We stopped at, " ... (a mendacious person mentioned in sacred scripture.), 17.687 (Gabler), p. 804 (Penguin)
Last week we had read about the first of the four separating forces between Bloom and his temporary guest, namely, name. Started today reading about the relation that existed between their ages. Joyce takes about half-a-page to tell us (not directly, of course) that Stephen was born in 1882, and that 16 years before in 1888 when Bloom was of Stephen's present age, Stephen was 16. This is followed by a long list of calculations of "what, when.." Soon, the thoughts (or is it the conversation between the two) turn to Dante of The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Not only with the introduction of Dante but also with many other hints, Joyce has created a kaleidoscope - arranging and rearranging the events of the day - in his creation of Ulysses.
Other things - apart from name and age - that are considered here in great detail are their educational careers, their temperaments (Bloom's is said to be scientific where as Stephen's is artistic), their parentage, art of advertisements, The Queen's Hoel in Ennis (where Bloom's father had committed suicide), and the big question of what to do with wives on long evenings! After considering many options including parlour games, Bloom favors courses of evening instruction specially designed to render liberal instruction, as she (his wife) usually interprets polysyllables of foreign origin phonetically: e.g. metempsychosis as met him pike hoses (page 77, Penguin)
While talking about parents, there is a hint about why Bloom asserts on page 745 (Penguin) that he in reality is not a jew: "... told him his God, I mean Christ, was a jew too, and all his family, like me, though in reality I'm not."
The problem I faced today was not really knowing whether what we are reading are mere thoughts in Bloom's and Stephen's minds or whether they are having a conversation. The thing that contradicts the former is the fact that there is an apparent connection, a kind of response, between these "thoughts". This would not have been possible if these were merely thoughts. On the other hand, what speaks against it being a regular conversation is the fact that Stephen has so far been an uninterested, reticent, guest. Let us hope that we will be able to find the answer to this question by the end of the chapter!
Last week we had read about the first of the four separating forces between Bloom and his temporary guest, namely, name. Started today reading about the relation that existed between their ages. Joyce takes about half-a-page to tell us (not directly, of course) that Stephen was born in 1882, and that 16 years before in 1888 when Bloom was of Stephen's present age, Stephen was 16. This is followed by a long list of calculations of "what, when.." Soon, the thoughts (or is it the conversation between the two) turn to Dante of The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Not only with the introduction of Dante but also with many other hints, Joyce has created a kaleidoscope - arranging and rearranging the events of the day - in his creation of Ulysses.
Other things - apart from name and age - that are considered here in great detail are their educational careers, their temperaments (Bloom's is said to be scientific where as Stephen's is artistic), their parentage, art of advertisements, The Queen's Hoel in Ennis (where Bloom's father had committed suicide), and the big question of what to do with wives on long evenings! After considering many options including parlour games, Bloom favors courses of evening instruction specially designed to render liberal instruction, as she (his wife) usually interprets polysyllables of foreign origin phonetically: e.g. metempsychosis as met him pike hoses (page 77, Penguin)
While talking about parents, there is a hint about why Bloom asserts on page 745 (Penguin) that he in reality is not a jew: "... told him his God, I mean Christ, was a jew too, and all his family, like me, though in reality I'm not."
The problem I faced today was not really knowing whether what we are reading are mere thoughts in Bloom's and Stephen's minds or whether they are having a conversation. The thing that contradicts the former is the fact that there is an apparent connection, a kind of response, between these "thoughts". This would not have been possible if these were merely thoughts. On the other hand, what speaks against it being a regular conversation is the fact that Stephen has so far been an uninterested, reticent, guest. Let us hope that we will be able to find the answer to this question by the end of the chapter!
