Sunday, June 19, 2005

James Joyce illustrated

I've put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that's the only way of insuring one's immortality.(Joyce cited in Richard Ellmann's James Joyce more probably about Finnegans Wake)

One of the artists I have met online at MLA calls himself Bobby. I'll leave him to link up to his other work. We worked together on some stuff about initiation levels and the four elements (from a book I read about Shakespeare's The Tempest) - but I never finished my part of it. Recently he started illustrating James Joyce's Ulysses. He works with both hands at times. He makes comic books. He'll introduce himself soon enough. I love this image for Section 9 - I printed it out and hung it on my wall.

If you don't know Ulysses, try the BBC's very short version.

Or, in slightly more depth:
9. SCYLLA & CHARYBDIS
In the office of the director of the National Library, Stephen, A.E., John Eglinton and Lyster the librarian discuss Shakespeare. The others mock Stephen for his youthful enthusiasm for complex theories of literary creation. [...] Thus Hamlet becomes a ghost-story: the ghost/father is Shakespeare, Hamlet is the product of his artistic soul, and the treacherous Gertrude is Ann Hathaway. Echoes with Stephen's own life here are apparent (he has been 'wounded' by his mother and presents himself as a tragic character without a father; Bloom too is invoked here — he has lost a son and is soon to be cuckolded by his wife), but his theory is presented to impress the Dublin litterati, it is wild, clever and interesting, but they aren't very impressed (when asked if he believes his own theory, Stephen replies that he doesn't). Mulligan appears and parodies Stephen's theory, and other Shakespearean 'theories' are discussed, including Oscar Wilde's.

For MLA members (you have to log in for the link to work), I got this from this post, where you will find more pictures from Bobby.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I, JOYCEAN ODYESSY!


w/ about a week to go until I read through to the final “yeses” of Ulysses, I feel as though I’ve hardly even begun, Even though I’ve read over 700 pages of it, and many of those over & over again, I hardly consider myself as having even an inkling of comprehension, yet at that, I would most certainly consider it my Favorite Book.

Tim Leary claimed Joyce’s Prose prepared him to enter Psychedelic Space.

I suggest maybe because it fuses the reader/explorer’s “mind” with the Charm of Bardic Incantation. (or some other BS like that!)

Joyce’s Style seems to have the quality of Teaching a Man to Fish, where as most others, even those of equal/greater “genius”, seem to just Give a Man a Fish.

Though much better for me to draw about, than anything else.

so maybe stay tuned!

Bobby Campbell

www.buddhafart.com
hardly anything, yet!

Bogus Magus said...

Hey Bobby - I hope you didn't mind me posting yer art. The whole blog can change... I have added your website to our list of Links - any change you want, just let me know (add it, take it away, label it different, etc)

Immersion in language - I loved that feeling when I read Ulysses. I learned to cruise, and let my eye and mind drift, not TRY so hard to understand everything...

Unknown said...

I very much appreciate your posting my art Bogus! and please feel free to do so as much you'd like in any capacity you'd like.

I make Freeware!

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