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GLicata 5 A - Modernist Fiction: V. Woolf and J. Joyce (redraft analysis of Penelope's monologue)
by GLicata - (2013-03-07)
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The last part of Ulysses consists of Molly’s interior monologue. The conjunction “what” at the beginning of the extract makes the reader understand the phrase is an exclamation, and it is unusual to put a conjunction at the start. From the word "what" begins a sequence of thoughts, which start when Molly wakes up.

The use of monologue allowed J. Joyce to express her deepest thoughts and at the same time the most trivial ones (alarmclock, pignails, cockshout…), indeed he focused his attention on the way of human beings are really in their daily experiences. So he could deepen his anthropological research, because at the end of 19th century writers took an interest for human beings’ nature .

At first reading the reader notes the absence of punctuation which makes the text as a sequence of phrases which do not seem to be connected one to each other [at least, according to the reader]. Indeed, Molly’s association cannot be clear for the reader and the flow of consciousness depends on her personal experience and only Molly could know because of such associations (maybe neither her, indeed they make part of her deep part of mind). So the reader understand J. Joyce’s capacity and ability  of acting the part of every character and in addition how he used literature to know human beings’ nature.

The narrator is totally eclipsed, indeed the text is written in Ist person. The protagonist’s thoughts go continuously from present  to past, and again to present. The return to past is underlined by the use of exclamation “Oh” or the repetition of some words.

There is not a plot but the reader can note the leit motiv of flowers which returns more times in Molly’s monologue. In addition, Leopold compares her to a "Flower of the mountain". As a consequence the reader think flowers have an important role in Molly's life and the thesis is argumented also because Molly’s interest and knowledge about flower is really clear (rosegardens and the jessamine and geraniums and cactuses). The mentioned flowers keep to reader’s mind their perfume and to his/her experience, so J. Joyce appeals to senses and he can create the atmosphere of Gibraltar.

All the narrative techniques make the reader live Molly’s emotions and feelings, in particular the absence of the narrator creates a direct relation between Molly’s consciousness and her deepest inner part.

J. Joyce’s techniques could be compared to post-impressionist ones, indeed both the writer and the post-impressionist artists wanted to represent subjects in their quotidian life. For example Degas tried to represent occasional scenes, where subjects were in their routine and trivial gestures.

At the end of 19th century some intellectuals could represent reality “as it is”. (The Common Reader, V. Woolf).