I am thinking about writing about Joyce's deconstruction of nationalism as shown in the cyclops chapter. However, I think that there is ample evidence of this theme and many different techniques he employes to show it and so I am wondering if I will really be able to stop myself from bringing in fundamental things behind nationalism such as religion, which is so closely tied to Irish identity, the role of child birth and physicality in love. I am afraid that if I begin to talk about these things that this paper will get bigger than me.
I was thinking that I can tie these other things into this reading of the book, but I am wondering if it would be more worthwhile to focus on one of them, such as physicality and then use nationalism to support how that is shown. As of right now, my intention is to use the ideas, political, national, religious, that are brought up either as directly reflected upon by Stephen, or as shown as a negative image by the use of Bloom's character. What do you think?
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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Nationalism is a huge theme in the book, represented in numerous ways, most significantly in the inflated language you discuss in one of your earlier posts. The Cyclops character is an example of blind, jingoistic, anti-semitic nationalism as are the literary pretensions of A.E. or the inflated Celtic discourse in Cyclops. Physicality and nationalism is an interesting approach - even this could get big, but it may work. The Catholic approach to the body as shown by Gertie's attitudes (see my comment below) and Molly's abandoned physicality: certainly two sides of Catholicism and physicality. Catholicism and nationalism are separate, but linked. You could really look at a specific question, like: what constitutes an Irish person. Different definitions are offered in the book - ethnicity, place of birth, a certain self-defeating attitude... Find an angle, but - avoid a general take on nationalism, a book-length topic. Very good blog.
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