EPISODE · Jun 2, 2026 · 1H 20M
2.36 analysing Cyclops 1
from North London Ulysses · host Russell Raphael
This is a really fun episode but with some very serious undertones, that as it progresses, spill into overtones. We meet the citizen, holed up in the pub, an Irish hero, waiting for what the sky would drop by way of drink. He does not wait in vain as punters queue up to buy him pints - 'wine of the country'. He holds court and spouts forth to his audience. He is assumed to be based on Michael Cusack, an Irish hero, then and to this day, and indeed he resembles him in certain characteristics, especially his pugnaciousness. But not entirely though, for his increasingly racist views, where to give benefit of the doubt, blame might need to be apportioned. Anyway, in walks Bloom...This time we'll look at the first third of an episode which gathers pace and an increasingly sinister aspect as it evolves.Penguin Classic: 376Gabler: 240Project Guttenberg: I was just passing the time of dayHere is a link to the Birth of St Patrick poem referenced.The Birth Of Saint Patrick by Samuel LoverThis podcast forms part of an educational reading group and is intended for criticism, discussion, and study. James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922) is in the public domain in the UK. This recording includes commentary, interpretation, and contextual explanation, and is not presented as a standalone audiobook. The readings in this podcast are provided for educational and discussion purposes. They are interwoven with commentary and analysis videos and are not intended to reproduce any specific commercial edition. The underlying text of Ulysses is in the public domain in the UK, and the reading here is part of a broader interpretive session. During sessions I refer to several editions of Ulysses for ease of navigation, including the Penguin Modern Classics edition or the Bodley Head 1993 'Gabler' edition or the Project Gutenberg e-book based on pre-1923 print editions. And may read from each and other editions. Page references are provided to help readers follow along in whichever edition they own. The reading itself is embedded within the broader commentary and discussion of the analysis podcasts and is not intended as a verbatim reproduction of any particular edition. This podcast contains or refers to commentary, analysis, and original discussion.© 2026 North London Ulysses and Russell Raphael. All rights reserved.
What this episode covers
This is a really fun episode but with some very serious undertones, that as it progresses, spill into overtones. We meet the citizen, holed up in the pub, an Irish hero, waiting for what the sky would drop by way of drink. He does not wait in vain as punters queue up to buy him pints - 'wine of the country'. He holds court and spouts forth to his audience. He is assumed to be based on Michael Cusack, an Irish hero, then and to this day, and indeed he resembles him in certain characteristics, especially his pugnaciousness. But not entirely though, for his increasingly racist views, where to give benefit of the doubt, blame might need to be apportioned. Anyway, in walks Bloom...This time we'll look at the first third of an episode which gathers pace and an increasingly sinister aspect as it evolves.Penguin Classic: 376Gabler: 240Project Guttenberg: I was just passing the time of dayHere is a link to the Birth of St Patrick poem referenced.The Birth Of Saint Patrick by Samuel LoverThis podcast forms part of an educational reading group and is intended for criticism, discussion, and study. James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922) is in the public domain in the UK. This recording includes commentary, interpretation, and contextual explanation, and is not presented as a standalone audiobook. The readings in this podcast are provided for educational and discussion purposes. They are interwoven with commentary and analysis videos and are not intended to reproduce any specific commercial edition. The underlying text of Ulysses is in the public domain in the UK, and the reading here is part of a broader interpretive session. During sessions I refer to several editions of Ulysses for ease of navigation, including the Penguin Modern Classics edition or the Bodley Head 1993 'Gabler' edition or the Project Gutenberg e-book based on pre-1923 print editions. And may read from each and other editions. Page references are provided to help readers follow along in whichever edition they own. The reading itself is embedded within the broader commentary and discussion of the analysis podcasts and is not intended as a verbatim reproduction of any particular edition. This podcast contains or refers to commentary, analysis, and original discussion.© 2026 North London Ulysses and Russell Raphael. All rights reserved.
NOW PLAYING
2.36 analysing Cyclops 1
No transcript for this episode yet