Agenbite of Inwit

  • Lapwing

    Near the end of “Scylla and Charybdis,” Ulysses’ ninth episode, Stephen realizes his lecture on Hamlet is rapidly disintegrating before his eyes. Not only are John Eglinton and the rest wholly unconvinced by his arguments, but he also has Buck Mulligan nipping at his heels, undermining him at every opportunity. Stephen looks to the heavens…

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  • Decoding Dedalus: RHYMES AND REASONS

    “That is how poets write, the similar sounds. But then Shakespeare has no rhymes: blank verse. The flow of the language it is. The thoughts. Solemn.” – Leopold Bloom This is a post in a series called Decoding Dedalus where I take a passage of Ulysses and  break it down line by line. The passage…

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  • Agenbite of Inwit

    —He can’t wear them, Buck Mulligan told his face in the mirror. Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can’t wear grey trousers. To listen to a discussion of this topic, check out the podcast episode here. The text of Ulysses is populated by certain repeated phrases that shine light on the inner…

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