TSW and Molly Bloom

[Julian.West@mac.dartmouth.edu]

  Greetings from the cutting edge of Kate Bush scholarship!

   First off, a correction to yesterday's assertion that the best
place to look for the seedcake passage in _Ulysses_ was chapter
11, the Sirens.  I meant the other chapter in which Bloom is in a 
public eating-place: chapter 8, the Lestrygonians. 
To make up for this, I can now quote page numbers:
Vintage (Random House) ed.,  1961: p. 176
Penguin Modern Classics ed., 1984: p. 144

The passage which is of more direct relevance to _The_
Sensual_World_ is the final page-and-a-half or so of the book,
Vintage p. 782-3/Penguin p. 642-4.

These pages contain the lines:
"I gave him the bit of seedcake out of my mouth" (643 line 14)
     [Kate reverses this in TSW]
"flower of the mountain" ( 643 line 16, 644 line 2)
"big wheels" (643 line 31)
     [but I don't understand this reference in either context]
"sunsets" (643 line 39)

The physical setting of the episode is on a hill to the north
of Dublin, overlooking the sea, hence possibly
"where the water and the earth caress"[TSW line 10].

An edited version off the passage, beginning with the line 
"I'd love to have the whole place swimming in roses" (642 line 42)
 has been set to music (!) for soprano (!) solo and orchestra by 
Stephen Albert under the title of "Flower of the Mountain" (!).
I have located the piano reduction of  Albert's score, which
was published in 1986 by Schirmer. It is orchestrated for
2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn),
2 A clarinets, 2 F horns, 2 Bb trumpets, percussion, piano, harp
and strings. It runs about 16:00. It was first performed by Lucy
Shelton at the Y in NYC, 17 May 1986. I don't think it has been
recorded.

Now. Mystery lines.

"going deep south".  The NME(?) review someone posted this morning
gave this line as "going deep sex".  I think this is odd, and unlikely.
"deep south" and "deep six" are both expressions. "deep sex" sounds
a little direct for line two of a song !  Can we try to get an authoritative
reading on this one?

"he's up off his head".  Could this possibly be "Howth Head"? That is
the physical location of the episode in _Ulysses_, a headland north of
Dublin. (see eg 643 line 13)

"down on the peach".  Molly uses the word "peach" once, in the phrase
"soft like a peach" in reference to female sexual organs (Vintage
page 770).  Earlier in the day she has been presented with a gift
of peaches and pears. Can't find a reference to "down" on peaches.

"?Coralean? girl".  Could it possibly be "Coriolanus" or "Cordelia"?
Both are mentioned in _Ulysses_, but beyond that I have no suggestions.

"?o'er ernos? body"  ???

"The Sensual World" seems to be original to Kate. The word "sensual"
somewhat surprisingly does not occur in _Ulysses_, and so _a_fortiori_
neither does "sensual world". Does IED have any further reference to
Rupert Croft-Cooke's work _The_Sensual_World_? I can't find it in
the Dartmouth library either. I have written down a date of 1903--if that
is the date of the work, it is a natural for earning a reference in _Ulysses_
which is set in 1904. I rather think that is Croft-Cooke's birthdate though.


     Damn I want to hear this song now!

      Julian


PS   IED, I was just teasing about the "J.S.Mill" spelling business. 
     I just like to correct spelling errors, but I feel like I need an excuse
      or people jump on me for begin  pedantic.