We picked up on page 97 where four judges seem to be recounting and mapping HCE’s history. There is a list of towns in County Meath (Humfries Chase, Mullinahob, Peacockstown, Raystown, Horlockstown, Tankardstown, Cheeverstown, Loughlinstown, and Nutstown) as well as references to hunting and Christmas, which calls to mind the assassination of Thomas a Becket. This seems to suggest that HCE is the quarry. Joyce references “Fitz Urse’s basset beaters,” connecting the hunting imagery of a basset hound flushing game with Reginald FitzUrse, one of the knights sent to confront Thomas a Becket before his assassination. Joyce also refers to “pointing” and “bayers,” furthering the hunting scene. The towns in County Meath are traced in a “loup,” which calls to mind a fox, which is presumably the quarry/HCE.
Josh adds that he did some investigating into the root of "veneral," which we were thinking of in terms of both venerate and venereal; he found that it could also have roots in "venare," or "hunting," as well as "venus," connoting sexual gratification. Given what's going on with all the fox hunting business, veneral could have something to do with hunting, veneration, VD, venus, sex, pursuit, all the rest of it.
The idea of
a fox hunt is very British, and so this tradition is being turned against HCE.
He is made into folklore in this passage as an elusive fox. This idea is
furthered later on page 97 where Joyce writes, “Vainly violence, virulence and
vituperation sought wellnigh utterly to attax and abridge, to derail and
deponitfy, to enrate and inroad, to ongoad and unhume the great shipping mogul
and underlinen overlord.” The alliterative verse could be viewed as a nod to
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” which also features a hunting scene. It was
also observed at the meeting that Sir Gawain was given a garter and founded the
order of the Knights of the Garter, thus making him an “underlinen overlord.”
The
alliterative verse closes the paragraph and alludes to undoing logic and
beheading, which fits with HCE as a fox being ripped apart by the hunting dogs.
It is also
worth noting a reference earlier on the page to four chambers of a cow’s
stomach: rumer, reticule, onasum and abomasum, which can be taken to stand for
rumor, ridicule, onanism, and abomination, all references to HCE’s crime.
The
following paragraph brings a misspelling: “hesitency” for “hesitancy,” which is
a reference to HCE as well as to the forged letters intended to implicate
Parnell. Followed by “tatterytail,” it would appear that a tattletale/informant
is leading the chase of HCE, with a reference to Humpty Dumpty
(“humponadimply”) pointing to HCE.
At this
point, the hunting metaphor ends and Scotland Yard takes over with detective
work. Joyce writes that, “He had lain violent hands on himself…lain down, all
in, fagged out, with equally melancholy death,” alluding to masturbation or
suicide, or perhaps autoerotic asphyxiation. A nod to Oscar Wilde (“wildewide
was quiet”) recalls HCE’s scandal, and the fox is now either shot or HCE has
been indicted as Joyce writes, “Big when the bang…a report: silence,” with
report either referring to a report from the detectives or the report of a
hunting rifle.
HCE flees
again with Shem and Shaun either aiding him or somehow in pursuit. “This
country of exile, sloughed off, sidleshomed …” leading us to believe that HCE
has shaken off his ties to Ireland and returned home to Sidlesham. However, it
soon becomes apparent that HCE is hiding in an Asian country with Muslim
influences, where he both pays and irritates the belly dancers.
Meanwhile,
“wires hummed,” giving the impression that HCE’s whereabouts are known, probably
to Scotland Yard. There are more Wilde references as well as discussion of
forms of communication: “Chirpings crossed. An infamous private ailment… Jams
jarred…Mush spread” alludes to the various methods of communication used to
exchange information about a scandal and is a reminder of ALP’s earlier letter
as a means of communication. Names are being exchanged in pubs and throughout
Dublin, likely leading authorities to HCE or spreading rumors as to his
whereabouts.
