Today we stopped at: "hypnotic suggestion and somnambulism", 17.849 (Gabler), p. 811 (Penguin)
After we were occupied in this chapter for a long time with apparently trivial questions
(e.g: what lay under exposure on the lower, middle and upper shelves of the kitchen dresser, opened by Bloom? (p. 788, Penguin), Who drank more quickly? (p. 791, Penguin), What is home without Plumtree's Potted Meat? (p. 800, Penguin)) and not so trivial ones (e.g. What to do with out wives. (p.802, Penguin)), we are catapulted into the world of antisemitism that was to engulf Europe within years after the publication of Ulysses. Joyce builds this up quite slowly, and talks at first of three seekers of pure truth, Moses of Egypt, Moses Maimonides, and Moses Mendensohn (p.805, Penguin). Then some Hebrew statements appear, only to be followed by names of books that are sacred in Judaism along with those that narrate Irish legend.
As the conversation (?) moves on to the development of languages, from the Egyptian epigraphic hieroglyphs to Celtic writing, we are confronted with Stephen's auditive sensation and Bloom's visual sensation. (This chapter mentions very often such complementary elements, here e.g. auditive vs visual.) It is then that Joyce attributes (albeit in Bloom's perception) the appearance of Stephen to the 'known' appearance of Christ, leaving us with the question whether Stephen is the Christ of Ulysses.
In what looks like a very sudden step (a catastrophe, a turning point), Stephen starts to recite a legendary poem, which is seeped in antisemitism, though it is composed of such innocent looking words:
Little Harry Hughes and his schoolfellows all
Went out for to play ball.
And the very first ball little Harry Hughes played
He drove it o'er the Jew's garden wall.
And the very second ball little Harry Hughes played
He broke the Jew's windows all.
...
This recitation of Stephen leaves us with many questions:
1. How can Stephen, who has been so cared for by Bloom, recite such a poem in his host's place?
2. Why does he do it?
3. What does Joyce really mean with the words, "secret infidel" when he poses the question: "Why was the host (secret infidel) silent?" after asking, "Why was he host (reluctant, unresisting) still?"
After we were occupied in this chapter for a long time with apparently trivial questions
(e.g: what lay under exposure on the lower, middle and upper shelves of the kitchen dresser, opened by Bloom? (p. 788, Penguin), Who drank more quickly? (p. 791, Penguin), What is home without Plumtree's Potted Meat? (p. 800, Penguin)) and not so trivial ones (e.g. What to do with out wives. (p.802, Penguin)), we are catapulted into the world of antisemitism that was to engulf Europe within years after the publication of Ulysses. Joyce builds this up quite slowly, and talks at first of three seekers of pure truth, Moses of Egypt, Moses Maimonides, and Moses Mendensohn (p.805, Penguin). Then some Hebrew statements appear, only to be followed by names of books that are sacred in Judaism along with those that narrate Irish legend.
As the conversation (?) moves on to the development of languages, from the Egyptian epigraphic hieroglyphs to Celtic writing, we are confronted with Stephen's auditive sensation and Bloom's visual sensation. (This chapter mentions very often such complementary elements, here e.g. auditive vs visual.) It is then that Joyce attributes (albeit in Bloom's perception) the appearance of Stephen to the 'known' appearance of Christ, leaving us with the question whether Stephen is the Christ of Ulysses.
In what looks like a very sudden step (a catastrophe, a turning point), Stephen starts to recite a legendary poem, which is seeped in antisemitism, though it is composed of such innocent looking words:
Little Harry Hughes and his schoolfellows all
Went out for to play ball.
And the very first ball little Harry Hughes played
He drove it o'er the Jew's garden wall.
And the very second ball little Harry Hughes played
He broke the Jew's windows all.
...
This recitation of Stephen leaves us with many questions:
1. How can Stephen, who has been so cared for by Bloom, recite such a poem in his host's place?
2. Why does he do it?
3. What does Joyce really mean with the words, "secret infidel" when he poses the question: "Why was the host (secret infidel) silent?" after asking, "Why was he host (reluctant, unresisting) still?"
