Buck Mulligan
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Decoding Dedalus: Pretenders
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 below comes from “Proteus,” the third episode of Ulysses. It appears on pages 45 in my copy (1990 Vintage International). We’ll be looking at the passage that begins “Pretenders…” and…
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Dogsbody
This certainly wasn’t done by a dog-lover,” said Joyce. “I don’t like them. I am afraid of them. – Frank Budgen, James Joyce and the Making of Ulysses To listen to a discussion of this topic, check out the podcast episode here. James Joyce was a cat person. His brother Stanislaus recalled a family trip…
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Ep. 9 – Remorse of Conscience
Kelly and Dermot discuss the recurring phrase “Agenbite of Inwit” and why Stephen repeats it over and over on June the sixteenth. Other topics included in the discussion are Buck Mulligan as nagging conscience, the gothic horror of growing up Irish, Catholic guilt and whether or not Stephen would have been better off praying at…
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Ulysses CCD: Who was this Chuck Loyola fellow, anyway?
—Look at the sea. What does it care about offences? Chuck Loyola, Kinch, and come on down. The Sassenach wants his morning rashers. Part of an occasional series on Catholicism in Ulysses. In “Telemachus,” the first episode of Ulysses, Buck Mulligan calls Stephen Dedalus a Jesuit four times – a fearful Jesuit, a jejune Jesuit,…
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Ulysses CCD: St. Ursula
—I pinched it out of the skivvy’s room, Buck Mulligan said. It does her all right. The aunt always keeps plainlooking servants for Malachi. Lead him not into temptation. And her name is Ursula. Part of an occasional series on Catholicism in Ulysses. Stephen Dedalus and Buck Mulligan discuss, as Stephen puts it, a symbol…
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Ep. 8 – Heresiarchs
Kelly and Dermot get deep talking about arch heresies, the Council of Nicaea, alchemy, Buck Mulligan’s blasphemy, James Joyce’s love of sacred music, and what the Council of Trent had in common with the classic film Footloose. On the Blog: Decoding Dedalus: Heresies in “Telemachus” Social Media: Facebook|Twitter Subscribe to Blooms and Barnacles: iTunes| Google…
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Ep. 7 – In Defense of Dorkiness
Kelly and Dermot discuss Stephen’s tower-mate, the Englishman Haines. Haines was based on a real-life roommate of James Joyce’s – Dermot Chenevix Trench. Did Joyce’s personal dislike of Trench color his characterization in the novel? What’s up with that black panther mentioned in ‘Telemachus?’ Why does Dermot (our host) have bad memories of learning Irish…
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Decoding Dedalus: Dark Men in Mien and Movement
This is a post in a series called Decoding Dedalus where I take a paragraph of Ulysses and break it down line by line. The passage below comes from “Nestor,” the second episode of Ulysses. It appears on page 28 in my copy (1990 Vintage International), beginning with “Across the page…” and ending with “…could…
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Ep. 3 – Joyce v. Gogarty
In this episode we tackle the falling out between James Joyce and Oliver St John Gogarty, the origins of the character Buck Mulligan, what really happened in the Martello tower, blasphemous poetry and how Joyce found his sense of humor. On the Blog: Say ‘Hello’ to Martello Towers Who was the Real Buck Mulligan? Poetry…
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Ep. 2 – Ulysses & The Odyssey: Telemachus!
Dermot and Kelly discuss the connections between Ulysses and The Odyssey. We take on the Gilbert schema, how to market a book like Ulysses, what exactly happens in the opening chapters of The Odyssey, and how it corresponds to the “Telemachus” episode of Ulysses. On the Blog: Ulysses & The Odyssey: Telemachus Social Media: Facebook|Twitter…