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Leopoldo Barge Álvarez

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Irony in James Joyce
by Leopoldo Barge Álvarez   
Rated "G" by the Author.
     
Last edited: Monday, June 15, 2026
Posted: Saturday, December 28, 2019

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Humour in Ulysses.

 Irony in James Joyce

 

 

            James Joyce was being interviewed by a Literary critic that had asked him if he had used a secret irony in some passages of the Ulysses.

            -Well, you are interviewing me and you are a Literary critic. It will be interesting for you to know the Ulysses is written with irony, and irony only, from the start to the end, and the true sense of irony sometimes reach a very few people, but it is not secret, no way- responded Joyce to the question.

            It is worldwide admitted that it is not easy to catch up all the ironical meanings, above all coming from Stephen Dedalus, for he’s very cultured, difficult to understand and to follow the meaning of his words, that seems to be floating for other people he is thinking about.

            James Joyce's irony opens others eyes and catches you up in a fabulous spell, that most times, no doubt, makes you smile. When the irony is clearly more a joke than mere irony, make readers laugh, of course faith to the perennial philosophy that gives the gift of sympathy to sages.

            To read the Ulysses was a great pleasure and for me it is not a surprise James Joyce’s work is considered the masterpiece of XX Century novel. Many of you will know the action takes place in Dublin during a day of June 1904. Amongst the ones who have read it some will remember these three anecdotes in the book:

            Two drunkards Leopold Bloom knew went to the cemetery to see how it was in their mood. As they walked along passing by the tombs one of them told another: I think O’Leary’s tomb is one of these, at least is not far from this site. It must be this one. The other drunkard, seeing the Jesus Christ’s statue erected at the head of the tomb, said: Well, they don’t look much alike, whoever did it did it.

            Another one Leopold Bloom knew too, called Brian O’Neill, received a letter from someone he didn’t know addressed to H. E. Brian O’Neill and got stupified. He thought it was insulting and it deserved at least a trial and a fine. He told his wife. They decided to go to the Courts to make a complaint and they went. In the Courts there were several Courts clerks with Mister O’Neill and his wife. The clerks could not understand. Do you know the meaning of the initials?, asked the clerk responsible. Well, yes, I do, responded Mister O’Neill. His Excellence, said he after snorting. And what's the problem?, asked the clerk responsible again. What do you mind, after all?, he wanted to know. It is, it is, it is a joke of bad taste!, sentenced Mister O’Neill. What's does it matter to you?, asked at once a second clerk. If I were you I would forget about it!, exclaimed the second clerk again and all the clerks laughed openly in contagion.

Leopold Bloom dreams of big homages in his honour, so much everybody is acclaiming him as the king: Long Live King Leopoldo! Live Leopoldo I! He doesn’t know how it happened, but he finds himself in a datings house with several witches. They are accusing him of sodomy and of masochism. Coming to reality, he knows, he is an advertising agent that must be paying a visit to his clients to do his job and get paid for ads..

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