Dublin
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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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Poetry in Ulysses: Lycidas
—Tell us a story, sir.—O, do, sir. A ghoststory. For all posts on music and poetry in Ulysses, visit this page. Did you ever have a teacher in school who had a tenuous-at-best grip on their lessons? They were easily distracted or maybe a little too much of a hippie. Maybe they were a substitute…
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Ep. 5 – Sweny’s Pharmacy
Kelly and Dermot sit down with P.J. Murphy and Jack Walsh, two volunteers who are keeping the legacy of Sweny’s Pharmacy alive. Sweny’s, of course, is the location where Leopold Bloom bought his lemon soap. We talk the history of Sweny’s, their Joyce connection and the challenges of preserving Joycean landmarks in 21st century Dublin.…
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Pyrrhus: A Disappointed Bridge
To listen to a discussion of this topic, check out the podcast episode here. In the Gilbert schema, the art of “Nestor” is listed as history, so it is fitting that the episode opens with Stephen delivering a history lesson. The topic is Pyrrhus, an ancient Greek king mostly remembered by the phrase “Pyrrhic victory.”…
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Ep. 4 – Introibo Ad Altare Dei
Kelly and Dermot talk about page #1 of Ulysses, taking a deep dive into the symbolism of the Catholic Mass in the opening scene. There’s lots of talk about blasphemy, transubstantiation, saints and why Kelly was a terrible altar server back in the day. We finish off with wild speculation about why kids don’t learn…
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Ulysses & The Odyssey: Nestor
Mulligan will dub me a new name: the bullockbefriending bard. Part of an occasional series on the Homeric parallels in James Joyce’s Ulysses. To listen to a discussion of this topic, check out the podcast episode here. The Odyssey, Book 3: Telemachus and Mentor (Athena in disguise) find themselves in Pylos to meet Nestor,…
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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…
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Ep. 1 – Tom O’Leary
Tom O’Leary is an Irish-born actor and pub owner living in Portland, OR. He and Blooms and Barnacles host Kelly started the Ulysses Support Group (aka Book Club) together in 2017, and it is still going strong today! Kelly and Tom talk about why they love Ulysses, how to start your own Ulysses book club,…
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Decoding Dedalus: A Dedalus Never Pays His Debts
—I will tell you, he said solemnly, what is his proudest boast. I paid my way. … I never borrowed a shilling in my life. Can you feel that? I owe nothing. Can you? This is a post in a series called Decoding Dedalus where I take a paragraph of Ulysses and break it down…