Ulysses (1922)

[Benny B]

And would he really be that worried about being caught just having a piss on the beach?

 

[version]

In long lassoes from the Cock lake the water flowed full,

'Lake', 'water' and 'flow' seem better suited to pissing than wanking. He keeps mentioning the colour green too. There's also the mentions of death and 'urinous offal'.

I think he's pissing into the tide.

 

[Benny B]

Nah, there's too much eroticism in the chapter as a whole for it to climax with just a simple piss

 

[linebaugh]

the whole chapter is about water and the Aristotelian liquid substrate of all things though so its not unlikely it would corrupt his thoughts on jizzing

 

[Benny B]

Just before that he writes a poem and thinks "Touch me. Soft eyes. Soft soft soft hand...touch me touch me" etc

 

[version]

Maybe it's both. He's taking a piss after knocking one out.

 

[linebaugh]

In long lassoes from the Cock lake the water flowed full,

'Lake', 'water' and 'flow' seem better suited to pissing than wanking. He keeps mentioning the colour green too. There's also the mentions of death and 'urinous offal'.

I think he's pissing into the tide.

reading the phrase 'cock lake' and going 'See! it says lake!'

 

[linebaugh]

Maybe it's both. He's taking a piss after knocking one out.

stephen the piss and bloom the jizz

 

[Benny B]

Thinking it's just a piss is so basic a take imo. In the notes at the back of my copy it only mentions he has a piss and I was like what?! There's far more to it than that!

 

[Benny B]

Given all that we know about Joyce and it's just a piss? Nah

 

[version]

Given all that we know about Joyce and it's just a piss? Nah

He has Bloom taking a dump in a later episode.

 

[version]

Thinking it's just a piss is so basic a take imo. In the notes at the back of my copy it only mentions he has a piss and I was like what?! There's far more to it than that!

The book's full of waste. People pissing, shitting, farting, picking their nose. It's not all about sex. I don't think Joyce privileged wanking over any other bodily function. That's part of what's so groundbreaking about the book. He shows all these mundane material functions of the body and puts them on the same plane as everything else.

 

[Benny B]

Given the title and theme of the episode, I wouldn't be surprised to learn it's written somewhat ambiguously so that it can change throughout a reading / readings.

I dunno, I think it has to be either one or the other, and there are plenty of clues even if it's not explicitly clear.

 

[Benny B]

Just before that he writes a poem and thinks "Touch me. Soft eyes. Soft soft soft hand...touch me touch me" etc

He's all worked up before he does it that much is clear

 

[Benny B]

Then straight afterwards he thinks of death, a quiver of minnows eating the dead man's knob through his trousers. Another clue I reckon

 

[version]

Stephen's all mind. I don't know that him thinking of sex necessarily translates into anything physical. Maybe Joyce is commenting on that by having him thinking about sex (life) whilst pissing (death). A parody of ejaculation. The mind disconnected from the body.

 

[Benny B]

In long lassoes from the Cock lake the water flowed full,

'

He's 'throwing ropes'

I mean,come on, could it be any more obvious?

 

[version]

He's 'throwing ropes'

I mean,come on, could it be any more obvious?

I thought that, but I think it's a relatively new euphemism.

 

[linebaugh]

it does look like ropes though. not impossible joyce noticed the same

 

[Benny B]

He uses the word 'spent' too