Thursday 7 May 2015

Tuesday, 5 May 2015, Pages 336 - 345, Sirens, Episode 11

We read as far as "Jingle. Hear." (Penguin 345.4) (Gabler 11.458)

The major melodies (i.e., players) on these pages of this musical episode are Lenehan, Boylan, Simon Dedalus and Bloom. The sirens - bronze and gold - are of course present but play minor roles compared to the earlier pages.

Joyce has composed the episode with much thought and care. We have to read it with equal care if we want to decipher and understand what he is telling us. It is similar to listening to a symphony and being able to pick out individual instruments. One example is the following sentence: "Two sheets cream vellum paper one reserve two envelopes when I was in Wisdom Hely's wise Bloom in Daly's Henry Flower bought." (Penguin 339.12) This single sentence is composed of Bloom's interior monologue (when I was in Wisdom Hely's), of description of what Bloom is currently doing (Two sheets cream vellum paper ... two envelopes... Bloom in Daly's Henry Flower bought) and of echoes (Henry Flower, Hely's) from earlier episodes!

When we stopped our reading session last time, Miss Douce was trilling gaily. Just as she is singing, Lenehan walks in, looking for Boylan. Already in the previous episode, Boylan's secretary had informed her boss over the telephone that Lenehan had called and said, 'he'll be in the Ormond at four.' Lenehan is too small a fish to fry in the eyes of the two barmaids. The more he tries to get their attention, the cooler their reaction.  He even tries to tell them a story from Aesop's fables (albeit in a mixed up way) but no glance of Kennedy rewarding him he yet made overtures. Failing with his overtures addressed to the sirens, he turns to Simon Dedalus, telling him about Stefan and their meeting in the newspaper office (episode 7). Even father Dedalus does not pay much attention to Lenehan, and moves to the saloon door, where there is a piano, recently tuned by a blind tuner, most probably the same blind stripling we had met earlier in episodes 8 and 10.

Meanwhile, Bloom crossing the bridge of Yessex, remembers the letter he had received that morning from Martha, and decides to buy writing paper to send a reply. As he buys two sheets cream vellum paper from Daly's, he thinks of what Martha had written. And sees from the window of Daly's shop a gay hat riding on a jaunting car. It was the third time that day that he had caught glimpses of Boylan. Bloom is so disturbed at this coincidence that he has to be reminded by the shopgirl not to leave without paying for his purchases.

(Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/joyceimages-images/thumb/small_What%20Oh%20Sawdust.JPG)
Boylan enters the Ormond bar, his smart tan shoes creaking on the barfloor, and is hailed by Lenehan - in his typical style - as the conquering hero. At this point of the episode, Joyce has introduced a great mixture of interior monologue (mostly Bloom's) with what is actually happening (mostly with Boylan). Bloom, the unconquered hero, wanting to hide from Boylan, follows Richie Goulding into the dining room of the Ormond, from where he can see, not be seen. Boylan offers a drink to Lenehan. After the two succeed in making Miss Douce do a small act, Sonnezlacloche!, Boylan leaves in a hurry, without really listening to why Lenehan wanted to meet him. As he leaves, Bloom heard a jing, a little sound. He thinks, 'He's off.' Light sob of breath Bloom signed on the silent bullhead flowers. Jingling. He's gone. Jingle. Hear.