"That English Paper": Cannibals, Slaves, and Bits of Fun in Ulysses

Abstract

Abstract: The study of the "Circe" episode of Ulysses has been underserved with regard to one of its most significant sources, the sadomasochistic magazine Bits of Fun , which has never been fully examined. This source is followed more closely by Joyce in the novel's Bella/ Bello scene than has been realized, as well as in the "Ithaca" episode and Finnegans Wake . The exact issues that Joyce used have not yet been correctly identified, and the "Circe" notesheets have consequently been misdated. Joyce drew on Bits of Fun not only for his theme of forced feminization in this episode, but also for more extreme details of bondage and torture, including even cannibalism and slavery. Based on this source, the text of Joyce's early draft material in both his "Circe" notesheets and Ulysses notebooks should be emended in several places.