Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G.

Eng 131 British English Literature

Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
Mass Media and Paralysis: Ulysses (Aeolus) Critique on Mass Media as a Paralyzed Social
Entity

THE WRITERS PREROGATIVE

There are two kinds of writers: those who pursue a purely artistic vocation and those who focus

their powers on being straightforward and objective; the creative writer and the journalist. The

latter, often accused by the former to lack any imagination whatsoever while the former laughed

at by the latter to lack any job security. Jokes aside, journalism and creative writing are two

opposite extremes of one continuum, and a writer has no choice but to lean towards just one

inevitably, unless that writer is Ernest Hemingway. One way or another, this is the case for the

author whose work will be analyzed in this essay.

JAMES JOYCES ULYSSES

James Joyces Ulysses, specifically Aeolus is rich in critiques on mass media, particularly

of print media (i.e. newspapers, magazines, etc.), in terms of how it paralyzes the masses and

how it is a paralyzed entity itself. These criticisms may have stemmed from a prejudice towards

journalism or from finding legitimate fault in how this medium works.

JOYCE AND JOURNALISM

Earlier, it was said that these critiques might have stemmed from prejudice, and this is

because of Joyce. Joyce was relieved to have escaped a career as a journalist. He constantly

pitted the artist against the journalist, and, being the artist, he found the former superior in

accuracy, imagination, and use of language. However, Joyce also had a sufficient, objective

reason for his critique: if Dublin was (as Joyce claimed) the centre of paralysis, then one of

the causes of that blockage was a self-deceiving oratory and a hopeless provincial journalism

(Joyce 991), and Aeolus is a report from the dead centre of that dead centre. The self-

deceiving oratory part will not be touched upon in this essay.

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
AEOLUS

Aeolus, the seventh chapter of Ulysses, was set in the newspaper offices of the Freemans

Journal and the Evening Telegraph, where Stephen Daedalus and Leopold Bloom, key

characters of Ulysses, first crossed paths. The chapter reports the workings of the newspaper

industry, Blooms hopeless efforts to endorse his advertisement with the innuendo of Home

Rule, and Stephens poetry, which underwent an elaborate poetic process, later ridiculed by

Professor MacHugh. In this chapter, the newspaper editor of Evening Telegraph and the

contributors went out for drinks and discussed the glory days and the best people of their

profession. This set up the territory of Joyces critique.

STRUCTURE: HEADLINES

The structure of Aeolus was also an ingenious device to criticize an aspect of print media

where each section has its own parodic headline in the newspaper mode. (Joyce 991) It should

also be taken into consideration that headlines in the newspaper are seldom written by the

author of the underlying paragraph, and can sometimes actually distort the material,(Joyce 992)

as it deliberately is in this chapter.

At first, the titles are factual and restrained, set over reasonably sustained paragraphs

(Joyce 991) Some of these instances include the first headline up to We See the Canvasser at

Work. Included in these headlines is William Brayden, Esquire of Oaklands, Sandymount, which

reports the entrance of William Brayden, the editor of the Freemans Journal, a stately,

respectable man, whom Murray and Bloom mumbled about and whom Murray likened to Our

Savior (Jesus Christ). Another is the section How A Great Daily Organ is Turned Out, which

reports the contents of the newspaper, the organ. All these instances illustrate how appropriate

the headings are to the content.

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
HOUSE OF KEY(E)S

By The House of Key(e)s, the headlines start to become vague and barely connected to

the content they are heading; they grow progressively more offhand and slangy, in the popular

modern fashion. (Joyce 991) Going back to House of Key(e)s, it is vague whether it is a true

headline, the print of Blooms advertisement, or both. The following are three examples of

different versions of Ulysses, showing the page where the section is:

Version: 1961, Random House

Publisher, The Modern Library

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)

Version: n.d., Planet

PDF, digital copy

Version: unknown date,

unknown publisher,
Class copy*

From the different versions, it is noticeable that The House of Key(e)s typeface is not

different from the other headlines. This confusion might be deliberate to question the purpose of

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
a headline, whether it is a necessity, or even going as far as making a blatant criticism that a

headlines sole purpose is to confuse, although a perusal of Joyces manuscripts is necessary to

either confirm or invalidate this.

THE OMNIPRESENT ENGLISH MONARCH

The first headline The Heart of the Hibernian Metropolis, which sufficiently describes

the gist of the section, where Nelsons pillar, the heart of the metropolis, is surrounded by tram

cars going to different parts of the Irish Isles, enforcing how central the pillar is. It is also

important to note that Nelsons Pillar is a replica of the statue in Trafalgar Square, London. In

The Wearer of the Crown, the second headline, the paragraph that follows describes the presence

of His Majestys (pertaining to the English monarch) mailcars in Ireland. Although the mailcar

only had the royal initials E.R. and is in itself only a mailcar, this triviality implies the

omnipresence of the sense of being a colony of the Irish to the Britons.

Even the construction and the style of the headlines following the first (William Brayden,

Esquire, of Oaklands, Sandymount; The Crozier and the Pen; How A Great Daily Organ is

Turned Out) give off the elegance and regality the English language has and is appropriate to the

content, if it may be called so. Compared to the latter headlines of the chapter, which, as said

earlier, become more slangy and geared towards sensationalism, as might be seen more often in

Irish tabloids (or maybe even in the formal newspapers). A concrete example of this contrast is

the comparison of the headlines At the Heart of the Hibernian Metropolis and Hello There,

Central! Both refer to the place where Nelsons pillar and the branching tramcar tracks are, but

there is a stark difference on the way the headlines were written. The former sounds more formal

and would be preferred by respectable men such as the clergy and the Irish government puppets

of the English monarchy. The latter would probably sell more to the masses, in a newspapers

context, because it sounds more fun. It is also important to note that the figures in Hello There,

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
Central! are Irish newspapermen who have confused sentiments towards their English

colonizers. Maybe the sensationalized headline for this section is a reflection of rebellion and

separates them from puppet clergymen and government officials, even if it can be assumed that

they are equals in terms of their knowledge and social consciousness. However, this insists on

the inferiority complex of the Irish to their English colonizers and further implies the paralysis of

Ireland.

KNOWING A LOT IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD:

MAKING REFERENCES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS

Another manifestation of the inferiority complex of the Irish to the Britons is how the

group of Irish newspapermen express themselves, especially Stephen. Before delving deeper into

Stephen, a notable quote from another person in the pack is Lay on, Macduff! said by Mr.

OMadden Burke. This piece of dialogue is not conjured by Mr. Burke himself, but is from

William Shakespeares Macbeth, Act V Scene viii. These little fragments of quotations to

English writers (William Shakespeare being the most English of them all, so to speak) reflect a

nervous provincialism and pedantry practiced by a repressed people [the Irish] who fear that

they may be second-rate.(Joyce 998) Stephen is also affected by the same virus, as seen in the

chapters Telemachus and Proteus. One quote from Telemachus is Do I contradict myself?

(Joyce 19) from Walt Whitmans Song of Myself. From Proteus, Stephen also quotes very like

a whale which actually refers to a cloud in Shakespeares Hamlet (Joyce 961) and seachange

from full fathom five, this time from The Tempest. At least, his quotations generally occur in

interior monologues, but these secretive references may reflect Stephens denial of the truth that

he is part of a colonized people, which increases the difficulty of confronting his countless

issues, including his search for a legitimate father figure and motherland (Ireland? England?

Rome?).

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

However, Stephen is not only influenced by English writers but also by a myriad of

others, particularly from Italy/Greece. Italy and Greece are put together because of Italy (Roman

Empire) was the one who revived Greek literature, philosophy, and the sciences during the

Renaissance, and claimed these as their own.

After Professor MacHugh criticized Stephens poem, Stephen tried to evaluate and revise

his poem in Rhymes and Reasons through his Italian idol, Dante Alighieri. Dantes Inferno

became his model for beauty in terms of rhymes, and he compares the rhymes in Inferno to the

rhymes of his own poem.

In The Grandeur That Was Rome, Myles Crawford, the editor, had a speech about the

Romans adapting both Jewish religion and Greek knowledge and claiming it as their own.

Crawford also said, It is meet to be here. Let us construct a watercloset. (Joyce 167) Joyce

meant, through Crawford, to accuse the English of falsely claiming Irish literature as their own,

while they themselves have contributed nothing more useful to humanity than the watercloset,

and the Romans were earlier imperialists famous for doing the same. (Joyce 995) Even so, the

Irish Isles remain a colony of the English, and possibly even of Rome because of their vast

influence to knowledge and learning through the Renaissance and their hold of the Catholic

Church on Irish society, particularly of mass media in this chapter.

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

The Crozier and the Pen and Noted Churchman an Occasional Contributor report the

presence of clergymen in the newspapers on how powerful they are to be able to tell off the

editors on the content of their paper, to filter the material that would reach the masses, and write

articles themselves. This filter and censorship also contributes to the paralysis of mass media.

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
In The Crozier and the Pen, His grace phoned down twice this morning, Red Murray

said gravely, implies that there might have been something in the paper that offended the

Church. His grace refers to someone from the Church, while a crozier refers to an

ornamental staff of office carried by high-ranking members of Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, etc.

Church. Combining these two hints, Murray said an important person from the Church called the

newspaper office to tell off the editor, exercising his high, religious power even on the pen. Even

the stately William Brayden is no match for the Catholic Church.

The Noted Churchman an Occasional Contributor section is self-explanatory, where the

newspaper foreman was looking for the archbishops letter to be repeated in the Telegraph, and

is referred to the dayfather named Monks, maybe another play of words, emphasizing how

monks contribute to the paper.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE GLORY DAYS SYNDROME

The section called The Great Gallaher, where Myles Crawford, the editor, and the rest of

the newspaper group including Stephen, told them about Ignatius Gallaher, who made the

smartest piece of journalism ever known, (Joyce 172) about the Invincibles who assassinated

Chief Secretary Burke and Undersecretary Cavendish in Phoenix Park, May 1882. Much of

the chapter criticizes the revivalist notion that all great deeds were done in the past. To Joyce,

this idealization of the past was a thin cover-up to the mediocrity of the present [state of

journalism]. (Joyce 996)

BRAIN DRAIN

In the section following The Great Gallaher, Clever, Very, tackles another reason why

the Irish media was experiencing stagnation. This heading being a pure mimicry of the first line

of the section, Clever, Lenehan said. Very, shows the lack of creativity on the part of the

headline maker, whoever he/she is. In this section, the newspaper group reminisced again and

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
praised the works of past newspapermen of their time, this time in advertising. Also giving off a

feel of glorification of the past, the editor talked about The Old Woman of Princes street

advertisement, in which one of the conceivers Paddy Hooper who went from working for Tay

Pay (T.P. OConnor) of The Star to Blumenfeld, the editor of the Daily Mail and the Daily

Express, papers in London. These references indicate the provincial journalists dream of

making a success in London. (Joyce 996) Joyce mocks the idea that an English career is the be-

all and end-all of an Irish journalist. To them, this glorification of the past made up for the poor

quality of the news they were producing.

GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS

The approval of Professor MacHugh, Lenehan, and Mr. OMadden Burke, all media men

working in the press, may be reflective of how they make the achievement of the past their own

without doing anything to contribute themselves. The lack of motivation on their part makes the

stories of Gallaher and Hooper just feel-good anecdotes, and the following chapters may not go

back to these media figures to show how they went about their profession, whether they went

ahead to be the new Gallahers or Hoopers of their time or not. Relating this to a modern

example, this glorification is much like how the current students of an educational institution

boast of their alumni and make their achievements their own. There is an uncertainty of whether

these students would follow the steps of their alumni or these achievements may just be fuel to

their pride rather than the quality of their work in the future. This glorification is good excuse for

their indolence, giving way to mediocrity, and thus paralysis. Instead of sincere media, the

journalists profession has become a victim to the rat race and to personal interests, the goal

being getting the best story or advertisement to move up the ranks and work for the best papers

that pay the most.

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
THE BEST CRITICAL ESSAY YOUVE EVER READ

Aeolus does have a lot to say about Irelands mass media and the workings of the

newspaper industry. The faults and reasons of the paralysis of media presented by Joyce are

rational enough to not generalize that his prejudice is just pure disgust of the lack of imagination

of the profession. The reasons of the paralysis of mass media include but are not limited to the

Churchs influence, the Glory-Days Syndrome, or the glorification of the past that gives way

for indolence, and the constant feeling of repression and inferiority of the Irish people to their

British colonizers.

More importantly, Joyce masterfully presented these faults through his fiction in just one

chapter! The headlines, the literary device focused on in this paper, can be separated from the

text as a critique of the sensationalist goal of the Irish newspaper industry. The misleading

headlines of Aeolus, such as the headline of this section, misinform and deceive the reader by

offering to them a careless, inaccurate gist of the content, which might not be the main issue of

the news. Worse, readers might just read the headlines and the headlines only, which would

propagate more misinformation, and the masses themselves would be as paralyzed as their

newspapers. The power of media is too much of a responsibility to be in the hands of careless

harbingers, and Joyce, among other socially conscious Irishmen, knew this.

(Word Count: 2566 words)

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Amper, Gabrielle Yvonne G. Eng 131 British English Literature
Text: James Joyces Ulysses (Aeolus)
Bibliography

Joyce, James. "Aeolus." Ulysses. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 147-89. Print.

Note to Ma'am Atienza: I cannot find the version you gave us for class in the internet or
anywhere and I meant to ask for the publication details but did not because I constantly
forgot that I had to. Thus, the publication details and the year the version was published is
not included in this citation.

Joyce, James. Aeolus. Ulysses. The Modern Library: New York. 1961. 120-121. Print.

Joyce, James. Aeolus. Ulysses. Planet PDF. N.d. PDF File.

Joyce, James. Notes on Aeolus. Ulysses. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 990-1000. Print.

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