Monday, September 12, 2011

The eccentric character Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell appears in several of the episodes of Ulysses.

Bloom meets Mrs Breen on the street in the Lestrygonians episode and as they are engaged in conversation, Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell, happens by, which elicits this conversation:

"-- Mind! Let this man pass.

A bony form strode along the curbstone from the river staring with
a rapt gaze into the sunlight through a heavystringed glass. Tight as
a skullpiece a tiny hat gripped his head. From his arm a folded dustcoat,
a stick and an umbrella dangled to his stride.


-- Watch him, Mr Bloom said. He always walks outside the
lampposts. Watch!

-- Who is he if it's a fair question? Mrs Breen asked. Is he dotty?
-- His name is Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell, Mr Bloom said smiling. Watch!"

***

In the Scylla and Charybdis episode the Farrell's presence is observed:

"The constant readers' room. In the readers' book Cashel Boyle

O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell parafes his polysyllables."

***

In the Wandering Rocks episode Farrell appears: " Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell, murmuring, glassyeyed, strode past the Kildare street club." This is the club in which Mulligan and Haines are present in this episode.

Farrell is on the move in the following; he utters a Latin phrase the meaning of which is obscure.

"Almidano Artifoni walked past Holles street, past Sewell's yard. Behind him Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell, with stickumbrelladustcoat dangling, shunned the lamp before Mr Law Smith's house and, crossing, walked along Merrion square. Distantly behind him a blind stripling tapped his way by the wall of College park.

Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell walked as far as
Mr Lewis Werner's cheerful windows, then turned and strode back
along Merrion square, his stickumbrelladustcoat dangling.

At the corner of Wilde's house he halted, frowned at Elijah's name
announced on the Metropolitan hall, frowned at the distant
pleasance of duke's lawn. His eyeglass flashed frowning in the sun.
With ratsteeth bared he muttered:

-- COACTUS VOLUI.

He strode on for Clare street, grinding his fierce word.

As he strode past Mr Bloom's dental windows the sway of his
dustcoat brushed rudely from its angle a slender tapping cane and
swept onwards, having buffeted a thewless body. The blind
stripling turned his sickly face after the striding form.

-- God's curse on you, he said sourly, whoever you are! You're
blinder nor I am, you bitch's bastard!" (1)

According to R.J. Schork the Latin term, "Coactus Volui" means "Having been forced I was willing." Schork's source is the Justinian's Digest IV.2.21.5. It is unclear to me what Farrell believes he is forced to do.

Farrell's carelessness in brushing against the blind stripling elicits an angry response. See Bloom's conversation with the blind stripling discussed in my blog entry of July 27, 2011.

Farrell is found watching the cavalcade, but looking across the carriages at the Austro-Hungarian viceconsulate. "Striding past Finn's hotel Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell stared through a fierce eyeglass across the carriages at the head of Mr M. E. Solomons in the window of the Austro-Hungarian viceconsulate."

***

1- In the Sirens episode Miss Douce identifies the blind stripling as the hotel's piano tuner and after praising his ability as a tuner and pianist she says:

-- So sad to look at his face, miss Douce condoled.

God's curse on bitch's bastard.

***

The following is Bloom's interior monologue as he is preparing to leave the bar in the Ormond Hotel in the Sirens episode. This random thought of Farrell is included in a farrago of thoughts.

"The chords consented. Very sad thing. But had to be. Get out before
the end. Thanks, that was heavenly. Where's my hat. Pass by her.
Can leave that Freeman. Letter I have. Suppose she were the? No.
Walk, walk, walk. Like Cashel Boylo Connoro Coylo Tisdall Maurice
Tisntdall Farrell. Waaaaaaalk."

***

In the Circe episode much of the narrative is presented in phantasmagoric dream scenes. In one the dream scenes in which Bloom has been interacting with one of the whores, Zoe, Lipoti Virag, Bloom's grandfather, emerges with very peculiar attire that includes the monocle of Farrell:

"IN HIS LEFT EYE FLASHES THE MONOCLE OF CASHEL BOYLE O'CONNOR FITZMAURICE TISDALL FARRELL."

Virag introduces himself and then says, " Promiscuous nakedness is much in evidence hereabouts, eh?" Virag stays for awhile in the dream scene offering commentary much of which is an assessment of the physical attributes of the whores in the brothel.



1 Comments:

Blogger Tim Finnegan said...

haines and mulligan are at dame street dbc, not kildare club

1:02 AM  

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