Lesson 6: James Joyce – Ulysses, Episode 13: Nausicaa (1922)

Briefly summarise Joyce's Nausicaa episode from Ulysses.

• The episode takes place on Sandymount Strand in Dublin during the evening of 16 June 1904.

• The first half focuses on Gerty MacDowell, whose thoughts and appearance are presented through the style of romantic women's magazines and sentimental fiction.

• Gerty notices Leopold Bloom watching her and gradually poses for him.

• While fireworks explode in the background, Bloom masturbates.

• The narrative then shifts to Bloom's perspective, exposing the gap between romantic fantasy and everyday reality.

• The episode explores sexuality, gender expectations, perception, and the representation of consciousness.

What is the difference between diegesis and mimesis?

• Diegesis means telling: a narrator explains events to the reader.

• Mimesis means showing: events appear to unfold directly before us with minimal narrator intervention.

What is figural narration?

Narration that is constantly filtered through a character's consciousness while remaining in the third person.

What is internal focalisation?

Events are presented from within a character's perspective so that readers experience the world through that character's mind.

What is psychonarration?

The narrator directly tells readers what a character is thinking or feeling.

What is quoted monologue?

The direct presentation of a character's thoughts without narrator mediation.

also called :

• Interior monologue

• Free direct discourse

What are the main characteristics of quoted monologue?

• First person

• Present tense

• No narrator intervention

• No tags such as "he thought"

What is narrated monologue?

A character's thoughts presented through the narrator's discourse.

also called : Free indirect discourse.

Why is narrated monologue important for Joyce?

It allows narration to blend with character consciousness while remaining grammatically third person.

difference between Quoted and Narrated monologue

Technique	Tense	Person
Quoted monologue	Present	First person
Narrated monologue	Past	Third person

Why was Ulysses banned in the United States?

Because authorities considered parts of the novel obscene.

eg. Nausicaa because of the masturbation scene.

How is Gerty MacDowell initially presented?

As an idealised image of feminine beauty.

Why is Gerty's description partly ironic?

Her beauty is presented as being shaped by advertisements, beauty products, magazines, and social expectations.

What influence do women's magazines have on Gerty?

They shape her ideas about beauty, romance, and femininity.

Why is Gerty often associated with the Virgin Mary?

Both are linked to purity, idealised femininity, and the colour blue.

Why can Gerty be seen as a constructed fantasy?

Her identity is heavily shaped by romantic clichés and social ideals rather than reality.

Which narrative technique dominates the first half of Nausicaa?

Narrated monologue (free indirect discourse).

How does the Uncle Charles Principle operate in Nausicaa?

The narration adopts Gerty's own language and romantic style.

Why is the narrator described as almost invisible?

Most information reaches us through character consciousness rather than direct narration.

Which characters function as the main focalisers in Nausicaa?

Gerty MacDowell and Leopold Bloom.

How does Nausicaa explore the male gaze?

Gerty is frequently viewed and evaluated through Bloom's perspective, emphasising her appearance and physical attractiveness.

How is the fantasy-reality contrast revealed?

The idealised romantic image of Gerty collapses when Bloom later notices her limp.

Why is Nausicaa a highly modernist episode?

It focuses on consciousness, subjective perception, shifting perspectives, parody, and the instability of reality.

How does Nausicaa illustrate the modernist interest in consciousness?

The episode constantly moves between external reality and internal thought processes.

How does Joyce represent consciousness in the Nausicaa episode of Ulysses?

• Joyce uses modernist techniques such as focalisation, narrated monologue (free indirect discourse), quoted monologue, and figural narration to represent consciousness.

• Rather than presenting an objective reality, the episode filters events through the minds of Gerty MacDowell and Leopold Bloom.

• Joyce shows how perception is shaped by desires, cultural expectations, memories, and fantasies, making consciousness itself the central subject of the episode.