The last reading stopped at: “eau de Nil.” (11.465)
Summary:
We should read this episode with much thought and care if we want to decipher and understand what Joyce is telling us here. It is similar to listening to a symphony and being able to pick out individual instruments, individual leitmotivs. An example is the following sentence: two sheets cream vellum paper one reserve two envelopes when I was in Wisdom Hely's wise Bloom in Daly's Henry Flower bought (11.295). This single sentence is composed of Bloom's interior monologue (when I was in Wisdom Hely's), of description of what Bloom is currently doing (he is buying two sheets cream vellum paper . . . two envelopes . . . in Daly's) and of echoes from earlier episodes (Henry Flower, Hely's).
On these pages, we first meet Lenehan who comes into the bar of the Ormond hotel looking for Boylan. But Lenehan is too small a fish to fry in the eyes of the two barmaids. The more he tries to get their attention, the cooler becomes their reaction. Failing with his overtures addressed to the sirens, he turns to Simon Dedalus, telling him about Stephen and their meeting MacHugh and O’Madden Burke in the newspaper office early that day. Even Simon Dedalus does not pay much attention to Lenehan, and moves to the saloon door, where there is a piano, recently tuned by a blind tuner, probably the same blind stripling we had met earlier in episodes 8 and 10. Meanwhile, Bloom crossing the bridge of Essex, remembers the letter he had received that morning from Martha, and decides to buy some writing paper to send a reply. Boylan also comes to the Ormond bar. At this point of the episode, Joyce has introduced a great mixture of interior monologue (mostly Bloom's) with what is actually happening (mostly with Boylan). Bloom, wanting to hide from Boylan, follows Richie Goulding into the dining room of the Ormond. They are served by Pat, a deaf (bothered) waiter. Bloom's caring character is revealed here in a few words. Though at first undecided, not wanting to make him walk twice (11.445), he orders a bottle of cider (11.447).
