On the whole though favouring preferably light opera of the Don Giovanni
32nd cast. page 540, line 1753.
On the whole though favouring preferably light opera of the Don Giovanni description and Martha, a gem in its line, he had a penchant, though with only a surface knowledge, for the severe classical school such as Mendelssohn.
Episode 16. Midnight. In the cabman’s
shelter Mr. Bloom is telling Stephen about his taste in music.
The style of this episode is one of
trivialities expressed in difficult phrases, of foreign words, and of clichéd
idioms and proverbs.
Here, too, idioms such as "on the whole" and "a gem in its line" are used unnaturally. ”Penchant” is a pretentious French word. “Favouring preferably” is synonymous. The repeated use of "though" makes for bad writing.
The content is also uncomfortable. Don
Giovanni is not an opera in the same line as Martha, nor is it a
light opera. Nor is Mendelssohn a severe classicist.
Is this what Mr. Bloom thinks, or is his
dialogue distorted by an ignorant narrator?
Don Giovanni is a well-known opera by Mozart. Mr. Bloom's wife, Molly, is to sing one of the songs on a concert tour organized by her lover, Blazes Boylan.
Martha is an opera by the German composer
Friedrich von Flotow, as I mentioned in my 18th blog entry. This afternoon at
the Ormond Hotel, Stephen's father Simon sang one of the songs.
Mr Bloom has a secret correspondence with a
woman he has never met under a false name. Her name is Martha.
Don Giovanni and Martha are linked by the theme of adultery.
Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847) was of Jewish descent, as was Mr. Bloom.
