Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses/Telemachus/004

Annotations

004.13       Two dactyls Buck Mulligan's real name, Malachi Mulligan, contains two groupings of three syllables. A dactyl is a metrical foot used in poetry which contains a stress on the first syllable, as Mal*ach*i Mull*i*gan.

004.17 Jejune       Mulligan's modifier for "jesuit" reflects the tone of the chapter towards the Catholic faith, tradition, and liturgy.
      (1) without interest or significance; dull; insipid: a jejune novel.
      (2) juvenile; immature; childish: jejune behavior.
      (3) lacking knowledge or experience; uninformed: jejune attempts to design a house.