Saturday 11 September 2021

Parnell In Joyce And Anderson

This blog locates Poul Anderson in several literary traditions:

the Bible
the Eddas
Shakespeare
Mary Shelley
HG Wells
Robert Heinlein
 
Charles Stewart Parnell and Winston Churchill visit the Old Phoenix in "Losers' Night."
 
Mr Casey, freeing his arms from his holders, suddenly bowed his head on his hands with a sob of pain.

—Poor Parnell! he cried loudly. My dead king!

He sobbed loudly and bitterly.
-copied from here
 
The mourners moved away slowly without aim, by devious paths, staying at whiles to read a name on a tomb.

—Let us go round by the chief’s grave, Hynes said. We have time.

—Let us, Mr Power said.

They turned to the right, following their slow thoughts. With awe Mr Power’s blank voice spoke:

—Some say he is not in that grave at all. That the coffin was filled with stones. That one day he will come again.

Hynes shook his head.

—Parnell will never come again, he said. He’s there, all that was mortal of him. Peace to his ashes.
-copied from here.

Powerful references to Parnell in two novels by James Joyce.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Meaning there were followers of Parnell who thought of him as others had done of King Arthur, Holger Danske, or Frederick Barbarossa?

And Churchill too was a writer, if mostly of non fiction. And I would not be surprised if he enjoyed reading SF, maybe even some of Anderson's early works in WSC's later years.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Joyce powerfully states the resurrection myth, focusing it on Parnell. I don't know how many Parnellites would have said things like that.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Joyce was writing near Parnell's lifetime, so he might have known if some of the former's followers thought like that!

Ad astra! Sean