A lecture in English.

The history of the ‘making of’ Ulysses is well-documented—not least by Frank Budgen and Michael Groden. The story that both men tell of Joyce’s process is one of constant additions, and few (if any) corrections—after all, ‘A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.’ Nonetheless, it comes as surprising to learn that Joyce’s biggest, single addition—and one that came quite late in the day—was the much-loved ‘Messianic Scene’ of ‘Circe,’ in which Bloom imagines himself crowned as the ‘emperor-president and king-chairman’ of the New Bloomusalem.

In this talk, Kiron Ward will discuss the genesis of the ‘Messianic Scene,’ and propose that we can approach it as one of Ulysses’ key ‘portals of discovery.’

About Kiron Ward

Kiron Ward hold a PhD from the University of Sussex. He has held jobs at the Universities of East Anglia, Sussex, Copenhagen, and Birmingham. His current major research focuses on the relationship between literature and totality, particularly as it pertains to questions of epistemic violence and injustice.

This research will be published in his forthcoming monograph, Encyclopaedism and Totality in Contemporary Fiction (Bloomsbury, 2023). He has co-edited a special issue of Textual Practice (2022, issue 2) which commemorates the centenary of the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses.

Venue

"Tove-rummet", the ground floor (the adult library)