Confession, Trauma and the Search for Truth: Bloom's Trials in Ulysses

Abstract

Ulysses was famously banned until the equally famous decision of Justice Woolsey. He, in concert, lifted the ban and proclaimed it one of the great works of literature of our time. Ironically, the original proscription focused on Molly Bloom's reactions to Gerty MacDowell lifting her skirt, rather than on the myriad sadomasochistic and sexually charged allegations Leopold Bloom faces in the “Circe” episode. This article links James Joyce's experiences with contemporary scholarship in liberal jurisprudence and cultural studies and argues that Joyce's style in “Circe” both contextualizes and criticizes the legal system of the early 20th century. Further, it posits that his sustained, if somewhat nightmarish, parodic portrayal of the legal organism prefigures much of what scholars in the latter half of the century have come to argue separates theories of legal positivism with cultural critique.