Date of Award
2022
Degree Type
UG Dissertation (Restricted)
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Wing Chun Julia Chan
Abstract
For many readers of Ulysses, Joyce’s attitude towards nationalism to this day still remains competed, ambiguous and intricate. His view on nationalism is chiefly analysed through thoughts and experience of Stephen as an extension of himself and Bloom, but seldom on the adulterous, intricate relationship between Bloom and Molly. Challenging the orthodoxy that perceives Molly’s adultery as chiefly serving to discuss female sexuality and marriage dissatisfactions, this essay argues that by the parallels drawn between sexual purity and cultural purity, Joyce’s attitude towards Irish nationalism can be clarified through the lens of his view on sexuality and marital relationships. Joyce repudiates the Church's morality of marital conventions and sexual purity and promotes a rational conception of sexual relationships. Likewise, there was always another culture and race in colonial Ireland. The way Leopold and Molly Bloom deal with the respective infidelity of their spouses forms Joyce’s political critique of nationalism.
Language
English
Copyright
The copyright of this dissertation is owned by its author. Any reproduction, adaptation, distribution or dissemination of this thesis without express authorization is strictly prohibited.
Recommended Citation
Chu, T. Y. A. (2022). From outrage to outrage: matrimony and Irish nationalism in James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922) (UG dissertation, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from http://commons.ln.edu.hk/eng_fyp/89