Robins Victoria ( Little Magazine)

Ulysses Literature Review

Lit review

Leopold Bloom’s inner thoughts and perspective surrounding his own sexuality and the women he encounters is, in short, a labyrinth of fantasy, shame, and complex social roles. These themes are not only introduced in a prominent way but also enforce instances from earlier chapters, through the chapter “Nausicaa'', the episode that is found in the summer edition of the 1920 “The Little Review '' magazine. Through the book readers glimpse at Bloom's thoughts and actions he takes surrounding the women in his life and that he encounters on that day. Sexuality and the social narratives that surround women and are major themes for Ulysses in itself but also for Bloom as a character. These ideas enforce Bloom's humanity and very personal, realistic thoughts and actions which are some of the main takeaways from the book in itself. 

 

James Joyce, Sexuality and Social Purity details the point in which Gerty purposely exposes herself to arouse Bloom. This article describes her seemingly naive nature in the chapter and how, in theory, she had known of her power and was using it to create her own fantasy.(Jones, 2006)  In Gerty MacDowell, Poetess: Butler's The Authoress of the Odyssey and the Nausicaa Episode of Ulysses analyzes interaction between Gerty and Bloom reveals certain social roles and the way people act on their sexuality while looking for parallels in the Odyssey. Gerty is portrayed as arousing to bloom and she in tern feels similarly, due to these feelings she becomes angry and almost competitive with one of her girlfriends on the beach as she is worried Blooms attention will turn to the other, mimicking the nature of jealousy and resentment that can be revealed with human sexuality and sexual partnerships. “She and Butler's Nausicaa are simply jealous of women who are more successful than they are with men” (Müller, 2006)
 

Molly Bloom is deconstructed in Molly Bloom: acting natural, while comparing her to Penelope of the Odyssey. Being Bloom's wife she has a lasting impact around how Bloom sees women and his own sexuality. With a long journey of abstinence with Molly and the shame and pressure that comes with being aware of her affair with another man, Bloom struggles with his own sexuality and social roles he feels doubtful he is able to fill at times, often wondering about his own attractiveness and resorting to some obscene actions. Obscenity is without a doubt one of if not the reason Ulysses wont through such a vigorous publication process. Sex is a taboo topic and has been kept private by media and society for decades. Through the many themes that ulysses explores it is one of the most impactful. (Sternlieb, 1998) Carving a literary exception: the obscenity standard and Ulysses, explores how this lewd book was defined through the years and will help to emphasize the importance of how “The Little Review” was such a crucial turning point for Ulysses journey. (Pagnattaro, 2001) Wasted Words: The Body Language of Joyce’s ‘Nausicaa 'is a chapter that draws attention to the body language descriptions from specifically Nausicaa. The mention of his semen after the encounter with Gerty promotes him to both be uncomfortable physically and yet also question the origins of life itself as he does similarly with menstruation in the chapter. These topics which had, especially at the time, been so private and completely inappropriate to write or even talk about. Joyce continued to challenge this narrative and write about the simple aspects of a man's life, many which were too obscene for anyone to wish to be written about. (Mclean, 2004)

Bibliography

 

Jones, Ellen Carol. “James Joyce, Sexuality and Social Purity (Review).” James Joyce Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 1, 2006, pp. 162–166., https://doi.org/10.1353/jjq.2007.0011. 

Mclean, C. (2004). Wasted Words: The Body Language of Joyce’s ‘Nausicaa’. In: Emig, R. (eds) Ulysses. New Casebooks. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-21248-0_7

Müller, Timo. “Gerty MacDowell, Poetess: Butler’s the Authoress of the Odyssey and the Nausicaa Episode of Ulysses.” Twentieth-Century Literature, vol. 55, no. 3, 2009, pp. 378–392., https://doi.org/10.1215/0041462x-2009-4006. 

Pagnattaro, Marisa Anne. “Carving a Literary Exception: The Obscenity Standard and ‘Ulysses.’” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 47, no. 2, 2001, p. 217., https://doi.org/10.2307/827850. 

Sternlieb, Lisa Ruth. “Molly Bloom: Acting Natural.” ELH, vol. 65, no. 3, 1998, pp. 757–778., https://doi.org/10.1353/elh.1998.0029. 




 

Rational

The “coming of age” of a book as renowned as James Joyce's Ulysses, can be a lengthy process. Add some distasteful, vulgar language and crude erotism and that publication process can be extended for years. The processes that Ulysses went through to become the book read today can seem unnecessary today when there are books lining bookstore shelves with similar language and the same off-putting ideas Ulysses possessed. One of these first stages the book went through before publication was excerpts and reviews being published in a magazine called “The Little Review ''. A woman founded magazine that focused on art, music, literature and writings, and other current media from the time. One of the first written places Ulysses was printed was this magazine that gave readers a taste of such a novel. From all of the fascinating Ulysses archives the one I wanted to connect with the book was “The Little Review” 1920, the July to August issue. 


 

This edition features a dark, navy cover and gold font depicting the name and months of publication. Upon opening features a picture of James Joyce which I felt added some character to that month's edition. This edition's excerpt completes chapter 13 “Nausicaa''. The way women are portrayed throughout the novel is interesting as well as Bloom's thoughts surrounding them. This chapter highlights these thoughts and adds some depth to the way Bloom is perceived through one woman's gaze. In terms of connecting one aspect to the novel and providing some elaboration, I want to focus on the women of Ulysses and the way they think and act in this book based on the view of Bloom and the narration. Feminism can be an added layer to focus on as the time period of the novel being set, the publication of the novel and “The Little Review” occurred at an interesting time in history for the feminist and womans movement. With hopes to connect these ideas and explore them through Ulysses, this edition's chapter being centered around a woman's body and mind from a magazine founded and published by women was an incredibly direct and effective path for exploring these concepts.


 

Understanding The idea of gender and sexuality in this time period is crucial to diving into the way the female characters are presented. Going back historically women have had certain roles in society and would rarely deviate from these roles unless for extreme circumstances. Focusing on the chapter depicted in the magazine, it’s captivating that one of the female characters, Gerty is described being aware of her own sexuality and attempting to seduce Bloom with views of her body. There are many narratives surrounding women's sexuality and this exchange would be extremely taboo during this time, not only due to Bloom's marriage but the fact Gerty is aware of the power she holds and is attempting to use it. Exploring women in Ulysses will give a fresh understanding to many of the thoughts readers see through our protagonist Bloom's eyes. This magazine being produced by women surrounding a chapter that explores the female characters through many different lenses will provide a well rounded view of the characters, history, and novel all together.

Bibliography

 

“The Little Review ‘Ulysses.’” Yale University Press, https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300181777/the-little-review-ulysses/. 

 

Short paper

The way women in general and a woman’s sexuality is represented in Ulysses is an impactful theme that remains relevant to modern literature and feminism today. The 1920’s summer edition of The Little Review magazine is a helpful tool for exploring these topics through the lens of a woman owned magazine, publishing a feminine centered episode of the novel. Before publication, the editors were both charged with obscenity and pressured with prison time if they attempted publication again but proceeded with their reviews after being so moved by the book due to the content, theme, and language in the “Nausicaa '' episode of the book. This featured episode is a particularly female dominated chapter for a book where female characters mostly appear as side characters, defined by how their bodies and sexual nature can be used and enjoyed by the main male characters. 

 

Chapter 13 has an almost romantic mood which can be seen as stereotypical for a female dominant chapter to be written romantically with dreamy descriptions and a flow that turns what would be a sickening scene into a passionate “love” portrayal between the two characters, Gerty MacDowell, and Leopold Bloom. Gerty is described as an ideal woman to Bloom physically, a description that goes on for almost a whole page and edges on complete perfection. “The waxen pallor of her face was almost spiritual and its Ivorylike purity through her Rosebud mouth was a genuine Cupid's, bow Greekly perfect.” (Joyce Ulysses / James Joyce). Many of these descriptions are extravagant and embellished as they would be in a romance novel that wishes to paint the picture of a simply perfect woman. Gerty is also described to think about love and marriage often, another stereotype for women especially accurate when taking into account the setting year. Throughout history there is no doubt that women have been seen as unequal to men in many ways leaving women in the early 1900s limited options in life. Gerty’s thoughts around marriage remain stereotypical and painting her in this light along with her strict sexual use for Bloom in this chapter leave little room for much other development or layers of her character. “Yes she had known from the very first that her Daydream of a marriage had been arranged and the wedding bells ringing.” (Joyce Ulysses / James Joyce). 

 

The issue with some of the female characters in Ulysses, is that they appear to have very little purpose in the narration other than sex and marriage. Bloom's wife Molly is Identified through her affair, Gerty is a beautiful young woman who is a “tease” and dreams of love and marriage. Looking into the fact that women from The Little Review were scrutinized for publishing this episode, aids in the understanding of censorship and how women and their sexuality was viewed during the time of publication. The obscenity was most likely striked based on Bloom’s public act with himself, however it could be said that a woman aware of her own sexuality, using it to get what she wants and knowing she is tempting a married man could be a factor for the label of obscenity as well.  

Bibliography

 

Joyce, James. Ulysses / James Joyce. 1933. 

 

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Who Were the Women behind James Joyce's 'Ulysses'?” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 14 July 2022, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/women-behind-james-joyce-ulysses-180980398/.