Haven’t yet conducted my final analysis of which episode I found The Best of Ulysses; Ithaca is definitely way up there. Hey, maybe that’s a good discussion for our meet-up on Bloomsday: fave Ulysses episode and why.

Love this from Sunday Telegraph via Rosenbaum, “Only a ‘modern classic’ could condense one man’s day into an experimental epic that takes years to plough through. If the early description of the protagonist going to the lavatory doesn’t make your eyes swim, the final 40 pages, untroubled by punctuation, will.”

“Untroubled by punctuation.” Too funny. Also Rosenbaum’s caution, “I find that men should refrain from commenting on the Molly Bloom soliloquy…”

Observation 1: Rosenbaum mentions the Scylla and Charybdis episode and Joyce’s tender tribute to Shakespeare–playing the ghost of Old Hamlet crying out to his son Hamlet/Hamnet. Though Rosenbaum doesn’t say so, we’re no doubt meant to think of Poldy and Rudy here too. Historically heartbreaking/metaphorically true.

Observation 2: Rosenbaum is entirely on point re: transcendently beautiful prose of Bloom’s meditations. I’d add achingly poignant to that description. The reflection on dreams unrealized, that ultimate “to be or not to be”, the resignation. Yes.

Btw, Crystal my pagination also differs. So, coincidence.

I’m w/ Crystal, still thinking a lot about this episode. Reviewing my notes, I realized I took more than for most of the other episodes. Interesting. Liked the catechism Q & A style, though it gave me wicked flashbacks to my Lutheran childhood.

Many many passages to enjoy; many many examples of modern literature styles. “From inexistence to existence he came to many and was as one received: existence with existence he was with any as any with any: from existence to nonexistence gone he would be by all as none perceived.” [ML 1946, p. 652] Anyone else go, “oh hey there Gertrude Stein.”?

Trying to decide which vision is sadder: Poldy contemplating pi and the cold of interstellar space? Or Poldy pondering “Bloom Cottage” with all the modern conveniences of his era — a telephone, indoor plumbing, lav for the servants, lawnmower… All his dreams, the acquisition of which boil down to speculation, windfalls, and schemes.

Then the ultimate question troubling his restless mind, one all too close to home given his father Virag’s “exit” and yet another Hamlet-esque choice: by decease (change of state), by departure (change of place). (ML p.710)

Poldy stays. Equanimity and resignation prevail. “Where was Moses when the candle went out?”

My favorite anagram of Leopold Bloom: Bollopedoom (678).

Favorite questions:
“What advantages attended shaving by night?” (674)
“What events might nullify these calculations?” (679)
“Which example did he adduce to induce Stephen to deduce that originality, though producing its own reward, does not invariably conduce to success?” (684)

Though this section reminded Heidi of Catechism, by the end I was getting a trial vibe. Anyone else?

Had a wild ride.  Read garden scene three times.  On first time through I could swear that after peeing together Stephen and Bloom had sex (opening and closing of doors) in the garden and then Bloom knocks someone out and contemplates if he’s killed them.  But on second go I see that I have imagined part and Bloom has imagined part.  Third go, they pee Stephen leaves and Bloom knocks his own head then chills in the room imagining and contemplating things.

(He doesn’t wear such a high hat now, does he?)

He lays homage to life itself leaves proverbial footnotes of the goodness of life -as bread bits along his path; food, sex, drink, education, friendship, art, parenting, literature, poetry, music, community, and progress.

Still thinking quite a bit on this episode.

Seeing the world through/in Bloom colored glasses.

Fave lines:

…pallor of human being. (p.700)

I’ll just list one since I Highlighted so many it was hard to pick.

On the dot: maybe it is symbol for both finite(punctuation) and infinite(circle/black hole). Or… Maybe he bumped his head and woke up dead?

On p.731 I made a note that he enters the bed as into a coffin: “of sleep and of death.”

Also, is it coincidence that this episode begins on p.666? I think not.