OLLSCOIL NA hÉIREANN, GAILLIMH
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY
AUTUMN EXAMINATIONS, 2008/2009
THIRD & FOURTH ARTS EXAMINATION
EN388 Studies in Modern Irish Literature
Professor A. Minnis
Professor H. McDermott
Dr. R. O’Dwyer
Dr. P. Lonergan
TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS
ANSWER TWO QUESTIONS: ONE FROM EACH SECTION
PLEASE USE A SEPARATE ANSWER BOOK FOR EACH SECTION
SECTION A: JOYCE
1. “Ulysses is a vast symbolic project, whose logic is metaphorical and allusive, rather
than narrative.” Write an essay on Ulysses, taking this view as your starting point.
2. “It's no use… Force, hatred, history, all that”, said Leopold Bloom. Consider Joyce's
representation of Irish history in Ulysses, referring also to his essay “Ireland, Island of
Saints and Scholars”.
3. “The reader of Ulysses should not insist on parallels, Homeric or other, with too much
vehemence.” Do you agree? Develop your argument with illustrations from the text.
4. Choose one episode from Ulysses, and consider how Joyce employs stylistic
experimentation in the service of his narrative.
5. “In the course of Ulysses, does Stephen learn from Bloom, or Bloom from Stephen?”
Discuss this question, with relevant reference to the text.
Contd./…
