Subtitle: Eat or Be Eaten
It’s lunchtime, Book Burners and Joyceans! Hope you’re hungry for an early afternoon chat about the tasty eighth episode of Ulysses, known to cannibals, carnivores, vegetarians, nutarians, and fruitarians as “Lestrygonians.” This often overlooked section of Joyce’s novel offers much food for thought, so press play above to hear GJ Villa (Caramel Crunch) and myself (Vanilla Fudge) chew the fat without spitting back on our plates the halfmasticated gristle. And, as always, you can watch, mukbang-style (figuratively speaking), on YouTube as well:
Show Notes
See the Giff whiff:
I whiffed too. It’s El Catrín, not El Catarín:
And although I got the sound of chyle right, I whiffed on the sense:
Also, plovers are birds, not fish:
But it’s all good. Let a thousand Joycean miscommunications bloom. (Yeah, I said it: BLOOM.)
Note that the passage in which Bloom flashes back to his moment with Molly on Ben Howth includes a reference to the “earwigs” which will feature so prominently in the Wake.
As for the etymology of Lestrygonians, I learned that this race of gigantic cannibals is descended from a certain son of Poseidon named Laestrygon. A dubious online source called Grokipedia adds the following: “One proposed etymology derives the name from the Greek words laisêion (‘raw hide’ or ‘skin’) and trygaô (‘to gather’), translating to ‘raw-hide gatherers’ or ‘skin-reapers,’ possibly alluding to their savage nature.”
“Famished ghosts” (on p. 171 of my text) of course reminds me of the upcoming Hungry Ghost Festival (中元節), which will be celebrated in my part of the world on August 27 of the current Year of the Fire Horse.
Stephen Rea as Bloom:
Did the Marquis of Queensberry’s “somdomite” calling card inspire the “U.P.” incident with Denis Breen?
Joycean Playlist for Episode 8:
