Cast 96. Page 629, line 972.
I suppose the people gave him that nickname going about with his tube from one woman to another I couldnt even change my new white shoes all ruined with the saltwater and the hat I had with that feather all blowy and tossed on me how annoying and provoking because the smell of the sea excited me of course the sardines and the bream in Catalan bay round the back of the rock they were fine all silver in the fishermens baskets old Luigi near a hundred they said came from Genoa
Episode 18. The final episode. Molly’s thoughts in bed, the interior monologue of Bloom’s wife. A vast unbroken flow of words without periods or commas, composed of eight sentences; this passage belongs to the sixth of them.
Molly suggests that “Paul de Kock” might be a nickname. Charles-Paul de Kock （1793 – 1871）was a French writer whose novels depicting life in Paris enjoyed enormous popularity throughout 19th-century Europe. He was so widely read in England that it was even said that “the best-known French author in England is Paul de Kock.”
Paul de Kock, portrait pour Le Drôlatique, n°20 du 24 août 1867. Lithographie de Charles Pipard. Musée Carnavalet
File:Le Drolatique N20 Paul de Kock.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Molly, earlier in Episode 4 (the morning scene), asks Bloom to bring her another book by Paul de Kock.
—Did you finish it? he asked.
—Yes, she said. There’s nothing smutty in it. Is she in love with the first fellow all the time?
—Never read it. Do you want another?
—Yes. Get another of Paul de Kock’s. Nice name he has.
（U53.358）
“Kock” sounds like “cock”. That is why Molly assumes that a writer of popular fiction like Paul de Kock must be using a pseudonym. I had thought so as well. However, according to his biography, his father also bore the name de Kock, so it is in fact his real name.
After that, Molly suddenly drifts into memories of her birthplace, Gibraltar.
Catalan Bay is a bay on the eastern side of Gibraltar. In the middle of the peninsula stands the large rock formation known as Rock of Gibraltar. The town lies on the western side, while the eastern side drops off in steep cliffs. Thus “round the back of the rock” means that Catalan Bay lies on the far side, out of view from the town.
The name “Catalan Bay” derives from Catalan soldiers who supported the British and Dutch forces when they captured Gibraltar during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1704 and later settled there.
In addition, from the 17th to the 18th century, fishermen from Genoa migrated to this bay and made their living by fishing. This is the background to the mention of old Luigi, said to be from Genoa and nearly a hundred years old.
"Catalan Bay" by VisitGibraltar.gi is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
For the method used in this blog, ☞ click Here .
No comments:
Post a Comment