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n eat h t h e bedcloth es, sh r in kin g fr o m t h e "co m m o n noises" of d ayligh t :

H U GH

KEN N ER

Sh rin kin g from t h at life he turn ed towards the wall, m aking a cowl zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA of t h e blanket and staring at the great overblown scariet flowers

Hugh Kenner is Professor of English at the University of California, of the tattered wallpaper. He tried to warm his perishing joy in Santa Barbara, and is the author ofzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA The Poet ry of Ez ra Pound, t h eir scarlet glow, im agin g a roseway from where he lay upwards Wyndham Lewis, and Flaubert , Joyce, and Becket t : The St oic to heaven all strewn wit h scarlet flowers. Weary! Weary! He too Com edians.

was weary of ardent ways. [P, 221-222.] The P O R T R A I T in Perspect ive Th is n ew prim rose p at h is a privat e Jacob's ladder let d own t o h is bed n ow t h a t h e is t oo weary t o d o an yt h in g b u t go t o h eaven . T o make epic an d dram a emerge n at u r ally fr o m t h e in t rin sic stresses an d d ist ort ion s o f t h e lyric m at erial m ean t com plet ely n ew lyr ic tech n iques for a con st at ion exact beyon d iron y. Th e Port rait concentrates o n st at in g them es, arran gin g apparen t ly t ran sparen t words in t o con figurat ion s of t h e u t m ost sym bolic den sit y. H ere is t h e d irect or proposin g t h a t St eph en enter t h e p riest h ood : Th e director stood in the embrasure of the win dow, his back to the ligh t , leaning an elbow on the brown crossblind, an d, as he spoke and smiled, slowly dangling and loopin g the cord of the other b lin d . Stephen stood before h im , followin g for a moment wit h his eyes the waning of the long summer daylight above the roofs or the slow deft movements of the priestly fingers. Th e priest's face was in total shadow bu t the waning daylight from behind h im touched t h e deeply grooved temples and the curves of the skull.
[P. 153-154-]

LI N KI N G

TH EMES

I n t h e reconceived Port rait Joyce aban don ed t h e origin al in t en t ion of wr it in g t h e accoun t of h is o wn escape fr o m D u b l i n . O n e can n ot escape one's D u b lin . H e recast Steph en Dedalu s as a figure wh o cou ld n o t even det ach h im self fr o m D u b l i n because h e h ad form ed h im self on a d en ial of Du b lin 's values. H e is t h e egocen tric rebel becom e an u lt im at e. Th ere is n o quest ion wh atever of h is regen eration . "St ep h en n o lon ger in t erests m e t o t h e same ext en t [as Blo o m ] ," said Joyce t o Fran k Bu d gen one day. "H e has a shape t h a t can 't be ch an ged." H is shape is t h a t of aesthete. Th e St eph en of t h e first ch apt er of Ulysses wh o "walks wearily," con st an t ly "lean s" on everyt h in g i n sigh t , in variab ly sits d own before h e has gone t h ree paces, speaks "glo o m ily," "q u ie t ly," "w i t h bit t ern ess," an d "co ld ly," an d "suffers" h is h an d kerch ief t o be p u lled fr o m his pocket b y t h e exuberan t M u lliga n , is precisely t h e priggish , h um ourless Steph en of t h e last ch apter of t h e Port rait wh o can n ot rem em ber wh at day o f t h e week i t is, sen tim en talizes like Ch arles La m b over t h e "h u m a n pages" of a second-hand La t in b ook, con ducts t h e in h u m a n ly pedan t ic dialogue w i t h Cr an ly o n m ot h er-love, writ es Fren ch ified verses i n bed i n an erot ic swoon , an d is epiph an ized at fu ll len gt h , like Sh em t h e Pen m an beFrom Dublin's Joyce by Hugh Kenner. Reprinted by permission of Indiana University Press and Chatto and Windus Lt d .

T h e loop ed cord , t h e shadow, t h e sku ll, n on e of these is accid en t al. Th e "wa n in g d ayligh t ," t wice em ph asized, conveys t h a t d en ial of n at u re wh ich t h e priest's oflice represented for St eph en ; "h is back t o t h e lig h t " co-operates t oward a sim ilar effect. So "cr ossb lin d ": "b l i n d t o t h e cross"; "b lin d e d b y t h e cross." "Th e curves of t h e sk u ll" in t roduces an ot h er death im age; t h e "d eat h b on e" fr o m Levy-Bruh l's Au st ralia, p oin t ed by Sh au n i n Finnegans Wake, is t h e d ram at ic version of an id en t ical sym b ol. Bu t t h e cen t ral im age, t h e epiph an y of t h e in t er-

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41zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA 8 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism view, is con t ain ed i n t h e m ovem en t of t h e priest's fingers: "slowly d an glin g an d loop in g t h e cord of t h e ot h er b l i n d . " Th a t is t o say, coolly profferin g a noose. Th is is t h e lyric m ode of Ulysses' epical h an gm an , "Th e lo r d of t h in gs as t h ey are wh o m t h e m ost Rom an of Cat h olics call dio boia, h an gm an go d ."
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Accord in g t o t h e pract ice in au gu rat ed b y Joyce wh en h e rewrot e "Th e Sisters" in 1906, t h e Port rait , like t h e t wo books t o follow, opens am id elaborate cou n t er p oin t . Th e first t wo pages, t er m in at in g i n a row of asterisks, enact t h e en t ire act ion i n m icrocosm . An Ar ist ot elian catalogue of senses, faculties, an d m en t al act ivit ies is played against t h e u n fo ld in g of t h e in fan t conscience. Once upon a t im e and a very good tim e it was there was a moocow com ing down along the road and th is moocow t h at was coming down along th e road met a nicens lit t le boy named baby tuckoo. . . . His father t old h im t h at story: his father looked at h im th rough a glass: he had a hairy face. He was baby tuckoo. Th e moocow came down along the road where Betty Byrne lived : she sold lem on p lat t . O , t he wild rose blossom s On t he lit t le green place. He sang t h at song. Th at was his song. O , t he green wot he bot het h. W h e n you wet th e bed first it is warm th en it gets cold. His mother pu t on the oilsheet. Th at had the queer smell. [P, 7.] Th is evocat ion of holes i n o b livio n is con d u ct ed in t h e m od e of each of t h e five senses in t u r n ; h earin g (t h e st ory of t h e m o o co w), sigh t (h is father's face), taste (lem on p l a t t ) , t ou ch (war m an d c o ld ) , sm ell (t h e oil-sh eet ). Th e au d ible soothes: t h e visible dist u rbs. Th r o u gh o u t Joyce's wor k, t h e senses are sym bolically disposed. Sm ell is t h e means of d iscr im in at in g em p irical reahties ( "H is m ot h er h ad a n icer sm ell t h an h is

fat h er," is t h e n ext sen t en ce), sigh t corresponds t o t h e ph an tasms of oppression, h earin g t o t h e im agin at ive life. To u ch an d taste togeth er are t h e modes of sex. H earin g, here, comes first, via a piece of im agin at ive lit erat u re. Bu t as we can see from t h e van tage-poin t of Finnegans Wake, t h e wh ole book is ab ou t t h e en coun t er of baby t uckoo wit h t h e m oocow: t h e Gripes w i t h t h e mookse. T h e father wit h t h e h airy face is t h e first Mookse-avatar, t h e Freu d ian in fan t ile analogue of Go d t h e Fat h er. I n t h e Wake . . . Derzherr, live wire, fired Benjermine Fu n klin g outa t h 'Em pyre, sin right hand son. Der Erz herr (ar ch -lor d ), here a Teu t o n ic Jun ker, is t h e Go d wh o visit ed his wr at h on Lu cifer; t h e h airy at t r ib u t e comes t h r ou gh via t h e m usic-h all refrain , "Th ere's h air, like wire, com in g ou t of t h e Em p ir e ." Da wn in g consciousness of h is own id en t it y ( "H e was baby t u ck o o ") leads t o art ist ic perform an ce ( "H e sang t h at song. T h a t was his son g."). Th is is h ugely expanded i n Ch ap t er I V : Now, as never before, his strange name seemed t o h im a prophecy . . . of the end he had been born to serve and had been followin g through the mists of ch ildh ood and boyhood, a symbol of the artist forging anew in his workshop out of the sluggish matter of the earth a new soaring impalpable imperishable being. [P, 168169.]

By ch an gin g t h e red rose t o a green an d d islocat in g t h e spellin g, h e makes th e song his o wn . ( "Bu t you cou ld n ot have a green rose. Bu t perhaps somewhere in t h e wo r ld you co u ld .") His m other had a nicer smell than his father. She played on the piano the sailor's hornpipe for h im to dance. He danced: Tralala Tralala Tralala Tralala lat a, t ralaladdy, lala lala. [P, 7.]

42zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA o zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism Between t h is in n ocen ce an d it s Rim b au d ian recapture t h r ou gh t h e p u rgat ion of t h e Wake th ere is t o in t erven e t h e h allu cin at io n i n Circe's st y:
TH E M O TH ER

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I t is t h r ou gh t h eir names t h a t t h in gs h ave power over Step h en . Th e language in wh ich we are speaking is his before i t is m in e. H ow different are th e words hom e, Christ , ale, m ast er, on h is hps and on m in e! I cannot speak or writ e these words wit h ou t unrest of spirit. His language, so fam iliar an d so foreign, will always be for me an acquired speech. I have n ot made or accepted its words. M y voice holds t h em at bay. M y soul frets in the shadow of his language. [P, 189.] N o t on ly is t h e Dean 's En glish a con queror's t on gue; since t h e loss of Ad am 's words wh ich perfect ly m ir r o r ed t h in gs, a ll lan guage has con quered t h e m in d an d im posed it s o wn order, askew fr o m t h e order of creat ion . W o r d s, like t h e ph ysical wo r id , are im posed o n Steph en fr om wit h o u t , an d i t is i n t h eir can t ed m irrors t h a t h e glimpses a ph ysical an d m or al wo r ld already dyed t h e colou r of h is o wn m in d since absorbed, w it h language, in t o h is person alit y. W ord s wh ich he d id n ot understand he said over an d over t o h im self till he had leam t t h em by heart; arid t h rough t h em he h ad glimpses of the real world about h im . [P, 62.] Lan guage is a Tr o ja n horse b y wh ich t h e un iverse gets in t o t h e m in d . Th e first sentence i n t h e book isn 't som et h in g Steph en sees b u t a story h e is t o ld , an d t h e overt u re clim axes i n an in sisten t brainless rh ym e, it s jin gle corrosively fascin at in g t o t h e w i l l . I t has power t o t errify a ch ild wh o kn ows n o t h in g of eagles, or of Prom et h eus, or of h ow h is o wn grown -u p failu re t o apologise will b len d w i t h gat h erin g blin dn ess. I t typifies t h e peculiar ach ievem en t of t h e Port rait t h a t Joyce can cause pat t ern s of words t o make u p t h e very m oral t ext u re of Stephen's m i n d : Suck was a queer word . Th e fellow, called Sim on Moon an t h at name because Simon Moon an used t o tie th e prefect's false sleeves

(Wit h t he subt le sm ile of deat h's m adness.) I was once th e beautiful May Gou ldin g. I am dead. . . .
STEP H EN

(Eagerly.) Tell me the word, m other, if you know it now. Th e word kn own t o all m en . . . .
TH E M O TH ER

( W i t h smouldering eyes.) Repent! O , th e fire of h ell! [ U , 580581. Reprinted in this volume, p. 306.] Th is is foreshadowed as t h e overt ure t o t h e Port rait closes: He h id under th e table. His mother said: O , Stephen will apologise. Dante said: O , if n ot , t h e eagles will come and p u ll ou t his eyes. Pull out his eyes. Apologise, Apologise, Pu ll out his eyes. Apologise, Pull out his eyes, Pull out his eyes. Apologise. [P, 8] Th e eagles, eagles of Rom e, are emissaries of t h e Go d w it h t h e h airy face: t h e pu n ish er. Th ey evoke Prom eth eus an d gn awin g gu ilt : again -bite. So t h e overt ure ends w it h Stephen h id in g un der t h e t able await in g t h e eagles. H e is h id in g un der somet h in g m ost of t h e time: bedcloth es, "t h e en igm a of a m an n er," an in d u rat ed rh et oric, or some ot h er carapace of his privat e wo r ld .

Hugh Kenner ^ jf Crit icism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA wh it e apron, poured in t o his cup. He wondered whether the^lOpK' beh in d his back and the prefect used t o let on t o be angry. Bu t t h e lion 's apron was damp too or whether all wh ite things were, cold and sound was ugly. Once he had washed his hands in the lavatory of the damp. [P. 12-13.] W icklow h ot el and his father pulled the stopper up by the chain after and the dirt y water went down through the hole in the basin. Th r o u gh o u t t h e first ch apt er an in t rin sic lin kage, wh it e-cold An d when it had all gone down slowly the hole in the basin had dam p-obedien t , insinuates it self repeatedly. Steph en after saymade a sound like t h at : suck. O n ly louder. in g his prayers, "h is shoulders sh akin g," "so t h a t h e m igh t n o t To remember t h at and the wh ite look of the lavatory made h im go t o h ell wh en he d ie d ," "cu ried h im self t oget h er un der t h e feel cold and th en h ot . There were two cocks th at you turned and cold wh it e sheets, sh akin g an d t r em b lin g. Bu t he wo u ld n ot go the water came ou t : cold and h ot . He felt cold and th en a lit t le t o h ell wh en he d ied , an d t h e sh akin g wo u ld st op ." Th e sea, h ot : and he could see the names prin t ed on the cocks. Th at was a m ysterious as t h e t errible power of Go d , "was cold day an d very queer t h in g. [P,zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA 11.] n igh t , b u t i t was colder at n igh t "; we are rem in d ed of An n a "Su ck" join s t wo con texts i n Stephen's m i n d : a p layfu l sin n er Livia's gesture of su bm ission : " M y cold fat h er, m y cold m ad t oyin g w i t h his in d u lgen t superior, an d t h e disappearance of fat h er, m y cold m ad feary fat h er" [in F W ] . "Th e r e was a cold d ir t y water. Th e force of t h e con ju n ct ion is felt on ly after Sten igh t sm ell i n t h e ch apel. Bu t i t was a h oly sm ell." Steph en is ph en has lost his sense of t h e realit y of t h e forgiveness of sins puzzled by t h e phrase i n t h e Lit a n y of t h e Blessed Vi r g i n : in t h e confessional. Th e h ab it u ally ort h od ox p en it en t tangles Tower of Ivory. "H o w cou ld a wom an be a t ower of ivory or a w it h a Go d wh o pretends t o be angry; after a recon ciliat ion t h e house of gold ?" H e ponders u n t il t h e revelat ion com es: process is repeated. An d t h e m ark of t h a t k in d of play is disEileen had lon g wh it e hands. One evening when playing t ig she graceful servilit y. Each t im e t h e sin disappears, t h e sin n er is had pu t her hands over his eyes: long and wh ite and t h in and cold m ocked b y an im person al voice o u t of n at u re: "Su ck!" and soft. Th at was ivory: a cold wh ite t h in g. Th at was the meaning Th is at t it u d e t o un real good an d evil furnishes a con t ext for of Tower of Ivory. [P, 36.] t h e n ext co n ju n ct io n : whiteness an d coldness. Steph en finds h im self, like Sim on Moon an ,^ engaged i n t h e r h yt h m of obeTh is in st an t of in sigh t depends on a sudden reshuffling of assodience t o ir r at ion al au t h or it y, b en d in g his m in d t o a m ean in gciat ion s, a sudden con vict ion t h at t h e Mo t h e r of Go d , an d t h e less act, t h e ar it h m et ic con test. H e is b ein g obed ien t ly "go o d ." sym bols appropriat e t o h er, belon g w it h t h e co ld , t h e wh it e, an d An d t h e appropriat e colour is ad d u ced : "H e t h ou gh t his face t h e un pleasan t i n a b lin d fo ld m or alit y of obedien ce. Con t em p lam u st be wh it e because i t felt so co o l." t io n focussed on lan guage is repaid : Th e pallor of lu n ar obedien t goodness is n ext associated w i t h Tower of Ivory. House of Gold. By t h in kin g of things you could d am p repulsiveness: t h e lim pn ess of a wet b lan ket an d of a understand t h em . [P, 43.] servant's ap r on : He sat looking at the two prints of bu t t er on his plate b u t could n ot eat the damp bread. Th e tablecloth was damp and lim p . Bu t he drank off the h ot weak tea wh ich the clumsy scullion, girt wit h a
^Joyce's names should always be scrutinized. Simon Moonan: moon: the heatless (white) satellite reflecting virtue borrowed from Simon Peter. Simony, too, is an activity naturally derived from this casually businesslike attitude to priestly authority. [H.K.]

Th e wh it e-dam p-obedien t association reappears wh en Steph en is abou t t o m ake his confession after t h e celebrated ret reat ; its patterns provid e t h e language i n wh ich h e t h in ks. Sin has been associated w i t h fire, wh ile t h e prayers of t h e pen it en t s are epiph an ized as "soft wh isperin g clou d let s, soft wh isperin g vapour, wh isperin g an d van ish in g." An d h avin g been absolved:

424zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Hugft Kenner W h it e puddin g an d eggs an d sausages an d cups of tea. H ow simple and beautiful was life after all! An d Hfe lay all before h im . . . . Th e boys were all there, kneeling in t h eir places. He kn elt among t h em , happy and shy. Th e altar was heaped wit h fragrant masses of wh it e flowers: and in the m orn in g ligh t the pale flames of the candles among th e wh it e flowers were clear and silent as his own soul. [P, 146.] W e can n ot read Finnegans Wake u n t il we have realized t h e significance of t h e way t h e m in d of St eph en Ded alu s is b o u n d i n by lan guage. H e is n o t on ly an ar t ist : h e is a D u b lin e r .
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fu l island cave ou t of transfers and paper flowers and coloured tissue paper and strips of the silver and golden paper in wh ich chocolate is wrapped. W h e n he had broken up this scenery, weary of its tin sel, there would come to his m in d the brigh t picture of Marseilles, of sunny trellisses and of Mercedes. [P, 62.] Th e prose su rrou n d in g Stephen's flight is em p u rp led w it h transfers an d paper flowers t oo. I t is n ot im m at u r e prose, as we m igh t suppose by com parison wit h Ulysses. Th e prose of "Th e De a d " is m at u re prose, an d "Th e D e a d " was wr it t en in 1908. Rat h er, i t is a m et icu lou s pastich e of im m a t u r it y. Joyce has his eye con st an t ly on t h e epic sequel. He wanted t o meet in the real world the unsubstantial image wh ich his soul so constantly beheld. He d id n ot kn ow where to seek it or h ow: bu t a prem on it ion wh ich led h im on t old h im t h at this image would, wit h ou t any overt act of his, encounter h im . They would meet quietly as if they had known each other and had made t h eir tryst, perhaps at one of the gates or in some more secret place. They would be alone, surrounded by darkness and silence: and in t h at m om en t of supreme tenderness he would be transfigured. [P, 65.] As t h e vagin al im agery of gates, secret places, an d darkness im plies, t h is is t h e dream t h a t reaches t em porary fu lfilm en t i n t h e p lu n ge in t o profan e love, P, 100-101. Bu t t h e u lt im at e "secret p lace" is t o be M a b b o t Street, outside Bella Coh en 's b r o t h el; t h e u n su bst an t ial im age of h is quest, t h at of Leop old Blo o m , advert isem en t can vasserMon t e Cr ist o, ret u rn ed avenger, Ulysses; an d t h e t ran sfigu rat ion , in t o t h e ph an t asm al dead son of a sen t im en t al Jew: Against t he dark wdl a figure appears slowly, a fairy hoy of eleven, a changeling, kidnapped, dressed in an Et on suit wit h glass shoes and a lit t le bronz e helm et , holding a book in his hand. He reads from right t o left inaudibly, sm iling, kissing t he page. [U,
60 9.]

Th e "in st a n t of e m o t io n ," of wh ich t h is 300 -page lyr ic is t h e "sim p lest verbal vest u re" is t h e exalt ed in st an t , em ergin g a t t h e en d of t h e book, of freedom , of vocat ion , of Stephen's dest in y, win gin g h is way above t h e waters at t h e side of t h e h awklike m a n : t h e in st an t of prom ise o n wh ich t h e cru sh in g iron ies of Ulysses are t o fall. TTie epic of t h e sea of m at t er is preceded by t h e lyr ic im age of a growin g d r eam : a dream t h a t like Rich ard Rowan 's i n Exiles disregards t h e fall of m a n ; a d ream n ourish ed b y a sensitive yo u t h of flying above t h e sea in t o an un created h eaven : Th e spell of arms and voices: the wh it e arms of roads, t h eir promise of close embraces and the black arms of t all ships t h at stand against th e m oon , t h eir tale of distant nations. Th ey are held out t o say: W e are alone. Com e. An d th e voices say wit h t h em : W e are your kin sm en . An d th e air is t h ick wit h t h eir company as they call t o me, t h eir kinsm an, m akin g ready t o go, shaking th e wings of t h eir exultan t and terrible you t h . [P, 252.] Th e em ot ion al q u alit y of t h is is con t in u ou s wit h t h a t o f t h e Co u n t of Mont e Crist a, t h a t fantasy of t h e exile ret u rn ed for vengeance (t h e p lo t of t h e Odyssey) wh ich k in d le d so m an y of Stephen's b oyh ood dream s: Th e figure of t h at dark avenger stood fort h in his m in d for whatever he had heard or divin ed in ch ildh ood 6f th e strange and t errible. At n igh t he b u ilt up on the parlour table an image of the wonder-

Th a t Dedalus t h e art ificer d id violen ce t o n at u re is t h e p o in t of t h e epigraph fr o m O vid , Et ignot as anim um dim it t it in art es; t h e Icarian fall is in evit ab le.

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Crit icism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA I n tedious exile n ow t oo lo n g d et ain 'd Dedalu s lan gu ish 'd for his n at ive lan d . Th e sea foreclos'd his flight; yet t h us he said, Th o u gh eart h an d water i n su bject ion la id , O cruel Min o s, t h y d o m in io n be. W e ' l l go t h r ou gh air; for sure t h e air is free. Then t o new art s his cunning t hought applies. And t o im prove t he work of nat ure t ries.

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Steph en does n o t , as t h e careless reader m ay suppose, becom e an art ist by reject in g ch u rch an d cou n t ry. Stephen does n o t becom e an art ist at a ll. Cou n t r y, ch u r ch , an d m ission are an in ext ricable u n it y, an d i n reject in g t h e t wo t h at seem t o h am per h im , he rejects also t h e one on wh ich h e has set his h eart . I m p rovin g t h e work of n ature is his obvious am b it io n ( "Bu t you cou ld n o t have a green rose. Bu t perhaps som ewhere in t h e wo r ld you c o u l d ") , an d i t logically follows fr o m t h e aest h et ic he expounds t o Lyn ch . I t is a n eo-platon ic aesthetic; t h e cru cial p rin cip le of ep ip h an izat ion has been wit h d r a wn . H e im agin es t h a t "t h e loveliness t h a t has n o t yet com e in t o t h e wo r ld ," is t o be fou n d i n his o wn sou l. Th e eart h is gross, an d wh at i t brin gs fo r t h is cowd u n g; soun d an d shape an d colou r are "t h e prison gates of ou r sou l"; an d beaut y is som et h in g myst eriously gestated wit h in . Th e gen uin e art ist reads signatures, t h e fake art ist forges t h em , a process ad u m brat ed i n t h e obsession of Sh em t h e Pen m an ( fr o m Jim t he Penm an, a forgot t en dram a abou t a forger) wit h "Macfearsom e's O ssean ," t h e m ost famous o f lit erary forgeries, st u d yin g "h o w cu t ely t o copy a ll t h eir various styles of signature so as one day t o u t t er an epical forged cheque on t h e p u b lic for h is o wn privat e p r o fit ."

at some len gt h as a bein g whose d evelopm en t was vir t u ally en ded. Un for t u n at ely, t h e last ch apter makes t h e book a peculiarly d ifficu lt one for t h e reader t o focus, because Joyce h ad t o close i t on a suspended ch ord . As a lyr ic, i t is finished i n its own term s; b u t t h e them es of t h e last fort y pages, t h ou gh t h ey give t h e illu sion of focussing, d o n 't really focus u n t il we have read well in t o Ulysses. Th e final ch apter, wh ich i n respect t o t h e juggern aut of Ulysses m u st be a vuln erable flank, i n respect t o wh at has gone before m u st be a con clu sion . Th is p rob lem Joyce d id n ' t wh olly solve; th ere rem ains a m oral am b igu it y (h ow seriously are we t o take Steph en ?) wh ich makes t h e last fort y pages p ain fu l readin g. N o t t h a t Steph en wo u ld stan d in d efin it ely if Ulysses d id n 't t op p le h i m over; his e q u ilib r iu m i n Ch ap t er V , t h ou gh good en ough t o give h i m a sense of un usual in t egr it y i n Un iversit y College, is precarious unless he can m anage, i n t h e m an n er of so m an y perm an en t undergraduates, t o p rolon g t h e college con t ext for t h e rest of his life. Each of t h e precedin g ch apters, in fact, works t oward an e q u ilib r iu m wh ich is dashed wh en in t h e n ext ch apter Stephen's wo r ld becomes larger an d t h e fram e of reference m ore com plex. Th e term s of e q u ilib r iu m are always stated w i t h d isqu iet in g accuracy; at t h e en d of Ch ap t er I we find: He was alone. He was happy and free: bu t he would n ot be anyway proud wit h Father Dolan . He would be very quiet and obedient: and he wished t h at he could do something kin d for h im to show h im t h at he was n ot proud. [P, 59.] An d at t h e en d of Ch ap t er I I I :

He sat by the fire in the kit ch en , n ot daring to speak for happiness. Ti l l that m om ent he had n ot kn own how beautiful and peaceful life could be. Th e green square of paper pin n ed round the lam p cast down a tender shade. O n the dresser was a plate of sausages and white puddin g and on the shelf there were eggs. They Fabulous artificer, the hawklike m an . You flew. Whereto? Newwould be for the breakfast in the m orn in g after the com m union haven-Dieppe, steerage passenger. Paris and back. [U, zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA 210.] in the college chapel. W h it e puddin g and eggs and sausages and cups of tea. H ow simple and beautiful was life after all! An d life Th e Steph en of t h e en d of t h e fo u r t h ch apt er, h owever, is st ill lay all before h im . [P, 146.] un stable; he h ad t o be b rou gh t in t o a final balan ce, an d sh own O n e can sense a ll t h is i n t h e first four chapters of t h e Port rait , an d Ulysses is u n equ ivocal:

Hugh Kenner 428 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA N o t "ir o n y" b u t sim p ly t h e t r u t h : t h e good life conceived i n term s of wh it e p u d d in g an d sausages is un stable en ough t o need n o u n d er lin in g. Th e even-num bered chapters m ake a sequence of a differen t sort. Th e en d in g of I V , Stephen's p an t in g subm ission t o an art ist ic vocat ion : Evening had fallen when he woke and the sand and arid grasses of his bed glowed no longer. H e rose slowly an d, recalling the rapture of his sleep, sighed at its joy. [P, 173], h asn 't q u it e t h e fin alit y oft en read in t o i t wh en t h e exp licit parallel wit h t h e en d in g of I I is perceived: He closed his eyes, surrendering himself t o her, body and m in d , conscious of n ot h in g in the world bu t the dark pressure of her softly partin g lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of a vague speech; and between them he felt an un kn own and t im id pressure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer th an sound or odour. [P, 101.] W h e n we lin k these passages w i t h t h e fact t h a t t h e on e piece of lit erary com p osit ion Steph en act u ally achieves i n t h e book comes ou t of a wet dream ("Towar d s d awn he awoke. O wh at sweet m usic! H is soul was a ll dewy w e t ") we are i n a p osit ion t o see t h at t h e con clu d in g "W e lco m e , O life !" has an air of fin alit y an d balan ce on ly because t h e d iary-form of t h e last seven pages disarms us w it h an illu sion of au ct orial im p ar t ialit y.
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429

Ego VS. au t h o r it y is t h e t h em e of t h e th ree odd-n u m bered chapters, D u b l i n vs. t h e dream t h a t of t h e t wo even-num bered ones. Th e generic Joyce p lot , t h e en coun t er wit h t h e alt er ego, is con su m m at ed wh en Steph en at t h e en d of t h e book iden tifies h im self w it h t h e sanctified Steph en wh o was ston ed b y t h e Jews after r ep or t in g a vision (Act s V I I , 56) an d claim s son sh ip wit h t h e classical Daedalus wh o evaded t h e ru ler of la n d an d sea b y t u r n in g h is soul t o obscure arts. Th e episodes are b u ilt

ab ou t ad u m brat ion s o f t h is en cou n t er: w i t h Fat h er Con m ee, w i t h M o n t e Cr ist o, w i t h t h e whores, w it h t h e broad-shouldered m oustach ed st u d en t wh o cu t t h e wor d "Fo et u s" i n a desk, wit h t h e weary m ild confessor, wit h t h e b ir d -gir l. Th r o u gh t h is repeated p lo t in t e r t win e co n t r o llin g em ot ion s an d co n t r o llin g images t h at m o u n t i n com p lexit y as t h e b ook proceeds. I n Ch apt er I t h e co n t r o llin g em ot ion is fear, an d t h e d om in an t im age Fat h er D o la n an d h is pan d ybat ; t h is, associated w i t h t h e h an gm an -god an d t h e priest ly d en ial of t h e senses, was t o becom e one of Joyce's stan dard images for Irish clericalism hence t h e jack-in-the-box appearance of Fat h er Do la n i n Circe's n igh t m are im b r o glio , h is pan d ybat crackin g t wice like t h u n d er [in Ulysses]. Stephen's com m en t , i n t h e m ode of Blake's repu d iat ion of t h e Go d wh o slaughtered Jesus, emphasizes t h e in clu siveness of t h e im age: " I never cou ld read H is h an d wr it in g except H is cr im in al t h u m b p r in t on t h e h ad d ock." Ch ap t er I I opens w i t h a t r ip le im age o f Du b lin 's f)repossession s: m usic, sport, r eligion . Th e first is exh ib it ed via Un cle Ch arles sin gin g sen t im en t al ballads i n t h e outh ouse; t h e second via Stephen's r it u a l r u n arou n d t h e park un der t h e eye of a superan n uated t rain er, wh ich his un cle en join s o n h i m as t h e wh ole d u t y of a Du b lin e r ; t h e t h ir d via t h e clum sy p iet y ofUn cle Ch arles, kn eelin g o n a red h an d kerch ief an d readin g above h is breat h "fr o m a t h u m b b lacken ed prayerbook wh erein catch words were p r in t e d at t h e foot o f every page." Th is t r in it y of them es is u n wo u n d an d en t win ed t h r o u gh o u t t h e ch apter, like a n et woven r ou n d Stephen ; i t un derlies t h e cen t ral in cid en t , t h e W h it s u n t id e play i n t h e Belvedere ch apel ( r e ligio n ) , wh ich opens wit h a display by t h e d u m b -b ell team (sp ort ) prelu d ed by sen t im en t al waltzes fr o m t h e soldier's ban d ( m u sic) . W h i l e h e is wa it in g t o play his p art , Steph en is t au n t ed by fellow-studen ts, wh o r ally h i m on a fan cied love-affair an d sm it in g his calf w it h a cane b id h i m recite t h e Confit eor. H is m i n d goes back t o an analogous in cid en t , wh en a sim ilar p u n ish m en t h ad been visit ed on h is refusal t o "a d m it t h at Byron was n o good ." Th e fu rt h er analogy w i t h Fat h er Do la n is ob-

430 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Hugft Kenner 431 vious; love, ar t , an d personal in depen den ce are t h us u n it e d i n Aft er one fin al effort t o com prom ise vwth D u b l i n on Du b lin 's an ideogram of t h e prepossessions Steph en is d et erm in ed t o "t erm s has collapsed in t o fu t ilit y ( "Th e p o t of p in k en am el p ain t cu lt ivat e i n t h e t eet h of persecution . gave ou t an d t h e wain scot of h is bed room rem ain ed w i t h it s Th e d ream -world Stephen nourishes w it h in h im self is played t in fin ish ed an d illplast ered c o a t ") , h e fiercely cult ivat es h is against m an ifest at ion s of m usic, sport , an d religion t h r o u gh o u t rebellious t h ou gh t s, an d m ovin g b y day an d n igh t "am on g dist h e ch apt er. Th e con st an t iron ic clash of D u b l i n vs. t h e Dr eam ' t o r t ed images of t h e ou t er wo r id ," plunges at last in t o t h e arms anim ates Ch ap t er I I , as t h e clash of t h e ego vs. au t h o r it y d id o f whores. "Th e h oly en coun t er he h ad t h en im agin ed at wh ich Ch ap t er I . Al l these themes com e t o focus d u r in g Stephen's weakness an d t im id it y an d inexperience were t o fall from h i m , " visit w it h h is fat h er t o Cor k. Th e dream of rebellion h e has finally an ives i n in version of Fat h er Dolan 's an d Un cle Ch arles' silen t ly cu lt ivat ed is extern alized b y t h e discovery of t h e wor d r eligion : h is descent in t o n igh t -t own is accom pan ied by lu r id Foet us carved i n a desk b y a forgot t en m edical st u d en t : evocations of a Black Mass: I t shocked h im t o find in the outer worid a trace of what he had Th e yellow gasflames arose before his troubled vision against the deemed till th en a brutish and in d ivid u al malady of his own m in d . vapoury sky, b u m in g as if before an altar. Before the doors and in His recent monstrous reveries came t h ron gin g in t o his memory. the hghted halls groups were gathered arrayed as for some rite. He They too had sprung up before h im , suddenly and furiously, out of was in another world : he had awakened from a slumber of cenmere words. [P, 90 .] turies. [P, 100.] Th e p ossibilit y of shame gain in g t h e upper h an d is dashed, however, b y t h e sudden ban al in t iu sio n of h is father's conversat io n ( "W h e n you kick ou t for yourself, Stephen^as I daresay you will one of those daysrem em ber, wh atever you d o, t o m ix wit h ge n t le m e n .") . Again st t h e standards of D u b lin h is m on strous reveries acquire a Satan ic glam ou r, an d t h e t rau m a is slowly d ivert ed in t o a resolu t ion t o rebel. Aft er h is fat h er has expressed a resolve t o "leave h i m t o h is Ma k e r " ( r e ligio n ) , an d offered t o "sin g a t en or song again st h i m " (m u sic) or "va u lt a fivebarred gate against h i m " ( sp o r t ) , Stephen muses, wat ch in g his fath er an d t wo cronies d r in k in g t o t h e m em ory of t h eir past : An abyss of fortune or of temperament sundered h im from t h em . His m in d seemed older than theirs: i t shone coldly on th eir strifes and happiness and regrets like a moon upon a younger earth. No life or yout h stirred in h im as it had stirred in t h em . He had kn own neither the pleasure of companionship wit h others nor the vigour of rude male health nor filial piety. Not h in g stirred wit h in his soul bu t a cold and cruel and loveless lust. [P, 95-96.]
CO N TRO LLI N G SIN AN D IMAGES:

REP EN TAN CE

Each ch apter i n t h e Port rait gathers u p t h e t h em at ic m at erial o f t h e precedin g ones an d en twin es t h em w it h a d o m in an t t h em e of it s o wn . I n Ch ap t er I I I t h e fear-pandybat m o t if is present i n Fat h er Am a ll's cru dely m at erialist ic h ell, of wh ich even t h e thickness of t h e walls is specified; an d t h e Du blin -vs.d ream m o t if has ir on ic in flect ion s i n Stephen's terror-stricken brood in gs, wh en t h e dream has been t wist ed in t o a dream of h olin ess, an d even D u b l i n appears t ran sfigured: H ow beautiful must be a soul in the state of grace when God looked upon i t wit h love! Frowsy giris sat along the curbstones before th eir baskets. Th eir dank hair h un g trailed over th eir brows. Th ey were n ot beautiful t o see as they crouched in th e m ire. Bu t th eir souls were seen by God ; and if their souls were in a state of grace they were radiant t o see: and God loved t h em , seeing t h em . [P, 140.] A rapprochem ent i n these term s betweert t h e ou t er wo r id an d Stephen's desires is t oo in adequat e t o need com m en t ary; an d

432zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Hugh Kenner i t makes vivid as n o t h in g else cou ld t h e hopeless in version o f his at t em p t ed self-sufficiency. I t u n d erlin es, i n yet an ot h er way, h is persistent sin : an d t h e d o m in a n t t h em e of Ch ap t er I I I is Sin . A fugue-like op en in g plays u p on t h e Seven Dead ly Sins i n t u r n ; glu t t on y is i n t h e first paragraph ("St u ff i t in t o you , h is b elly counselled h i m " ) , followed b y lu st , t h en slot h ( "A cold lu cid indifference reign ed i n his s o u l") , p rid e ( "H is prid e i n h is o wn sin , h is loveless awe of Go d , t o ld h i m t h a t h is offence was t oo grievous t o be at on ed f o r ") , anger ( "T h e b lu n d er in g answer st irred t h e embers o f h is con t em p t for h is fe llo ws") ; fin ally, a recap it u lat ion fixes each t er m o f t h e m o r t al catalogue i n a phrase, en u m erat in g h o w "fr o m t h e evil seed o f lu st a ll t h e ot h er deadly sins h ad sprun g fo r t h ." Priest an d pun ish er in h ab it Steph en h im self as well as D u b l i n : wh en h e is deepest i n sin h e is m ost t h orou gh ly a t h eologian . A paragraph of gloom y in t rosp ect ion is juxtaposed w i t h a list o f t h eological questions t h a t puzzle Stephen's m i n d as h e awaits t h e preach er: Is baptism wit h a m ineral water valid? H ow comes it t h at wh ile the first beatitude promises th e kin gdom of heaven t o th e poor of heart, t h e second beatitude promises also t o th e meek t h at they shall possess the land? . . . I f th e wine change in t o vinegar an d the host crumble in t o corruption after they have been consecrated is Jesus Ch rist st ill present under their species as God and as man? Here he is! Here he is! A boy from his post at the window had seen the rector come from the house. All the catechisms were opened and all heads ben t upon them silently. [P, 106-107.] W i n e changed in t o vinegar an d t h e h ost cru m b led in t o corru pt io n fits exactly t h e Irish clergy o f "a ch u rch wh ich was t h e scullery-m aid o f Ch r ist en d o m ." T h e excit ed "H er e h e is! H ere he is!" fo llo win g h ar d o n t h e m e n t io n of Jesus Ch r ist an d sign allin g n o t h in g m ore port en t ou s t h a n t h e rector makes t h e p o in t as d ram at ically as an yt h in g i n t h e book, an d t h e clin ch in g sentence, w i t h t h e students sudden ly b en d in g over t h eir catechism s, places t h e rector as t h e veh icle o f pan d ybat m o r alit y. Th e last of t h e t h eological questions is t h e t ellin g qu est ion .

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Steph en never expresses d o u b t o f t h e exist en ceof Go d n or o f t h e essential valid it y o f t h e priest ly officehis No n serviam is n o t a non credo, an d h e talks of a "m alevolen t r ealit y" b eh in d these appearancesbut t h e win e an d bread t h a t were offered for his ven erat ion were changed in t o vinegar an d cr u m b led in t o corr u p t io n . An d i t was t h e kn owledge o f t h a t u n d er lyin g valid it y clash in g wit h h is refusal t o d o h om age t o vin egar an d r ot t h a t evoked h is am bivalen t poise of egocentric despair. Th e h ell of Fat h er Am all's serm on , so em ot ion ally overwh elm in g, so picayun e beside t h e h orrors t h a t Stephen's im agin at ion can generate, h ad n o m ore on t ological con t en t for Steph en t h an h ad "an et ern it y of bliss i n t h e com pan y o f t h e dean o f st udies." T h e con flict of t h is cen t ral ch apt er is again between t h e ph an t asm al an d t h e real. W h a t is realpsych ologically real, because realizedis Stephen's anguish an d rem orse, an d it s con t ext i n t h e life o f t h e flesh. W h a t is ph an t asm al is t h e ."h eaven " of t h e Ch u r ch an d t h e "good life " o f t h e priest. I t is : o n ly fear t h at makes h i m clu t ch after t h e lat t er at a ll; his reachi n g o u t after ort h od ox salvat ion is, as we h ave com e t o expect, presen ted i n term s t h a t judge i t : Th e win d blew over h im and passed on t o th e myriads and myriads pf other souls on wh om God's favour shone now more an d now iess, stars now brighter an d n ow dim m er, sustained an d failin g. An d t h e glim m erin g souls passed away, sustained an d failin g, merged in a m ovin g breath. One soul was lost; a t in y soul: his. I t flickered once and went ou t , forgotten, lost. Th e en d: black cold void waste. Consciousness of place came ebbing back t o h im slowly over a vast tract of tim e u n lit , un felt , un lived. Th e squalid scene composed itself around h im ; the common accents, the bu rn in g gasjets in t h e shops, odours of fish and spirits and wet sawdust, m ovin g men and wom en . An old woman was about t o cross th e street, an oilcan in her h an d. H e bent down an d asked her was there a chapel neat.
[P, 140-141.]

T h a t wan waste wo r ld o f flickering stars is t h e best Steph en has been able t o d o towards an im agin at ive grasp o f t h e cortim u n io n of Saints sust ain ed b y Go d ; "u n l i t , u n felt , u n live d "

Hugh Kenner 434zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA explains su ccin ct ly wh y i t h ad so lit t le h o ld o n h i m , on ce fear h ad relaxed. Eq u ally p er t in en t is t h e vision o f h u m an t em p oral occupation s t h e sermon evokes: W h a t d id it profit a man t o gain t h e whole world if he lost his soul? At last he had understood: and hum an life lay around h im , a plain of peace whereon antlike men laboured i n brotherhood, th eir dead sleeping under quiet mounds. [P, 126.] To m ain t ain t h e life o f grace i n t h e m id st o f n at u re, sust ain ed b y so cram ped a vision o f t h e life of n at u re, wo u ld m ean m ain t ain in g an in t olerable t en sion . Stephen's u n r elen t in g p h ilosophic bias, h is d et er m in at ion t o un derst an d wh a t h e is ab ou t , precludes h is ad op t in g t h e d ou ble st an dard of t h e Du b lin er s; t o live b o t h t h e life o f n at ure an d t h e life of grace h e m u st en joy an im agin at ive grasp of t h eir relat ion sh ip wh ich st un t s n eit h er. "N o on e d o t h well against h is w i l l , " writ es Sain t Au gu st in e, "even t h ou gh wh at h e d o t h , be w e ll"; an d Stephen's w i l l is firm ly hamessed t o h is u n d erst an d in g. An d th ere is n o on e i n D u b lin t o h elp h i m achieve u n d erst an d in g. Fat h er Am a ll's serm on precludes rath er t h a n secures a desirable ou t com e, for i t follows t h e modes of pan d ybat m o r alit y an d D u b l i n m at erialit y. It s on ly possible effect o n Steph en is t o lash h is d o r m an t conscience in t o a frenzy. Th e d escrip t ion o f H e ll as "a st rait an d dark an d foulsm eUin g p rison , an abode o f demons a n d lost souls, filled w it h fire an d sm oke," w it h walls four t h ou san d m iles t h ick , it s d am n ed packed i n so t igh t ly t h a t "t h ey are n o t even able t o rem ove fr om t h e eye t h e wo r m t h at gnaws i t , " is ch ild ish ly grotesque ben eath it s sweeping eloquence; a n d t h e h air-sp lit t in g catalogues o f pain spain of loss, p ain o f con science (d ivid ed in t o three h ead s), p ain o f exten sion , p ain o f in t en sit y, p ain of et ern it yis cast i n a brainlessly an alyt ic m ode t h at effectively prevents an y correspon din g Heaven fr o m possessing any realit y at a ll. Stephen's un stable pact w it h t h e Ch u r ch , an d it s d issolu t ion , follows t h e p at t er n o f com p osit ion an d dissipat ion established by h is ot h er dream s: t h e dream for exam ple o f t h e t ryst w i t h "Merced es," wh ich fou n d iron ic realit y am on g h arlot s. I t paral-

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exactly h is earlier a t t e m p t t o "b u ild a breakwater of order a n d elegance against t h e sordid t id e of life wit h o u t h i m , " whose failu re, wit h t h e exh aust ion of h is m on ey, was epiph an ized i n t h e ru n n in g-d ry of a p o t o f p in k enam el p ain t . H is regim en at t h a t t im e : zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFE
\

H e bought presents for everyone, overhauled his rooms, wrote ou t resolutions, marshalled his books up and down th eir shelves, pored over all kinds of price lists . . . [P, 97-98.] is m ir r or ed b y h is searching after sp irit u al im p r ovem en t : H is daily life was laid out i n devotional areas. By means of ejaculations and prayers he stored up ungrudgingly for t h e souls in purgat or y centuries of days an d quarantines and years. . . . H e offered ,up each of his three daily chaplets that his soul m igh t grow strong in each of the three theological virtues. . . . O n each of the seven days of the week he further prayed t h at one of t h e seven gifts of the H oly Ghost m igh t descend upon his soul. . . . [P, 147-148.] Th e "lo an b an k" h e h ad opened for t h e fam ily, o u t o f wh ich h e h ad pressed loan s o n willin g borrowers "t h a t h e m igh t h ave t h e pleasure of m akin g o u t receipts an d reckon in g t h e interests o n sums le n t " finds it s cou n t erp art i n t h e benefits h e stored u p for souls i n purgat ory t h a t h e m igh t en joy t h e sp irit u al t r iu m p h o f "ach ievin g w it h ease so m an y fabulous ages o f can on ical pen an ces." Bo t h projects are parodies o n t h e d oct rin e o f econo m y o f grace; b o t h are at t em p t s, corru p t ed b y m o t ivat in g selfin t erest , t o make peace w i t h D u b lin o n D u b lin 's o wn t erm s; an d b o t h are sh ort -lived . As t h is precise an alogical st ruct ure suggests, t h e act ion o f each o f t h e five chapters is really t h e same act ion . Each ch apt er closes w i t h a synthesis of t r iu m p h wh ich t h e n ext destroys. Th e t r iu m p h o f t h e appeal t o Fat h er Con m ee fr om lower au t h or it y, of t h e appeal t o t h e h arlot s fr o m D u b l i n , o f t h e appeal t o t h e Ch u r ch fr o m sin , of t h e appeal t o a r t fr om t h e p riest h ood ( t h e b ir d -gir l in stead of t h e Vi r g i n ) is always t h e same t r iu m p h raised t o a m ore com prehensive level. I t is an a t t e m p t t o find n ew paren ts; n ew fathers i n t h e o d d chapters.

436 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Crit icism

Hugh Kenner

437

n ew objects o f love i n t h e even . Th e last version of Fat h er Th e wom an is t h e Ch u r ch . H is vision o f greet in g Mercedes Con m ee is t h e "p riest of t h e et ern al im a gin a t io n "; t h e last w i t h "a sadly p r ou d gesture of refu sal": version of Mercedes is t h e "lu r e of t h e fallen serap h im ." Mad am , I never eat muscatel grapes. [P, 63.] Bu t t h e last version of t h e m ot h er wh o said, " O , Steph en w i ll 'is fu lfilled wh en h e refuses h is Easter co m m u n io n . Em m a's apologise" is t h e m ot h er wh o prays o n t h e last page "t h a t I eyes, i n t h eir one exp licit en coun t er, speak t o h i m fr o m ben eath m ay learn i n m y o wn life an d away fr o m h om e an d friends wh at a cowl. "Th e glories of Ma r y h eld h is soul cap t ive," an d a t h e h eart is an d wh at i t feels." Th e m ot h er rem ain s. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA t em porary recon ciliat ion of his lu st an d h is sp irit u al t h irst TH E D O U B LE F E M A LE is ach ieved as h e reads t h e Lesson ou t of t h e Song of Solom on . I n t h e m id st of h is repentance she fu n ct ion s as im agin ed As i n Dubliners an d Exiles, t h e fem ale role i n t h e Port rait m ed iat or: "Th e im age of Em m a appeared before h i m , " an d , is less t o arouse t h a n t o elucidat e m asculin e desires. H en ce t h e rep en t in g, "h e im agin ed t h a t h e stood near Em m a i n a wid e com plex fu n ct io n i n t h e book of ph ysical love: t h e ph ysical lan d , an d , h u m b ly an d i n tears, b en t an d kissed t h e elbow is t h e analogue of t h e sp ir it u al, as St. Au gu st in e in sisted i n h is of h er sleeve." Like Dan t e's Beatrice, she manifests i n h is Confessions ( wh ich , w i t h Ibsen's Brand, is t h e ch ief arch etype eart h ly experience t h e Ch u r ch Tr iu m p h a n t of h is sp irit u al of Joyce's b o o k ) . Th e poles bet ween wh ich t h is affection d ream . An d wh en h e rejects her because she seems t o be moves are those of St. Au gu st in e an d St. Joh n : t h e W h o r e of flirting wit h Fat h er M o r a n , h is anger is couch ed i n t h e an t iBabylon an d t h e Brid e of Ch r ist . Th e relat ion bet ween t h e clerical terms of h is apostasy: "H e h ad don e well t o leave her t wo is far fr o m sim ple, an d Steph en moves i n a con st an t t en sion bet ween t h e m . ' t o flirt w it h h er priest, t o t oy w it h a ch u rch wh ich was t h e SCuUerymaid of Ch rist en d om ." H is desire, figured i n t h e visions of M o n t e Crist o's Mercedes, Th a t Kat h leen n i H o u lih a n can flirt w i t h priests is t h e u n "t o m eet i n t h e real wo r ld t h e u n su bst an t ial im age wh ich h is forgivable sin u n d er lyin g Stephen's reject ion of Ir elan d . Bu t soul so con st an t ly b eh eld " draws h i m t oward t h e p r ost it u t e h e makes a clear d ist in ct io n between t h e st u p id clericalism ( "I n her arms h e felt t h a t h e h ad sudden ly becom e st ron g wh ich makes in t ellect u al an d com m u n al life im possible, an d his an d fearless an d sure of h im se lf") an d sim u lt an eou sly t oward lon g-n ourish ed vision of a n artist's Ch u r ch Tr iu m p h a n t u p on t h e vaguely sp ir it u al satisfaction represented wit h equal vagueeart h . H e rejects t h e act u al for d arin g t o fall sh ort of his vision . ness b y t h e wr ait h like E - C , t o wh o m h e t wice writ es verses. Th e Em m a Clery of St ephen Hero, w i t h h er lo u d TH E FIN AL B ALAN CE forced m anners an d h er bod y com p act of pleasure, was reTh e clim ax of t h e book is of course Stephen's ecstatic disfin ed in t o a wr a it h wit h a pair of in it ials t o parallel an in covery of h is vocat ion at t h e en d of Ch ap t er I V . Th e prose t an gible Ch u r ch . She is co n t in u ally assim ilated t o t h e im age rises in nervous excit em en t t o beat again an d again t h e t am of t h e Blessed Vi r g i n an d of t h e h eaven ly Brid e. Th e t or t u r e bours of a fin-de-si^cle ecstasy: she costs h i m is t h e t or t u r e h is apostasy costs h i m . H is flirt at io n w it h h er is h is flirtation w i t h Ch r ist . H is profan e villan elle His heart trem bled; his breath came faster and a wild spirit draws it s im agery fr o m r eligion t h e incense, t h e euch aristic passed over his lim bs as though he were soaring sunward. His heart h ym n , t h e ch alicean d her h eart , followin g Dan t e's im age, trem bled in an ecstasy of fear and his soul was in flight. His soul is a rose, an d i n her praise "t h e eart h was like a swin gin g was soaring in an air beyond the worid and the body he knew was swaying censer, a b all of in cen se." purified in a breath and delivered of in certitude and made radiant

Hugh Kenner 439 438 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Criticism zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA | I t m ay be well t o recall Joyce's accou n t o f t h e rom an t ic and com m ingled wit h the element of the spirit. An ecstasy of flight | t em p er : made radiant his eyes and wild his breath and tremulous and wild . an insecure, unsatisfied, im pat ien t temper wh ich sees no fit and radiant his windswept lim bs. labode here for its ideals an d chooses therefore t o behold th em O n e! Two! . . . Lookou t ! | under insensible figures. As a result of this choice i t comes t o dis O , cripes, I'm drownded! [P, 169.] card certain lim it at ion s. It s figures are blown t o wild adventures, acking the gravity of so lid bodies. . . . [SH.] Th e in t er ject in g voices of course are those of bath ers, b u t t h eir iron ic appropriateness t o Stephen's Icarian "soarin g su n war d " is n o t m ean t t o escape us: divers have t h eir o wn "ecstasy of fligh t ," an d Icarus was "d r o wn d e d ." Th e im agery of Stephen's ecstasy is fet ch ed from m an y sources; we recognize Shelley's skylark, Icarus, t h e glorified bod y of t h e Resurrect ion (cf. "H is soul h ad arisen from t h e grave of b oyh ood , spu rn in g h er graveclot h es") an d a tremulousness fr o m wh ich i t is d ifficu lt t o dissociate adolescent sexual dreams ( wh ich t h e Freudian s t ell us are frequ en t ly dreams of flyin g) . Th e en t ire eight-page passage is cu n n in gly organized w i t h great variet y of rh et oric an d in cid en t ; b u t we can n ot h elp n ot icin g t h e lim it s set on vocabulary an d figures of t h o u gh t . Th e em p u rp led triteness of such a cadence as "r ad ian t h is eyes an d w ild h is b reat h an d t rem u lou s an d wild an d rad ian t h is win d swep t lim b s" is enforced b y recurren ce: "Bu t h er lo n g fair h air was gir lish : an d girlish , an d t ou ch ed w it h t h e won d er of m or t al beaut y, h er face." "Ecst asy" is t h e keyword , in d eed . Th is r io t of feelings corresponds t o n o vocat ion defin able i n m at u re t erm s; t h e paragraphs com e t o rest o n images of irrespon sible m o t io n : He turn ed away from her suddenly and set off across the strand. His cheeks were aflame; his body was aglow; his lim bs were trem blin g. O n and on and on and on he strode, far out over the sands, singing wildly t o th e sea, crying t o greet the advent of the life t h at had cried t o h im . [P, 1 72.] W h a t "li fe " connotes i t skills n o t t o ask; t h e wo r d recurs an d recurs. So does t h e m o t io n on ward an d on ward an d on war d : A wild angel had appeared t o h im , the angel of m ortal yout h and beauty, an envoy from the fair courts of hfe, t o throw open before h im in an in stan t of ecstasy the gates of all the ways of error and glory. O n and on and on and on l [P, 1 72.] | oyce also called Prom etheus
3u n g jew."

Unbound

"t h e Sch warm erei of a

An d i t is qu it e p lain fr om t h e final ch apt er of t h e Portrait hat we are n o t t o accept t h e m ode of Stephen's "fr eed om " t h e "message" of t h e book. Th e "p riest of t h e et ern al Pagi n at i o n " t urn s o u t t o be in d igest ibly Byron ic. N o t h in g is acre obvious t h an h is t o t al lack of h u m o u r . Th e dark in ensity of t h e first fou r chapters is m ovin g en ou gh , b u t our [ipulse on bein g con fron t ed w it h t h e final ed it ion of Stephen p ed alu s is t o lau gh ; an d lau gh at t h is m o m e n t we dare n o t ; is after all a vict im b ein g prepared for a sacrifice. H is shape, Joyce said, can n o lon ger change. Th e ar t h e has elected n o t "t h e slow elaborat ive patien ce of t h e ar t of sat isfact ion ." an d on an d on an d o n " w i ll be it s inescapable m ode. H e n o t see t h e gir l wh o symbolizes t h e fu ll revelat ion ; "she emed like one wh o m m agic h ad changed in t o t h e likeness of strange an d b eau t ifu l seabird ," an d h e con fusedly appreads a sequence of d own y an d feathery in can t at ion s. W h a t , t h e last ch apter, h e does see h e sees on ly t o reject , i n favour zyxwvutsrq \ ,:0i an in can t at ory "lovelin ess wh ich has n o t yet com e in t o t h e l ^'^yorld." T h e on ly creative a t t it u d e t o language exem plified i n t h e ok is t h at of Stephen's fat h er: Is it Christy? h e said. There's more cu n n in g in one of those ; on his bald head th an in a pack of jack foxes. [P, 28.] vit alit y is established before t h e book is t h ir t y pages un der Steph en , however, isn 't en ch an t ed at an y t im e by t h e if J>roxim ity of such t alk. H e isn 't , as a m at t er o f fact , even in i'lt t est ed i n i t . W i t h o u t a backward glance, h e exchanges t h is '"'ath er for a m yt h .

Ihiy.

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