Tonight we completed episode 5, which ends on "a languid floating flower" (Gabler 5.572) (Penguin p. 100).
We have accompanied Bloom from the postoffice, where he picked up the letter from his secret correspondent Martha, on his way to a Turkish bath (the one in Dublin which Bloom would have used is no longer there). The chapter reads relatively easily, it is pervaded by a sense of drowsiness, leisure and comfort (escapism maybe). Bloom seems withdrawn, doesn't want to meet anyone in the streets, is very much aware of smells, of himself and of his body. The lingo of advertising too is in his mind, e.g. phrases like "Good morning, have you used Pear's soap?" (5.524) come back to him, which was a well-known slogan at the time.
The prominence of advertising seems to the point, since it too produces drowsiness and a certain lull if it is successful.
A few closing remarks on the end of this episode: Its last paragraph seems odd. It is written in a different style from what we have come to recognize as Bloom's. The words are that of a priest at mass: e.g. "laved" is an unusual word to refer to 'wash'. From the Latin "lavare", it belongs to the register of elevated language and is used to refer to ritual purposes (not that Bloom needs to be aware of this). Then, "womb" suggests warmth and going back to a (presumably) comfortable place. For a basic reading of the closing paragraph, though, let us note the following: it must be Bloom imagining the bath he is going to take (it is not actually happening yet), where he will be lying watching his body ("lemonyellow", like the lemon soap he bought at Sweny's) and his navel, his genitals floating like a flower in the water. (Note that Stephen too thought about naval cords, albeit imaginary ones. Indeed, often what is imaginary when seen through Stephen's eyes is very physical through Bloom's.) Bloom's looking at his own navel and genitals, his use of the name "Flower" to sign letters and the episode's general awareness of scents and smells are only a few of the elements that underline its quiet, forgetful, narcotic, solitary, and rather self-centered mood (Fritz Senn even called it "narcissistic").
We have accompanied Bloom from the postoffice, where he picked up the letter from his secret correspondent Martha, on his way to a Turkish bath (the one in Dublin which Bloom would have used is no longer there). The chapter reads relatively easily, it is pervaded by a sense of drowsiness, leisure and comfort (escapism maybe). Bloom seems withdrawn, doesn't want to meet anyone in the streets, is very much aware of smells, of himself and of his body. The lingo of advertising too is in his mind, e.g. phrases like "Good morning, have you used Pear's soap?" (5.524) come back to him, which was a well-known slogan at the time.
The prominence of advertising seems to the point, since it too produces drowsiness and a certain lull if it is successful.
A few closing remarks on the end of this episode: Its last paragraph seems odd. It is written in a different style from what we have come to recognize as Bloom's. The words are that of a priest at mass: e.g. "laved" is an unusual word to refer to 'wash'. From the Latin "lavare", it belongs to the register of elevated language and is used to refer to ritual purposes (not that Bloom needs to be aware of this). Then, "womb" suggests warmth and going back to a (presumably) comfortable place. For a basic reading of the closing paragraph, though, let us note the following: it must be Bloom imagining the bath he is going to take (it is not actually happening yet), where he will be lying watching his body ("lemonyellow", like the lemon soap he bought at Sweny's) and his navel, his genitals floating like a flower in the water. (Note that Stephen too thought about naval cords, albeit imaginary ones. Indeed, often what is imaginary when seen through Stephen's eyes is very physical through Bloom's.) Bloom's looking at his own navel and genitals, his use of the name "Flower" to sign letters and the episode's general awareness of scents and smells are only a few of the elements that underline its quiet, forgetful, narcotic, solitary, and rather self-centered mood (Fritz Senn even called it "narcissistic").
