Today In History: Bloomsday
Where had previous intimations of the result, effected or projected, been received by him?
In Bernard Kiernan's licensed premises: 14 Duke Street: in O'Connell street lower, outside Graham Lemon's when a dark man had placed in his hand a throwaway (subsequently a throwaway), advertising Elijah, restorer of the church in Zion, in Lincoln place, outside the premises of F.W. Sweny and Co (Limited), dispensing chemists when, when Frederick M. Bantam (Lyons) had rapidly and successfully requested, perused, and restituted the copy of the current issue of the Freeman's Journal and National Press, which he had been about to throw away (subsequently thrown away), he had proceeded towards the oriental edifice of the Turkish and Warm Baths, 11 Leinster street, with the light and inspiration shining in his countenance and bearing in his arms the secret of the race, graven in the language of prediction. -- James Joyce, Ulysses, p.557
Since 1994 Bloomsday has been celebrated annually on June 16th in Dublin, Ireland, and increasingly all over the world, to commemorate and celebrate the life of James Joyce who wrote the epic modernist novel Ulysses. This masterwork chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners on a single day, June 16th, 1904: Stephen Dedalus, the hero of Joyce's earlier autobiographical novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, who is named after the ancient craftsman in Greek mythology; Leopold Bloom, a middle-aged, Jewish advertising canvasser and Odysseus figure, modeled after Daedalus in Homer's Odyssey; and his wife, Molly Bloom, a professional singer and unfaithful wife, unlike Odysseus' Penelope. The novel's stream of consciousness narrative style explores the themes of identity, daily life, and human thought, from the mundane to the sublime.
The Bloomsday Festival, which lasts a week, includes readings and dramatizations of Ulysses, with many people dressed in Edwardian costume who trace the map of the novel -- specifically Bloom's route -- to visit certain landmarks, among them: the O'Connell Monument, honoring the nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell, and Davy Bryne's Pub, where Bloom stops for a gorgonzola cheese with mustard sandwich and a glass of burgundy during his Dublin wanderings.
Ulysses was partly serialized in the avant-garde literary magazine The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920 before it was fully published by Shakespeare and Company in Paris, under Sylvia Beach, on Joyce's 40th birthday, the 2nd of February, 1922.
The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.
- Reynolds, H. (1940, Feb 18). The Man Who Wrote "Ulysses": An Intimate View of James Joyce in a Biography by Herbert Gorman. New York Times (1923-)
- O'Faolain, S. (1954, Jun 13). 50 Years After Bloomsday: Joyce's Bloomsday. New York Times (1923-)
- Schuchat, T. (1954, Jun 16). This Is Bloomsday . . .: Hero of Joyce's 'Ulysses' Honored. The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959)
- Maddox, B. (1986, Jun 10). Bloomsday: As James Joyce Enthusiasts Prepare Their Biennial Celebration, Brenda Maddox Reflects on Irish Writer's View on Women. The Guardian (1959-2009)
- Stonehill, B. (1994, Jun 16). James Joyce, Hibernian and Cybernaut: 'lysses': On this Year's Bloomsday, E-Mail Is Humming with New Appreciation for a Masterpiece Presciently Made For a Life in Cyberspace. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995)
- Moss, C. (1999, Jun 16). A Traditional Pint on Bloomsday - Except That It's Brewed in Chile, From the Water of Andean Streams: Chris Moss Celebrates James Joyce in Buenos Aires. The Guardian (1959-2009)
- Schmuhl, R. (2000, Aug 13). Jubilant Over Joyce: Dublin Celebrates the Talents of James Joyce and Other Literary Expatriates. Chicago Tribune (1997-)
- Banville, J. (2004, Jun 13). Bloomsday, Bloody Bloomsday. New York Times (1923-)
- Boland, R. (2007, Jun 16). The Charge of the Bloomsday Brigade: They May Spend Most of the Year Buried in Ulysses, But on Bloomsday They Blossom, Dressing Up in Their Ewardian Finery and Showing Off Their Knowledge of James Joyce. The Irish Times (1921-)
- O'Connor, S. (2019, Jun 15). Blooming Everywhere: On the Eve of Bloomsday, Simon O'Connor, Director of the Museum of Literature, Reflects on How We Are All Bit Players Within James Joyce's Universe. The Irish Times (1921-)
Tips:
- Broderick, James F. James Joyce : A Literary Companion. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2018. e-book.
- Gillespie, Michael Patrick. Foundational Essays in James Joyce Studies. University Press of Florida, 2011. e-book.
- Joyce, James. Ulysses. Paris: Shakespeare and Co., 1922. e-book.
- Joyce, James. Ulysses. Lerner Publishing Group, 2016. e-book.
- Joyce, James, and Robert Gogan. Ulysses. [publisher not identified], 2011. Stacks ; PR6019.O9 U4 2011.
- Kitcher, Philip. Joyce’s Ulysses: Philosophical Perspectives. 1st ed., Oxford University Press, 2020. e-book.
- Nash, John, editor. James Joyce in the Nineteenth Century. 1st ed., Cambridge University Press, 2013. e-book.
- Sherry, Vincent B. James Joyce Ulysses. 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2004. e-book.
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