NB depart for Zurich
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
The Tower
The Martello Tower at Sandycove was built in 1804
by the British as part of their defences against
an impending (they thought) attack by Napoleon.
This is why Stephen says that Mulligan pays his
rent to “the Secretary of State for war” .
In 1962 the Tower was opened as a James Joyce
museum by Silvia Beach.
Monday, July 28, 2003
Stately Plump Buck Mulligan
Oliver St. John Gogartywas immortalized as the
loquacious Buck Mulligan in Ulysses. Joyce lived
with Gogarty for one week in September of 1904
in the Martello Tower (more on the Tower in a later
post). Gogarty & Joyce had a falling out and a month
later Joyce left Ireland with Nora. In 1906, Joyce
predicted to his brother that Gogarty would
betray the Fenian movement.
Oliver St. John (pronounced sinjin) Gogarty never
betrayed the movement and actually redeemed himself
however in a number of ways.
He fought in the Civil War and was sentenced to
execution in December of 1922, but escaped. W.B.
Yeats described the exploit this way:
“Pleading a natural necessity he got into
the garden, plunged under a shower of
revolver bullets and as he swam the ice-cold
December stream promised it, should it land
him to safety, two swans". True to his word,
Gogarty fulfilled his promise to the Liffey
not far from the pub which now bears his name.
Gogarty hid Michael Collins in his Ely Place
house on numerous occasions during the War of
Independence. After Collins was assassinated, Gogarty,
a doctor, tended his body at Shanakiel Hospital and
prepared it for burial. The blood stained key to Gogarty’s
house was found on Collins dead body. Gogarty also
served as a Senator of the Irish Free State from 1922 - 36.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
A New Take on Ulysses
Artist Harrell FletcherHarrell Fletcher has made a 25 minute film
called "Block Out The Sun".
Based in a garage in central Portland,Oregon the film is a
re-working of James Joyce’s Ulysses. The garage owner,
mechanics and neighborhood denizens serve as narrators,
reading lines from the novel that focus on death, love, social
inequality and the relationship between individuals and the
universe.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
George Bernard Shaw was born on this day in 1856. In a letter dated
10 Oct. 1921, to Joyce’s publisher (published in Letters of James Joyce,
vol. 3, 1966), Shaw, commenting on Ulysses, called it a "revolting record
of a disgusting phase of civilisation; but it is a truthful one," though he
refused to purchase a copy. In The Table Talk of G.B.S., Shaw wrote,
“ I could not use the words Mr. Joyce uses: my prudish hands would refuse to form the letters."
He also made this comment about Ulysses: "In Ireland they try to make
a cat cleanly by rubbing its nose in its own filth. Mr. Joyce has tried the
same treatment on the human subject. I hope it may prove successful."
Friday, July 25, 2003
For the past three years we have had a group of elementary girls participate in our Bloomsday. They are known as the Connelly Girls Choir. Here is their script for Bloomsday 2003:
Gina - Competitive girl - HOKEY POKEY
Brixie - singing girl - Brian O’Linn
Sarena - clapping/dancing girl - pease porridge hot-
Laura - very enthusiastic girl - eeny meeny
Delaney - smart girl - Humpty Dumpty
The girls enter in regular dress, as if coming to choir rehearsal after school. They have backpacks or book bags or carry a book with them. Gina and Sarena practice clapping together. Brixie wants a turn.
Kelly enters. Everyone says hi.
Kelly: Okay. Let's get started everybody. Get out your books. Did you all do your homework? (all the girls pull out worn copies of Finnegans Wake, each excessively marked)
Delaney: Yes
Laura: I did! I did!
Sarena: Me and Gina did it together . Is that okay?
Gina: I found three.
KELLY: Okay, Okay. That's great you found three but we're just going to hear just one nursery rhyme from each of you because there's something else we have to work on. Who wants to go first?
Gina: me !
Brixie: Me! me!
Laura: Oh! Oh! OH please me, I have a good way to pick the next person. Me! Me! MEEEEEEE
KELLY: Okay Laura. You go first. Stand up and tell us what nursery rhyme or children's song you found in Finnegans Wake.
Laura: I found the perfect nursery rhyme for picking who should go next. It's in Finnegans Wake three times: (stands in front of girls and points) Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers make him pay, fifty dollars every day. My mother told me to pick the very best one and that is you: (Points at Sarena)
Kelly: Great job, Laura. Okay, Sarena you're next.
Sarena: Okay. I need Gina to help me. The one I found is only in Finnegans Wake twice but it's a lot of fun.( Sarena & Gina c lap while saying) Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot, nine days old. Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it in the pot nine days old.
Kelly: Great, girls. Good clapping! Okay. Who wants to go next?
Gina: Me! My turn! I worked, really, really hard and I think I found the song with the most mentions. Mine has NINE mentions! But I need everyone to help me with this one.
All in a circle. Do the hokey pokey (some from audience).
You put your your right arm in , you put your right arm out, you put your right arm in and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about..'
(Everyone goes back to their seats)
KELLY: Okay, Brixie? What did you find?
Brixie: Sorry Gina. Mine has more mentions than yours. It has ten mentions.
(Sings Brian O'Linn while Sarena does a fake jig. )
Brian O'Linn had no britches to wear
So he got him a sheepskin to make him a pair
The leather side out and the wooly side in
Sure its great summers clothing. said Brian O'Linn
Kelly: Okay Delaney, What did you come up with?
Delaney: (puts on reading glasses)After one week of extensive perusal of the text, I found a classic nursery rhyme that is referenced in Finnegans Wake 53 times (other girls looked shocked! Delaney clears throat and recites in a shakespearean manner:) Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the kings horse and all the kings men, couldn't put humpty together again
All clap. Girls begin to discuss which one they should use for Bloomsday.
Kelly: All right girls hold on. I know we thought about using one of your rhymes for Bloomsday but I changed my mind. (Girls groan and pout) I just think it's better if you do a song instead. People will like that better. (groans continue) So we're going to sing Believe me if All those Endearing young Charms.
Gina: But that's only mentioned three times.
Brixie: That's okay. It's a nice song.
Laura: Yeah I like it
Sarena: Me too
Kelly: Okay well, let's give it a try then.
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Clay: Behind the Music
In 1899 Maria O’ Donohue went to a Hallow’s Eve party
at the home of John Murray (the son) who she had
known since he was a boy. She was an older, unmarried
woman, sister of John Murray’s (the father’s) second wife.
It is believed that the Joyce’s were also present at this
party. It isn’t known whether the game of saucers was
actually played, though such games were extrememly
common at that time. What is known is that the real
Maria dies later that year dies in December of that year
of an inoperable tumor.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
The story of Clay represents one of the best examples
of Joyce’s use of music to add to, elaborate on and
perfect the tone of a scene. The story is about a woman
named Maria who works in a laundry whose purpose is to
get protestant prostitutes off the street. Maria isn’t a
Prod whore; she is one of the people who runs things there.
In her younger days Maria worked in a well-off household
helping with the care of Alphy and Joe. On the night of the
story, All Hallow’s Eve, Maria is off to visit on of her young
charges, Joe, now married with children of his own. During
the festivities at Joe’s house, Maria is encouraged to join
the children in a game of saucers, an Irish game of divination
commonly played at Halloween.
The player is blindfolded and must select a saucer
rom the table. What the saucer holds will tell the
future for the player. Maria is manipulated by one of
the neighbor girls to the dish containing clay, which signifies
death. Joe’s wife hurriedly takes the clay away from Maria
and points her in another direction. Maria ends up with a
prayer book signifying areligious life or the nunhood.
Towards the end of the evening Maria is asked by Joe to
sing for them. Maria sings “I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls”
by Balfe from his light opera “The Bohemian Girl”. Maria
mistakenly sings the first verse twice, perhaps because
her subconscious recognizes that for Maria, the second
verse will never materialize. Joyce does not include the
second verse in the story, so those who are not familiar
with the song miss out on the full impact.
Here are the words of the second verse:
I dreamt that suitors sought my hand
That knights upon bended knee
With vows no maidens heart could withstand
They pledged their faith to me
And I dreamt that one of those noble host
Came forth my hand to claim
But I also dreamt which pleased me most
That you loved me still the same
Monday, July 21, 2003
Not much time today...upgrading
all my system software. But one piece
of big news: I purchased a copy of the
"James Joyce Yearbook" on eBay! 1000
copies were printed in 1949....more
on that when it arrives.
Also - song for tomorrow: "Marble Halls"
used in the story Clay in Dubliners.
Sunday, July 20, 2003
’Tis the Last Rose of Summer
A hauntingly beautiful song written by Thomas Moore,
also used in the opera Martha by Flotow. One of his most
popular songs, ‘Tis the Last Rose of Summer sold over a
million copies - quite an achievement for a song in the
late 1800’s. (Moore will receive a post of his own later on
this blog). More recently, Ken Burns used it as background
music for his documentary “New York”. I don’t know of
Joyce singing this one anywhere but it certainly seems like
one that would be in his personal repertoire. It’s in his range
and all about loneliness and being left alone....
He used in the Sirens chapter like so:
“Last rose Castille of summer left bloom I feel so sad alone.”
“Under the sandwichbell lay on a bier of bread one last, one
lonely last sardine of summer. Bloom alone.”
Here are the lyrics of the first verse:
'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming all alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
No flower of her kindred,
No rose bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.
Saturday, July 19, 2003
Some Songs you know and Some You Don't
The 105 degree temperature here is not conducive to long
thoughtful posts. But here's something to think about.....More
details to follow
Songs you probably know about in Joyce's Works: Love's
Old Sweet Song, I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls, The Croppy Boy,
Finnegan's Wake....
Songs you probably would have never imagined Joyce
would use: Chin, Chin, Chinaman; The Daring Young Man
on the Flying Trapeze; Farmer in the Dell; Toot, Toot, Tootsie.
Friday, July 18, 2003
Bloomsday Cabaret
Rosemary House is working on a documentary about
Joyce and music. Due to be released in April 2004,
you can find out more about it here.
Ms House recently visited this site and wrote me
saying: I checked into your excellent site and to my
delight found the bit about Shule Aroon..........thanks
to your site I now have an excellent literary tie-in
for the song. " Thanks for the testimonial!
Nosey Flynn also got a much appreciated mention in
The Literary Saloon. You can reach their excellent
site via the permanent link in the Wandering Rocks
section to your right.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
The only open air sculptures ever made by artist Constantin
Brancusi have fallen into a sorry state of disrepair in
Romania. Brancusi created the monument as a tribute to
Romania's fallen WWI heroes. You can read more about it
here.
Brancusi was a friend of Joyce's and was responsible for
the sketch below. Black Sun publishers, Harry and Caresse
Crosby, once proposed to illustrate their edition of Joyce's
Tales Told of Shem and Shaun with a portrait of the author
by Brancusi. The portrait- a sketch of an abstract spiral
intended to suggest the labyrinthine nature of Joyce's mind
- was shown to the author's father, John Joyce, in Dublin.
"The boy," the elder Joyce declared, "seems to have changed
a good deal."
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
One of the scenes we've portrayed at our local Bloomsday
Celebration is the dinner scene in The Portrait of the Artist
as a Young Man. It's a stirring passage to read and fascina-
ting to watch when reenacted. The Parnell-O'Shea scandal
dominates the Dedalus dinner conversation, just as it dominated conversations throughout Ireland at the time. There is no
American equivalent, for in the United States there has never
been a politician who has been so well loved and who inspired
so much hope , unless it was John and Robert Kennedy.
Charles Stewart Parnell and Katherine O'Shea had been lovers
for ten years when the scandal of their affair broke. They had
two children together. They were committed and devoted to each
other. They co-existed as husband and wife. But this is Ireland
at the turn of the century. Half the country saw him as a sinner,
half the country saw him as Ireland's true savior. The dinner
scene is an excellent passage to read to get a feel for the mood
of Ireland at the time.
Here's a link for my friend Maralite, who is currently reading A Portrait.
Brandon Kershner's Portrait Page is an attempt
" to help new readers and old fans of James Joyce's book A Portrait of
the Artist as a Young Man by providing on-line some information about
the book and its writing. "
I continue to struggle with Finnegans Wake. (NO
apostrophe unless you are referring to the song or
to Tim Finnegan's wake itself).I stumble around and
then come across something wonderful which gives
me the incentive to carry on. It begins and ends
beautifully.
Here's how Finnegans Wakebegins:
"riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore
to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of
recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs."
Here's how Finnegans Wake ends:
"Till thousendsthee. Lps. The keys to. Given! A way a
lone a last a loved along the"
Get it? The book is a circle.
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
James Joyces and His Siblings
Jorn Barger has compiled an excellent timeline of Joyce
and his siblings which gives interesting insight into
their family. You can find the entire fascinating thing
here.Below are some of the basics:
1880
05May (Wed): 30yo John S Joyce marries 20yo May Murray
23Nov (Tue): John Augustine Joyce born (2 mos premature?)
01Dec (Wed): John A Joyce dies, age 8 days
1881
02Feb (Thu): James Augusta Joyce born
1884
Elizabeth 'Dante' Hearn moves in with Joyces
18Jan (Sun): Margaret Alice 'Poppie' Joyce born
17Dec (Wed): John Stanislaus 'Stannie' Joyce born
1886
24Jul (Sat): Charles Patrick 'Charlie' Joyce born
1887
04Jul (Mon): George Alfred 'Georgie' Joyce born (named for Washington 4 July )
1889
22Jan (Tue): Eileen Isabel Mary Xavier Brigid Joyce born
1890
18Jan (Sat): Mary Cathleen 'May' Joyce born
1891
26Oct (Mon): Eva Mary Joyce born
1892
at home: James 10yo, maybe Poppie 8yo, Stannie 8yo, Charlie 6yo, Georgie 5yo, Eileen 4yo, May 2yo, Eva 1yo
1893
27Nov (Mon): Mabel Josephine Anne 'Baby' Joyce born
1895
18Jul (Thu): Frederick Joyce born
31Jul (Wed): Frederick Joyce dies, JSJ tries to strangle May
1902
13Mar (Thu): 14yo George Joyce (brother) falls ill
03May (Sat): George Joyce dies
1903
10Apr (Good Friday): MOTHER DYING telegram from JSJ
12Aug? (Wed): JAJ ignores uncle John Murray's order to kneel & pray
13Aug (Thu): death of 44yo May Murray Joyce
1904
at home: Poppie 20yo, Stannie 20yo, Charlie 18yo, Eileen 16yo, ?May 14yo, Eva 13yo, Florrie 12yo, Baby 11yo
Mar? JSJ sells piano, JAJ moves out
08Oct (Sat): JAJ and NB depart for Zurich
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
The Tower
The Martello Tower at Sandycove was built in 1804
by the British as part of their defences against
an impending (they thought) attack by Napoleon.
This is why Stephen says that Mulligan pays his
rent to “the Secretary of State for war” .
In 1962 the Tower was opened as a James Joyce
museum by Silvia Beach.
Monday, July 28, 2003
Stately Plump Buck Mulligan
Oliver St. John Gogartywas immortalized as the
loquacious Buck Mulligan in Ulysses. Joyce lived
with Gogarty for one week in September of 1904
in the Martello Tower (more on the Tower in a later
post). Gogarty & Joyce had a falling out and a month
later Joyce left Ireland with Nora. In 1906, Joyce
predicted to his brother that Gogarty would
betray the Fenian movement.
Oliver St. John (pronounced sinjin) Gogarty never
betrayed the movement and actually redeemed himself
however in a number of ways.
He fought in the Civil War and was sentenced to
execution in December of 1922, but escaped. W.B.
Yeats described the exploit this way:
“Pleading a natural necessity he got into
the garden, plunged under a shower of
revolver bullets and as he swam the ice-cold
December stream promised it, should it land
him to safety, two swans". True to his word,
Gogarty fulfilled his promise to the Liffey
not far from the pub which now bears his name.
Gogarty hid Michael Collins in his Ely Place
house on numerous occasions during the War of
Independence. After Collins was assassinated, Gogarty,
a doctor, tended his body at Shanakiel Hospital and
prepared it for burial. The blood stained key to Gogarty’s
house was found on Collins dead body. Gogarty also
served as a Senator of the Irish Free State from 1922 - 36.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
A New Take on Ulysses
Artist Harrell FletcherHarrell Fletcher has made a 25 minute film
called "Block Out The Sun".
Based in a garage in central Portland,Oregon the film is a
re-working of James Joyce’s Ulysses. The garage owner,
mechanics and neighborhood denizens serve as narrators,
reading lines from the novel that focus on death, love, social
inequality and the relationship between individuals and the
universe.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
George Bernard Shaw was born on this day in 1856. In a letter dated
10 Oct. 1921, to Joyce’s publisher (published in Letters of James Joyce,
vol. 3, 1966), Shaw, commenting on Ulysses, called it a "revolting record
of a disgusting phase of civilisation; but it is a truthful one," though he
refused to purchase a copy. In The Table Talk of G.B.S., Shaw wrote,
“ I could not use the words Mr. Joyce uses: my prudish hands would refuse to form the letters."
He also made this comment about Ulysses: "In Ireland they try to make
a cat cleanly by rubbing its nose in its own filth. Mr. Joyce has tried the
same treatment on the human subject. I hope it may prove successful."
Friday, July 25, 2003
For the past three years we have had a group of elementary girls participate in our Bloomsday. They are known as the Connelly Girls Choir. Here is their script for Bloomsday 2003:
Gina - Competitive girl - HOKEY POKEY
Brixie - singing girl - Brian O’Linn
Sarena - clapping/dancing girl - pease porridge hot-
Laura - very enthusiastic girl - eeny meeny
Delaney - smart girl - Humpty Dumpty
The girls enter in regular dress, as if coming to choir rehearsal after school. They have backpacks or book bags or carry a book with them. Gina and Sarena practice clapping together. Brixie wants a turn.
Kelly enters. Everyone says hi.
Kelly: Okay. Let's get started everybody. Get out your books. Did you all do your homework? (all the girls pull out worn copies of Finnegans Wake, each excessively marked)
Delaney: Yes
Laura: I did! I did!
Sarena: Me and Gina did it together . Is that okay?
Gina: I found three.
KELLY: Okay, Okay. That's great you found three but we're just going to hear just one nursery rhyme from each of you because there's something else we have to work on. Who wants to go first?
Gina: me !
Brixie: Me! me!
Laura: Oh! Oh! OH please me, I have a good way to pick the next person. Me! Me! MEEEEEEE
KELLY: Okay Laura. You go first. Stand up and tell us what nursery rhyme or children's song you found in Finnegans Wake.
Laura: I found the perfect nursery rhyme for picking who should go next. It's in Finnegans Wake three times: (stands in front of girls and points) Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers make him pay, fifty dollars every day. My mother told me to pick the very best one and that is you: (Points at Sarena)
Kelly: Great job, Laura. Okay, Sarena you're next.
Sarena: Okay. I need Gina to help me. The one I found is only in Finnegans Wake twice but it's a lot of fun.( Sarena & Gina c lap while saying) Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot, nine days old. Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it in the pot nine days old.
Kelly: Great, girls. Good clapping! Okay. Who wants to go next?
Gina: Me! My turn! I worked, really, really hard and I think I found the song with the most mentions. Mine has NINE mentions! But I need everyone to help me with this one.
All in a circle. Do the hokey pokey (some from audience).
You put your your right arm in , you put your right arm out, you put your right arm in and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about..'
(Everyone goes back to their seats)
KELLY: Okay, Brixie? What did you find?
Brixie: Sorry Gina. Mine has more mentions than yours. It has ten mentions.
(Sings Brian O'Linn while Sarena does a fake jig. )
Brian O'Linn had no britches to wear
So he got him a sheepskin to make him a pair
The leather side out and the wooly side in
Sure its great summers clothing. said Brian O'Linn
Kelly: Okay Delaney, What did you come up with?
Delaney: (puts on reading glasses)After one week of extensive perusal of the text, I found a classic nursery rhyme that is referenced in Finnegans Wake 53 times (other girls looked shocked! Delaney clears throat and recites in a shakespearean manner:) Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the kings horse and all the kings men, couldn't put humpty together again
All clap. Girls begin to discuss which one they should use for Bloomsday.
Kelly: All right girls hold on. I know we thought about using one of your rhymes for Bloomsday but I changed my mind. (Girls groan and pout) I just think it's better if you do a song instead. People will like that better. (groans continue) So we're going to sing Believe me if All those Endearing young Charms.
Gina: But that's only mentioned three times.
Brixie: That's okay. It's a nice song.
Laura: Yeah I like it
Sarena: Me too
Kelly: Okay well, let's give it a try then.
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Clay: Behind the Music
In 1899 Maria O’ Donohue went to a Hallow’s Eve party
at the home of John Murray (the son) who she had
known since he was a boy. She was an older, unmarried
woman, sister of John Murray’s (the father’s) second wife.
It is believed that the Joyce’s were also present at this
party. It isn’t known whether the game of saucers was
actually played, though such games were extrememly
common at that time. What is known is that the real
Maria dies later that year dies in December of that year
of an inoperable tumor.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
The story of Clay represents one of the best examples
of Joyce’s use of music to add to, elaborate on and
perfect the tone of a scene. The story is about a woman
named Maria who works in a laundry whose purpose is to
get protestant prostitutes off the street. Maria isn’t a
Prod whore; she is one of the people who runs things there.
In her younger days Maria worked in a well-off household
helping with the care of Alphy and Joe. On the night of the
story, All Hallow’s Eve, Maria is off to visit on of her young
charges, Joe, now married with children of his own. During
the festivities at Joe’s house, Maria is encouraged to join
the children in a game of saucers, an Irish game of divination
commonly played at Halloween.
The player is blindfolded and must select a saucer
rom the table. What the saucer holds will tell the
future for the player. Maria is manipulated by one of
the neighbor girls to the dish containing clay, which signifies
death. Joe’s wife hurriedly takes the clay away from Maria
and points her in another direction. Maria ends up with a
prayer book signifying areligious life or the nunhood.
Towards the end of the evening Maria is asked by Joe to
sing for them. Maria sings “I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls”
by Balfe from his light opera “The Bohemian Girl”. Maria
mistakenly sings the first verse twice, perhaps because
her subconscious recognizes that for Maria, the second
verse will never materialize. Joyce does not include the
second verse in the story, so those who are not familiar
with the song miss out on the full impact.
Here are the words of the second verse:
I dreamt that suitors sought my hand
That knights upon bended knee
With vows no maidens heart could withstand
They pledged their faith to me
And I dreamt that one of those noble host
Came forth my hand to claim
But I also dreamt which pleased me most
That you loved me still the same
Monday, July 21, 2003
Not much time today...upgrading
all my system software. But one piece
of big news: I purchased a copy of the
"James Joyce Yearbook" on eBay! 1000
copies were printed in 1949....more
on that when it arrives.
Also - song for tomorrow: "Marble Halls"
used in the story Clay in Dubliners.
Sunday, July 20, 2003
’Tis the Last Rose of Summer
A hauntingly beautiful song written by Thomas Moore,
also used in the opera Martha by Flotow. One of his most
popular songs, ‘Tis the Last Rose of Summer sold over a
million copies - quite an achievement for a song in the
late 1800’s. (Moore will receive a post of his own later on
this blog). More recently, Ken Burns used it as background
music for his documentary “New York”. I don’t know of
Joyce singing this one anywhere but it certainly seems like
one that would be in his personal repertoire. It’s in his range
and all about loneliness and being left alone....
He used in the Sirens chapter like so:
“Last rose Castille of summer left bloom I feel so sad alone.”
“Under the sandwichbell lay on a bier of bread one last, one
lonely last sardine of summer. Bloom alone.”
Here are the lyrics of the first verse:
'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming all alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
No flower of her kindred,
No rose bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.
Saturday, July 19, 2003
Some Songs you know and Some You Don't
The 105 degree temperature here is not conducive to long
thoughtful posts. But here's something to think about.....More
details to follow
Songs you probably know about in Joyce's Works: Love's
Old Sweet Song, I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls, The Croppy Boy,
Finnegan's Wake....
Songs you probably would have never imagined Joyce
would use: Chin, Chin, Chinaman; The Daring Young Man
on the Flying Trapeze; Farmer in the Dell; Toot, Toot, Tootsie.
Friday, July 18, 2003
Bloomsday Cabaret
Rosemary House is working on a documentary about
Joyce and music. Due to be released in April 2004,
you can find out more about it here.
Ms House recently visited this site and wrote me
saying: I checked into your excellent site and to my
delight found the bit about Shule Aroon..........thanks
to your site I now have an excellent literary tie-in
for the song. " Thanks for the testimonial!
Nosey Flynn also got a much appreciated mention in
The Literary Saloon. You can reach their excellent
site via the permanent link in the Wandering Rocks
section to your right.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
The only open air sculptures ever made by artist Constantin
Brancusi have fallen into a sorry state of disrepair in
Romania. Brancusi created the monument as a tribute to
Romania's fallen WWI heroes. You can read more about it
here.
Brancusi was a friend of Joyce's and was responsible for
the sketch below. Black Sun publishers, Harry and Caresse
Crosby, once proposed to illustrate their edition of Joyce's
Tales Told of Shem and Shaun with a portrait of the author
by Brancusi. The portrait- a sketch of an abstract spiral
intended to suggest the labyrinthine nature of Joyce's mind
- was shown to the author's father, John Joyce, in Dublin.
"The boy," the elder Joyce declared, "seems to have changed
a good deal."
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
One of the scenes we've portrayed at our local Bloomsday
Celebration is the dinner scene in The Portrait of the Artist
as a Young Man. It's a stirring passage to read and fascina-
ting to watch when reenacted. The Parnell-O'Shea scandal
dominates the Dedalus dinner conversation, just as it dominated conversations throughout Ireland at the time. There is no
American equivalent, for in the United States there has never
been a politician who has been so well loved and who inspired
so much hope , unless it was John and Robert Kennedy.
Charles Stewart Parnell and Katherine O'Shea had been lovers
for ten years when the scandal of their affair broke. They had
two children together. They were committed and devoted to each
other. They co-existed as husband and wife. But this is Ireland
at the turn of the century. Half the country saw him as a sinner,
half the country saw him as Ireland's true savior. The dinner
scene is an excellent passage to read to get a feel for the mood
of Ireland at the time.
Here's a link for my friend Maralite, who is currently reading A Portrait.
Brandon Kershner's Portrait Page is an attempt
" to help new readers and old fans of James Joyce's book A Portrait of
the Artist as a Young Man by providing on-line some information about
the book and its writing. "
Friday, August 08, 2003
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
This image comes from the James Joyce Resource Center
a nice site put together by Edward Moloney and David
Fanning of Ohio State University.
Monday, July 14, 2003
Neil Steinberg writes about reading Ulysses in his Chicago Sun
Times column . Poor man's having a bit of a hard time with
it, but not so hard that he couldn't come up with this great first paragraph:
"With potscrape, clump and a gurgle, the blackgreen was pipingily
poured into a blazing white soft cup--O joi de cafe! Noir et chaud!
--and together, cup and I, went brim-sipping, shuffling, striding,
stepping over the iceblue speckled gumsmeared carpeting back
to my officespace....Sorry. Too much time reading James Joyce."
Steinberg isn't alone. For others struggling with Ulysses keep this
in mind: you don't neccesarily have to read it from front to back,
in the order it's presented. It's fine to jump around a bit. All of
Ulysses is worth reading, of course, but if skipping
around a bit keeps you involved then go for it.
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Of the many, many musical references that Joyce uses in
Ulysses, there are some that are quite significant and some
that are only briefly alluded to. One of the more significant
references, though it's appearance is much more concise than
songs like The Croppy Boy and Love's Old Sweet Song is
the traditional Irish song Suil a Run. It is used in the Ithaca
chapter. Chapter 17 of Ulysses (Ithaca) is written entirely in
question and answer form, like a catechism. At one point as
Stephen and Bloom walk back to Bloom's house, they each refer
to one song, which represents their culture. Bloom picks a
Hebrew song with which I am unfamiliar. Stephen chooses a song
which tells of a young woman who is pining for her lover, who
has fled to France. If you don't have your copy of Ulysses handy,
you can find this portion on the internet here. But this particular question
and answer are below:
"What fragments of verse from the ancient Hebrew and ancient
Irish languages were cited with modulations of voice and translation
of texts by guest to host and by host to guest?
By Stephen: suil, suil, suil arun, suil go siocair agus suil go cuin
(walk, walk, walk your way, walk in safety, walk with care).
By Bloom: kifeloch, harimon rakatejch m'baad l'zamatejch (thy
temple amid thy hair is as a slice of pomegranate). "
There are many recordings of Suil a Run. The best is on the album
All of It by the band Skylark. Instrumentally, the song is simple and
perfect and no one sings it as beautifully as Len Graham
does in this recording. Suil Arun (the spelling varies) is also
a song from Joyce's personal repertoire. Listen to it if you get
the chance. The link above provides a sample of the song.
Saturday, July 12, 2003
Joyce in Village Voice Advice Column
Dan Savage mentions James Joyce in his Village
Voice column Savage Love. Joyce comes up in
response to a question from a reader named Fart.
Find it at the link above.
Friday, July 11, 2003
Portrait of the Artist
The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
was my first experience with James Joyce.
I read it much too young, eleven or twelve.
I don't know if you can even call that first
time "reading";. I skimmed through a lot of it
but I was struck by one episode in the book
that for me was so true to my experience as
a child, when one first realizes that injustice
exists and unfairness abounds.
The part I'm referring to is in Chapter One,
when young Stephen accidentally breaks his
glasses. His eyesight is quite poor and the doctor
has told him not to read until the new pair comes.
Stephen is exempted from studying. Then the much
feared prefect of studies comes in the class. He
pandies a few boys (hits them over the hand with
a pandybat) and is about to leave when he notices
Stephen. What happens afterwards is sickening -
not because it's any more brutal than the norm for
that time - but because James Joyce puts the fear
and the shame and the wonder of the whole event
into his pages.
I've printed an excerpt below. You can read the full
text of Portrait here though it's the kind of book you'll
want to snuggle somewhere comfortably with. If
you've never read Joyce, Chapter One of Portrait is an
excellent place to begin.
"The scalding water burst forth from his eyes and, burning
with shame and agony and fear, he drew back his shaking
arm in terror and burst out into a whine of pain. His body
shook with a palsy of fright and in shame and rage he felt
the scalding cry come from his throat and the scalding tears
falling out of his eyes and down his flaming cheeks.
-- Kneel down, cried the prefect of studies.
Stephen knelt down quickly pressing his beaten hands to
his sides. To think of them beaten and swollen with pain
all in a moment made him feel so sorry for them as if they
were not his own but someone else's that he felt sorry for."
Thursday, July 10, 2003
A Very Expensive Book - But Worth it
RTE reported today that a long lost presentation copy of
Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" sold at
auction for 152,000 Euros. That's $171, 750 in US dollars.
Why so much? This was a very special presentation copy,
signed by Joyce to his friend and mentor poet Ezra Pound.
It was given to Pound by Joyce in March 1917. I'd love to
know who bought it, lucky devil.
Ford Madox Ford, James Joyce and Ezra Pound, who looks
remarkably like my friend Michael Doran.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Rings on His Fingers
One of the fads in Joyce's day came from Tin Pan Alley.
(More on TPA in a later post) For a few years, the big
fad was to write songs about the Irish in exotic situa-
tions. Surely you remember that big hit "O'Brien is Trying
to Learn to talk Hawaiian". No? Well that song faded away,
as did most songs of that genre, except one that Joyce
used in Ulysses.
I think this proves he had exceptional taste in music.
Of all the exotic-Irish songs, he chose the one that
would remain well know 100 years later to include in
his works. It goes like this ( You probably won't recognize
the first, but you should know the chorus):
Tim O'Shea was cast away upon an Indian Isle
The maidens there, they liked his hair
They liked his Irish smile.
So made him Cheif Panjandrum,
The Nabob of them all
They called him jimmy-bo-shea
And rigged him up so gay
So he wrote to Dublin Bay
To his sweetheart just to say:
Sure I've got rings on my fingers
Belles on my toes
Elephants to ride upon
My little Irish rose
So come to your nabob
And next St Patricks Day,
Be Mrs Mumbo-Jumbo-Jiddy-Bo-Shea
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
A poster from our annual Bloomsday event -
this one is from 1999. This year we held our
8th annual Bloomsday. It was my least favorite,
I think.
Our Bloomsday Committee is divided into two
camps: those who want to make it more scholarly
and professional, and those who want to make it
accessible to all levels of Joyce afecionados. I’m
in the latter group.
This image comes from the James Joyce Resource Center
a nice site put together by Edward Moloney and David
Fanning of Ohio State University.
Monday, July 14, 2003
Neil Steinberg writes about reading Ulysses in his Chicago Sun
Times column . Poor man's having a bit of a hard time with
it, but not so hard that he couldn't come up with this great first paragraph:
"With potscrape, clump and a gurgle, the blackgreen was pipingily
poured into a blazing white soft cup--O joi de cafe! Noir et chaud!
--and together, cup and I, went brim-sipping, shuffling, striding,
stepping over the iceblue speckled gumsmeared carpeting back
to my officespace....Sorry. Too much time reading James Joyce."
Steinberg isn't alone. For others struggling with Ulysses keep this
in mind: you don't neccesarily have to read it from front to back,
in the order it's presented. It's fine to jump around a bit. All of
Ulysses is worth reading, of course, but if skipping
around a bit keeps you involved then go for it.
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Of the many, many musical references that Joyce uses in
Ulysses, there are some that are quite significant and some
that are only briefly alluded to. One of the more significant
references, though it's appearance is much more concise than
songs like The Croppy Boy and Love's Old Sweet Song is
the traditional Irish song Suil a Run. It is used in the Ithaca
chapter. Chapter 17 of Ulysses (Ithaca) is written entirely in
question and answer form, like a catechism. At one point as
Stephen and Bloom walk back to Bloom's house, they each refer
to one song, which represents their culture. Bloom picks a
Hebrew song with which I am unfamiliar. Stephen chooses a song
which tells of a young woman who is pining for her lover, who
has fled to France. If you don't have your copy of Ulysses handy,
you can find this portion on the internet here. But this particular question
and answer are below:
"What fragments of verse from the ancient Hebrew and ancient
Irish languages were cited with modulations of voice and translation
of texts by guest to host and by host to guest?
By Stephen: suil, suil, suil arun, suil go siocair agus suil go cuin
(walk, walk, walk your way, walk in safety, walk with care).
By Bloom: kifeloch, harimon rakatejch m'baad l'zamatejch (thy
temple amid thy hair is as a slice of pomegranate). "
There are many recordings of Suil a Run. The best is on the album
All of It by the band Skylark. Instrumentally, the song is simple and
perfect and no one sings it as beautifully as Len Graham
does in this recording. Suil Arun (the spelling varies) is also
a song from Joyce's personal repertoire. Listen to it if you get
the chance. The link above provides a sample of the song.
Saturday, July 12, 2003
Joyce in Village Voice Advice Column
Dan Savage mentions James Joyce in his Village
Voice column Savage Love. Joyce comes up in
response to a question from a reader named Fart.
Find it at the link above.
Friday, July 11, 2003
Portrait of the Artist
The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
was my first experience with James Joyce.
I read it much too young, eleven or twelve.
I don't know if you can even call that first
time "reading";. I skimmed through a lot of it
but I was struck by one episode in the book
that for me was so true to my experience as
a child, when one first realizes that injustice
exists and unfairness abounds.
The part I'm referring to is in Chapter One,
when young Stephen accidentally breaks his
glasses. His eyesight is quite poor and the doctor
has told him not to read until the new pair comes.
Stephen is exempted from studying. Then the much
feared prefect of studies comes in the class. He
pandies a few boys (hits them over the hand with
a pandybat) and is about to leave when he notices
Stephen. What happens afterwards is sickening -
not because it's any more brutal than the norm for
that time - but because James Joyce puts the fear
and the shame and the wonder of the whole event
into his pages.
I've printed an excerpt below. You can read the full
text of Portrait here though it's the kind of book you'll
want to snuggle somewhere comfortably with. If
you've never read Joyce, Chapter One of Portrait is an
excellent place to begin.
"The scalding water burst forth from his eyes and, burning
with shame and agony and fear, he drew back his shaking
arm in terror and burst out into a whine of pain. His body
shook with a palsy of fright and in shame and rage he felt
the scalding cry come from his throat and the scalding tears
falling out of his eyes and down his flaming cheeks.
-- Kneel down, cried the prefect of studies.
Stephen knelt down quickly pressing his beaten hands to
his sides. To think of them beaten and swollen with pain
all in a moment made him feel so sorry for them as if they
were not his own but someone else's that he felt sorry for."
Thursday, July 10, 2003
A Very Expensive Book - But Worth it
RTE reported today that a long lost presentation copy of
Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" sold at
auction for 152,000 Euros. That's $171, 750 in US dollars.
Why so much? This was a very special presentation copy,
signed by Joyce to his friend and mentor poet Ezra Pound.
It was given to Pound by Joyce in March 1917. I'd love to
know who bought it, lucky devil.
Ford Madox Ford, James Joyce and Ezra Pound, who looks
remarkably like my friend Michael Doran.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Rings on His Fingers
One of the fads in Joyce's day came from Tin Pan Alley.
(More on TPA in a later post) For a few years, the big
fad was to write songs about the Irish in exotic situa-
tions. Surely you remember that big hit "O'Brien is Trying
to Learn to talk Hawaiian". No? Well that song faded away,
as did most songs of that genre, except one that Joyce
used in Ulysses.
I think this proves he had exceptional taste in music.
Of all the exotic-Irish songs, he chose the one that
would remain well know 100 years later to include in
his works. It goes like this ( You probably won't recognize
the first, but you should know the chorus):
Tim O'Shea was cast away upon an Indian Isle
The maidens there, they liked his hair
They liked his Irish smile.
So made him Cheif Panjandrum,
The Nabob of them all
They called him jimmy-bo-shea
And rigged him up so gay
So he wrote to Dublin Bay
To his sweetheart just to say:
Sure I've got rings on my fingers
Belles on my toes
Elephants to ride upon
My little Irish rose
So come to your nabob
And next St Patricks Day,
Be Mrs Mumbo-Jumbo-Jiddy-Bo-Shea
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
A poster from our annual Bloomsday event -
this one is from 1999. This year we held our
8th annual Bloomsday. It was my least favorite,
I think.
Our Bloomsday Committee is divided into two
camps: those who want to make it more scholarly
and professional, and those who want to make it
accessible to all levels of Joyce afecionados. I’m
in the latter group.
Monday, July 07, 2003
- Ho Hum -
I need something new to read. Of course, one can
always read Ulysses again and find something
new. Ulysses is a little like the Bible. You don't
read the Bible through once, end to end, then
slam it closed and say "Yep, done with that one!"
It's a lifelong reading process. But that's not
what I want to read right now. It's summer,
there's a breeze; I need something lighter than
Ulysses.
That's the problem with having a dead person
as your favorite author. If my favorite author
was the same as my 11 year old daughter's
I'd have a big, new, fat 800 page book in my
hands right now.
Sunday, July 06, 2003
- Ye Banks and Braes -
Joyce used over 1000 songs in his works.
He had originally considered being a professional
singer. He sang professionally before he left
Dublin and entered a large competition. He won
second place and was offered a scholarship to
study with a renowned Italian singer but he
was so pissed off at not winning the damn thing
that he chucked his musical career all together.
He still sang however, at home, and sometimes at
small gatherings of close friends or when off drinking
with buddies. I read once that he sang at a small
birthday gathering in his honor. I think it was at the
Jolas's house, and it was a few days after his daughter
Lucia had been institutionalized. He sang "Ye Banks and
Braes" by Robert Burns:
Ye Banks and Braes of Bonny Doon
How can you bloom so fresh and fair
How can ye chant ye little bird
Wi I sae weary fu o' care
Thou't breaks my heart, the warbling bird
That wantons oer the flow'ry glen
Thou minds me o' departed joy
Departed never to return......
Saturday, July 05, 2003
- Please Mr. Postman -
Even those who haven't read Ulysses are sure
to be familiar with Molly's soliloquoy and
the resulting term "stream of consciousness".
While Joyce was the first to use SOC in a
literary work, credit must also be given to Nora,
who influenced him greatly. Here is the text
from one of her early letters to Joyce, punctuation hers:
Leinster Street -- August 1904
My Dearest
My loneliness which I have so deeply felt,
since we parted last night seemed to fade away
as if by magic but, alas, it was only for
a short time, and I then became worse than ever.
when I read your letter from the moment that I
close my eyes till I open them again in the morning.
It seems to me that I am always in your
company under every possible variety of circumstances
talking to you walking with you meeting you suddenly
in different places until I am beginning to wonder
if my spirit takes leave of my body in sleep and goes
to seek you, and what is more find you or
perhaps this is nothing but a fantasy. Occasionally
too I fall into a fit of melancholy that
lasts for the day and which I find almost
impossible to dispel it is about time now
I think that I should finish this letter as the
more I write the lonelier I feel in consequence
of you being so far away and the thought of
having to write write [sic] what I would wish
to speak were you beside me makes me feel utterly
miserable so with best wishes and love I now close.
Believe me to be ever yours XXXXXXX
Norah Barnacle
Not many of Nora's letters to Joyce have
survived, but you can find Joyce's letters in
this book: Selected Letters of James Joyce by
Richard Ellman (Viking 1975).
You can read some of his more erotic letters to Nora
here.
If your interested in finding out about Joyce's
use of letters in his work check out this paper by
Leah Hill, "Engaged in an ‘Epizzle’:Reading Issy's Practice Letter
in Finnegans Wake with the Printed Letters in Ulysses .
Friday, July 04, 2003
- A Bit About Himself -
He was born on Thursday, February 2, 1882 in
Rathgar, a suburb of Dublin. It was a
misty day with rain and a south easterly
wind. The first Bloomsday was June 16, 1904,
a fine, breezy day with four hours of sunshine
and a clear night. He died on January 13, 1941 in
Zurich of a perforated ulcer and generalized
peritonitis. His body was carried to Fluntern Cemetary
on January 15th, a cold, snowy day, as snowflakes
fluttered silently around the people who loved
him, sifting onto the tops of tombstones and
resting on the graves, old and new.
- Ho Hum -
I need something new to read. Of course, one can
always read Ulysses again and find something
new. Ulysses is a little like the Bible. You don't
read the Bible through once, end to end, then
slam it closed and say "Yep, done with that one!"
It's a lifelong reading process. But that's not
what I want to read right now. It's summer,
there's a breeze; I need something lighter than
Ulysses.
That's the problem with having a dead person
as your favorite author. If my favorite author
was the same as my 11 year old daughter's
I'd have a big, new, fat 800 page book in my
hands right now.
Sunday, July 06, 2003
- Ye Banks and Braes -
Joyce used over 1000 songs in his works.
He had originally considered being a professional
singer. He sang professionally before he left
Dublin and entered a large competition. He won
second place and was offered a scholarship to
study with a renowned Italian singer but he
was so pissed off at not winning the damn thing
that he chucked his musical career all together.
He still sang however, at home, and sometimes at
small gatherings of close friends or when off drinking
with buddies. I read once that he sang at a small
birthday gathering in his honor. I think it was at the
Jolas's house, and it was a few days after his daughter
Lucia had been institutionalized. He sang "Ye Banks and
Braes" by Robert Burns:
Ye Banks and Braes of Bonny Doon
How can you bloom so fresh and fair
How can ye chant ye little bird
Wi I sae weary fu o' care
Thou't breaks my heart, the warbling bird
That wantons oer the flow'ry glen
Thou minds me o' departed joy
Departed never to return......
Saturday, July 05, 2003
- Please Mr. Postman -
Even those who haven't read Ulysses are sure
to be familiar with Molly's soliloquoy and
the resulting term "stream of consciousness".
While Joyce was the first to use SOC in a
literary work, credit must also be given to Nora,
who influenced him greatly. Here is the text
from one of her early letters to Joyce, punctuation hers:
Leinster Street -- August 1904
My Dearest
My loneliness which I have so deeply felt,
since we parted last night seemed to fade away
as if by magic but, alas, it was only for
a short time, and I then became worse than ever.
when I read your letter from the moment that I
close my eyes till I open them again in the morning.
It seems to me that I am always in your
company under every possible variety of circumstances
talking to you walking with you meeting you suddenly
in different places until I am beginning to wonder
if my spirit takes leave of my body in sleep and goes
to seek you, and what is more find you or
perhaps this is nothing but a fantasy. Occasionally
too I fall into a fit of melancholy that
lasts for the day and which I find almost
impossible to dispel it is about time now
I think that I should finish this letter as the
more I write the lonelier I feel in consequence
of you being so far away and the thought of
having to write write [sic] what I would wish
to speak were you beside me makes me feel utterly
miserable so with best wishes and love I now close.
Believe me to be ever yours XXXXXXX
Norah Barnacle
Not many of Nora's letters to Joyce have
survived, but you can find Joyce's letters in
this book: Selected Letters of James Joyce by
Richard Ellman (Viking 1975).
You can read some of his more erotic letters to Nora
here.
If your interested in finding out about Joyce's
use of letters in his work check out this paper by
Leah Hill, "Engaged in an ‘Epizzle’:Reading Issy's Practice Letter
in Finnegans Wake with the Printed Letters in Ulysses .
Friday, July 04, 2003
- A Bit About Himself -
He was born on Thursday, February 2, 1882 in
Rathgar, a suburb of Dublin. It was a
misty day with rain and a south easterly
wind. The first Bloomsday was June 16, 1904,
a fine, breezy day with four hours of sunshine
and a clear night. He died on January 13, 1941 in
Zurich of a perforated ulcer and generalized
peritonitis. His body was carried to Fluntern Cemetary
on January 15th, a cold, snowy day, as snowflakes
fluttered silently around the people who loved
him, sifting onto the tops of tombstones and
resting on the graves, old and new.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Thursday, July 03, 2003
An Introduction
Hello there and welcome. I've started this blog in order to do away
with those Post-Bloomsday doldrums so common this time of year.
You know what I mean: you look forward to June 16th for months,
you prepare, the big day comes, it's wonderful and then ...WHAM!
you've got that let down feeling because another Bloomsday
has come and gone.
So I've decided to enter a post each day with some sort of
James Joyce related information. For myself, and as a service
to mankind.
Your feedback, comments and questions are welcome.
Kelly
An Introduction
Hello there and welcome. I've started this blog in order to do away
with those Post-Bloomsday doldrums so common this time of year.
You know what I mean: you look forward to June 16th for months,
you prepare, the big day comes, it's wonderful and then ...WHAM!
you've got that let down feeling because another Bloomsday
has come and gone.
So I've decided to enter a post each day with some sort of
James Joyce related information. For myself, and as a service
to mankind.
Your feedback, comments and questions are welcome.
Kelly
