Annotations: <I>Ulysses</I> 'Lesrtygonians'

James Joyce

Annotations: Ulysses 'Lesrtygonians'

23APR1998


Parallax

Leopold Bloom's use of the word parallax (154:7) suggests to me the consubstantiation, which will occur between Stephen and Bloom. Parallax is the 'apparent' displacement of an object observed, due to a change or difference in the position of the observer. It suggests the change that will occur in Stephen - his ability to write these works as the mature Joyce, which Charlie points out - at meeting his 'spiritual' father. It also relates to the change, which Bloom himself will undergo due to his reminiscences of his son Ruddy (284.46) in his view of the potential infidelity between Molly and Blazes Boylan. There is also the possible difference in relation to the 'Irish problem' which the young Stephen has due to his obsession with matricide and his interaction with the 'Poor Old Woman' (14:2).

"Throwaway"

The two instances where we encounter the phrase "throwaway" relate to the concept of synchronicity and apotheosis. The first encounter is when Bantam Lyons hears Bloom say of his morning paper he will "throw it away"(86:3) and mistakes it for a tip on the horse race he is to bet on. The coincidence is that the horse wins at 20:1odds. The second reference is (151:15) in relation to a flyer which Bloom has found detailing the coming of a latter-day Elijah. Bloom tosses the flyer into the Liffey, where it proceeds on its own odyssey, the progress of which is referenced continually throughout the next chapter of vignettes. The irony here is that Bloom a Jew is throwing away the announcement of the messiah, recognition of the Jews not acknowledging Jesus as messiah. A similar coincidence is that Stephen himself has thrown away the faith of this messiah as well.

Scotch Cephalopod

In 'Lesrygonians' Bloom references people and actions that will be imaged in the chapters following. One of the snatches of conversation he overhears is A.E. talking about a two-headed cephalopod with a scotch accent (165:25). Ulysses:Annotated, suggests that this may have been a refrence to S.L. MacGreggor Mathers, an associate of A.E.'s. This is highly possible not only for the reasons cited, for in the following chapter, Stephen is looking through a book of the eighth and ninth book of Moses (242:35) . S.L. Magreggor Mathers translated The Key of Solomon, which though not containing the 'Lost Books of Moses' does deal with the "secret of secrets" or Solomon's Seal. Interestingly enough A.E. was associated like Yeats with the Theosophical groups in Dublin, until Yeats was asked to leave because of his association with Mather's group The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In this chapter we also see reference to Freemasonry; Maude Gonne was also a member of the Golden Dawn but relinquished her association when she discovered their connection with Freemasonry; which she felt was a tool of English imperialism. The reason for her discovery revoloved around a handshake she gave to a high-level aristocrat and Freemason who could not believe her knowledge of these 'secrets'.

Giordano Bruno

Ulysses:Annotated suggests that the reference on 176:36 is to Giordano Bruno's treastie on the transmigration of natural elements. This relates to Stephen's fascination with animism and infusing his Christianity with an earlier and more heretically open-ended system. I have not looked into it, but there is a book on the Joyce shelf, which discusses this heretic's ideas throughout James Joyce's work