Standing by the Door: The Early Work

Abstract

It is largely on faith that we regard Stephen Dedalus as an artist; in the Portrait we see only one poem, his villanelle, about which perhaps the best that can be said is that its lushness is not to everyone’s taste. In Ulysses we see even less; the closest he comes to publishing anything is his helping Mr Deasy get his letter about foot and mouth disease into the newspaper. We hear nothing about Stephen’s writing any short stories, much less a novel. At the same age, James Joyce was already working on his collection of stories, Dubliners, had published literary and aesthetic criticism in the Fortnightly Review and elsewhere, and had begun to write his autobiographical novel Stephen Hero.

That they may dream their dreamy dreams

I carry off their filthy streams

For I can do those things for them

Through which I lost my diadem,

Those things for which Grandmother Church

Left me severely in the lurch.

Thus I relieve their timid arses,

Perform my office of Katharsis.

‘The Holy Office’¹

[Dublin: at Sheehy’s, Belvedere Place]

Hanna Sheehy — O, there are sure to be great crowds.

Skeffington — In fact it’ll be, as our friend Jocax would say, the day of the rabblement.

Maggie Sheehy — (declaims) — Even now the rabblement may be standing by the door!

Epiphany #17²