Spring Is in Bloom: Ulysses at the Wild Detectives discussion
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Ulysses
Episode 4, Calypso
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John
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Apr 03, 2018 08:17PM
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"gentle as a mushroom"(Finnegans Wake, 618)
Ulysses is one of the most loved and entertaining novels of all time. The myth, perpetrated by an unhappy cast of scholars and laymen, that the book is too obscure and too obscene to be fun is nonsense.
Ulysses is a simple story, told in the most magical way. It's a love story; about a sixteen year marriage that has fallen upon hard times. And it's also the story of an unhappy young genius searching for the missing pieces he needs to get his life going.
For all the time and effort it may demand, Ulysses will reward the diligent reader with a pleasure few, if any other book can surpass.
As Ulysses unfolds, we become aware that Blazes Boylan is coming over to see Molly at 4:00 p.m. When Molly receives the letter from Boylan in the Calypso chapter, "bold hand, Mrs. Marion," we learn that Boylan is coming over, but the time isn't mentioned. Bloom, however, is very aware of the 4:00 time throughout the day, the inevitable moment when he is cuckolded.. He must have learned the time off stage as it were, outside of our hearing, or reading. I find that nteresting. Am I missing something? Why didn't Joyce have Molly say, "he's coming over with the program at 4:00," instead of simply "here's coming over with the program."? What did Joyce gain by leaving the time out when we were eavesdropping? When did Bloom find out? Did he peak at the letter when we weren't looking, when Molly wasn't looking. Not likely. Any thoughts?
