Molly Bloom
Encyclopedia
Molly Bloom is a fictional character
in the novel Ulysses
by James Joyce
. The wife of main character Leopold Bloom
, she roughly corresponds to Penelope
in the Odyssey
. The major difference between Molly and Penelope is that while Penelope is eternally faithful, Molly is not, having an affair with Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan
after ten years of her celibacy within the marriage. Molly, whose given name is Marion, was born in Gibraltar
in 1870, the daughter of Major Tweedy, an Irish military, and Lunita Laredo, a Gibraltarian of Spanish Jewish descent. Molly and Leopold were married in 1888. She is the mother of Milly Bloom, who, at the age of 15, has left home to study photography. She is also the mother of Rudy Bloom, who died at the age of 11 days. In Dublin, Molly is an opera singer of some renown.
The final, unpunctuated chapter of Ulysses, often called "Molly Bloom's Soliloquy
", is a long stream of consciousness passage comprising her thoughts as she lies in bed next to Bloom.
; indeed, the day upon which the novel is set — June 16, 1904, now called Bloomsday
— is that of their first date. Some research also points to another possible model for Molly in Amalia Popper, one of Joyce's students to whom he taught English while living in Trieste. Amalia Popper was the daughter of a Jewish businessman named Leopoldo Popper, who had worked for a European freight forwarding company (Adolf Blum & Popper) founded in 1875 in its headquarters in Hamburg by Adolf Blum, after whom Leopold Bloom was named. Joyce wrote about his affair with Amalia Popper in the (now published) manuscript Giacomo Joyce
, whose images and themes he used in Ulysses
and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
.
Molly Bloom are a British underground rock band.
Kate Bush
's song The Sensual World
is based on Molly Bloom's Soliloquy
.
Molly Blooms is the name of an Irish pub in the Spanish town of La Linea, near that country's border with Gibraltar, and of a chain of pubs in southern Ontario
.
Molly is referenced in the song Rejoice
from Jefferson Airplane
's album After Bathing at Baxter's
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the novel Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
by James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
. The wife of main character Leopold Bloom
Leopold Bloom
Leopold Bloom is the fictional protagonist and hero of James Joyce's Ulysses. His peregrinations and encounters in Dublin on 16 June 1904 mirror, on a more mundane and intimate scale, those of Ulysses/Odysseus in The Odyssey....
, she roughly corresponds to Penelope
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
in the Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
. The major difference between Molly and Penelope is that while Penelope is eternally faithful, Molly is not, having an affair with Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan
Blazes Boylan
Hugh “Blazes” Boylan is a fictional character from James Joyce's novel Ulysses. He is the manager for Molly Bloom's upcoming concert in Belfast. Boylan is well known and well liked around town, but comes across as a rather sleazy individual, especially in regards to his attitudes toward women...
after ten years of her celibacy within the marriage. Molly, whose given name is Marion, was born in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in 1870, the daughter of Major Tweedy, an Irish military, and Lunita Laredo, a Gibraltarian of Spanish Jewish descent. Molly and Leopold were married in 1888. She is the mother of Milly Bloom, who, at the age of 15, has left home to study photography. She is also the mother of Rudy Bloom, who died at the age of 11 days. In Dublin, Molly is an opera singer of some renown.
The final, unpunctuated chapter of Ulysses, often called "Molly Bloom's Soliloquy
Molly Bloom's Soliloquy
Molly Bloom's soliloquy is presented in the eighteenth, and final, chapter of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. It is a compilation of the thoughts of Molly Bloom, the concert-singing wife of advertising agent Leopold Bloom, whose wanderings around Dublin are followed in much of the book...
", is a long stream of consciousness passage comprising her thoughts as she lies in bed next to Bloom.
Sources
Joyce modelled the character upon his wife Nora BarnacleNora Barnacle
Nora Barnacle was the lover, companion, inspiration, and eventual wife of author James Joyce.-Biography:Nora Barnacle was born in the town of Galway, Ireland, but the day of her birth is uncertain. Depending on the source, it varies between the 21st and the 24th of March 1884...
; indeed, the day upon which the novel is set — June 16, 1904, now called Bloomsday
Bloomsday
Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on 16 June in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904...
— is that of their first date. Some research also points to another possible model for Molly in Amalia Popper, one of Joyce's students to whom he taught English while living in Trieste. Amalia Popper was the daughter of a Jewish businessman named Leopoldo Popper, who had worked for a European freight forwarding company (Adolf Blum & Popper) founded in 1875 in its headquarters in Hamburg by Adolf Blum, after whom Leopold Bloom was named. Joyce wrote about his affair with Amalia Popper in the (now published) manuscript Giacomo Joyce
Giacomo Joyce
Giacomo Joyce is a posthumously-published work by Irish author James Joyce. It was published by Faber and Faber from sixteen handwritten pages by Joyce...
, whose images and themes he used in Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce, first serialised in the magazine The Egoist from 1914 to 1915, and published first in book format in 1916 by B. W. Huebsch, New York. The first English edition was published by the Egoist Press in February 1917...
.
Cultural references
The writer J.M. Coetzee's novel, Elizabeth Costello, portrays the fictional writer Costello as the author of a fictional novel, The House on Eccles Street, which is written from the fictional Molly Bloom's point of view.Molly Bloom are a British underground rock band.
Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
's song The Sensual World
The Sensual World
-Personnel:*Haydn Bendall: engineer*Andrew Boland: engineer*Stoyanka Boneva: vocals*Kate Bush: piano, keyboards, vocals, background vocals, producer*Paddy Bush: mandolin, background vocals, valiha, whip, tupan*Clare Connors: violin...
is based on Molly Bloom's Soliloquy
Molly Bloom's Soliloquy
Molly Bloom's soliloquy is presented in the eighteenth, and final, chapter of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. It is a compilation of the thoughts of Molly Bloom, the concert-singing wife of advertising agent Leopold Bloom, whose wanderings around Dublin are followed in much of the book...
.
Molly Blooms is the name of an Irish pub in the Spanish town of La Linea, near that country's border with Gibraltar, and of a chain of pubs in southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Molly is referenced in the song Rejoice
Rejoice
Rejoice may refer to:* Rejoice Broadcasting Network, a Christian radio network** Rejoice Radio, the program broadcast on the Rejoice Broadcasting Network* Rejoice , a disco album by The Emotions...
from Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
's album After Bathing at Baxter's
After Bathing at Baxter's
After Bathing at Baxter's was released in 1967 and is the third album by the San Francisco rock band Jefferson Airplane.Unlike Surrealistic Pillow, released earlier the same year, After Bathing at Baxter's is classified as psychedelic rock because it eschews the more commercial type pop songs, such...
.