The word "parody" derives from the Latin parodia, meaning "burlesque song or poem", but has come to refer to any artistic composition in which "the characteristic themes and style of a particular work, author, etc., are exaggerated or applied to an inappropriate subject for the purpose of ridicule." Parody is used throughout Ulysses as both a form of comedy and criticism. In the episode “Cyclops,” parody functions as a critique of grand narrative, particularly in terms of nineteenth-century history and discourse. Parody is also used to subvert existing structures and hierarchies, as is evident from the elements of the Bakhtinian conception of Carnival present in the episode. In "Nausicaa", Joyce parodies aspects of popular culture, particularly romantic fiction and the censorship debate. This technique serves to highlight the relationship between language and consciousness, as well as the way in which discourses are constructed and interact with each other. By using parody, Joyce appears to criticize aspects of society and question the way language is used to convey meaning. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The parody in “Cyclops” serves to disrupt conventional notions of narrative. In particular, Joyce seems to criticize the notion of history as grand narrative. The elevated language of the episode, as can be seen in the passage describing "a historic and heavy battle", acts as a parody of the literature drawn upon by Irish nationalists to idealize Ireland's heroic past. These writers offered popular versions of the mythology using writing styles similar to nineteenth-century writers such as Carlyle. For the twentieth century reader, however, these allusions could appear pretentious and exaggerated; Joyce seems to be parodying the passionate nationalists who celebrated the heroic past of the Irish people in this way. The list of names of heroic leaders in "Cyclops" becomes a complete farce, as it lists figures completely foreign to Ireland, such as "Gautama Buddha" and "Jack the Giant Killer", as well as some simply invented names. Joyce allo he similarly parodies this idea of ​​senseless nonsense by ending the narrator's speeches with phrases such as "and so on and so on", "this phenomenon and the other phenomenon" and "new Ireland and new this, that and the other". These parodies reveal that extremist Irish nationalists would go to almost anything to advance their mission. Thematically, Joyce establishes an ongoing dialogue between Bloom's "humanistic universalism" and the citizen's narrow-minded nationalism. The citizen refuses to acknowledge the possibility that Bloom could claim Ireland as his nation despite being Jewish. Bloom, on the other hand, posits the humanistic view that “strength, hate, history…this is not life for men and women…love…the opposite of hate ... that really is life." Joyce appears to criticize the often fanatical nature of Irish nationalism, particularly the way in which heroism is represented in terms of violence, and the fact that this fanaticism is encouraged at great cost to humanity. Furthermore, Joyce seems to criticize the grand narrative of nineteenth-century discourse. It does so primarily by juxtaposing colloquial passages narrated by an anonymous Dubliner with grandiose mythical passages such as "the nec e non plus ultra of emotion was reached when the blushing chosen bride burst in... and threw herself upon the muscular chest of the one who was about to be launched into eternity." The ridiculousness of this bombastic style is accentuated by the subject matter: a tree wedding. Indeed, the juxtaposition ofthis language with the colloquial "God damn if it's not a clinker" highlights the pretentiousness of the high form. Joyce uses an exaggerated multiplicity of adjectives such as "broad shoulders, deep chest, strong limbs, frank eyes, red hair, freckles" to parody an overly descriptive writing style and criticize the imperialist nature of grand narratives that purport to offer a comprehensive view of events . In doing so, Joyce demonstrates an awareness that some aspects of nineteenth-century literature cannot be translated. He appears to be criticizing the extent to which people seeking independence for Ireland attempted to translate into the twentieth century notions that were of the past and could not be recovered, especially not through exaggerated language. There is no clear narrative voice in this episode. , as Joyce switches rapidly from one narrative style to another. The shifting narrative also serves as a parody of pretentious nineteenth-century writing. Like the one-eyed Polyphemus in the Homeric parallel, each narrative presents a single vision, offering the reader separate eyewitnesses who interrupt and contradict each other. This allows characters to undergo a metamorphosis between various narrative frames. The medical journal parody, for example, transforms Bloom's confusing scientific knowledge into a precise explanation of physiology, as he becomes "Herr Professor Luitpold Blumenduft." Through other narratives, the reader has a vision of Bloom as a hero "O'Bloom, the son of Rory", Bloom the "distinguished phenomenologist", and finally "ben Bloom Elijah". Joyce also seems to engage in this type of narrative. in an attempt to define it and limit it to a narrative structure. In doing so, he explores the breakdown of narrative. Sometimes, this occurs in the middle of a sentence, as in the final words of the episode: "well Bloom Elijah, among clouds of angels ascend to the glory of splendor... at a forty-five degree angle... like a shot from a shovel." The phrase begins as a biblical epic, shifts to an almost scientific journalistic style, and then shifts once again to colloquialism. The structure resembles a comedy routine, with different voices presenting different points of view, which in turn highlight the unreliability of each individual perspective. Interestingly, Homer's Polyphemus is both one-eyed and multi-voiced, echoing the ambiguities Joyce explores in the episode. The parody of the Cyclops can therefore be seen as a microcosm of the parody of the novel Ulysses; that is, a parody of the epic form. Parody also has the function of subverting existing structures and hierarchies. The events of "Cyclops" echo the revelry of Carnival as conceptualized by Bakhtin. Bakhtin emphasizes the predominance of "the material principle and physical life with images of the body, that is, of eating and drinking, and with the satisfaction of natural impulses". The pub is the place for informal socialising: the characters are drunk from alcohol and the environment is conducive to the kind of revelry associated with Carnival. There's a sense of anarchy in the episode, with the characters indulging in excess, "[almost eating] the can and everything", and placing emphasis on the lower parts of the body, such as Molly Bloom's butt and the erection of the hanged man. Joyce seems to stage a verbal carnival, first through the polyphony of voices, specifically the alternation of noble and vulgar styles, and then through the play on words that characterizes much of the episode. Within the episode there are examples of antanaclasis ("Good Christ!...Who said Christ is good?"), etymology ("barber/barbarian/barbarian"), puns ("phallus/bird" ), neologism ("codology") and non-sequiteurs ("speakingof the new Ireland, he should go and get a new dog, so he should"). Parrinder characterizes the carnival as a "world... bottom-up... a forum in which behavior that is normally frowned upon... .becomes sanctioned and overt." During the carnival the highest authority (usually the king) is insulted and beaten by the people. In "Cyclops", Bloom is presented as this figure, suggesting the image of him "on duty". his superiority, evidenced by his refusal to participate in the drinking. It is therefore significant that the end of the episode finds him insulted and attacked by dogs. The carnival is also a place where religion is parodied, and in this episode God undergoes a myriad of irreverent metamorphoses: "begob.. .Christ M'Keown...dog". Here, the parody functions as a subversion of these authority figures. In "Nausicaa", the parody functions as a critique of popular culture and highlights the way in which aspects of the culture popular penetrate our consciousness. Gerty McDowell's language and consciousness are an amalgam of romantic literature, fashion magazines, advertising and folk wisdom. The first half of "Nausicaa" is often read as a parody of the sentimental novel, and in particular The Lamplighter, written by Maria Cummins in 1864, which features a heroine called "Gertrude." The frequent use of exclamation marks, as in "O so lively! O so soft, sweet, soft!" and the exaggerated use of "O!" it parodies the emotional and intense language of romantic fiction. Joyce himself referred to the language of this half of the episode as "namby-pamby jammy marmalady drawsery". It is interesting to note that many of the references to fashion magazines and advertising are found in parentheses, such as "(because it was foreseen in the Lady's Pictorial that electric blue would be worn)", suggesting a sort of 'aside', as if these aspects of popular fashion culture creates resonances that infiltrate our consciousness at particular moments. Gerty herself is a parody of the romantic heroine, one who "completely represses all sexual desires and awareness of her physical being...she must be an object." Gerty, however, is aware of her sexual desires and cannot keep her fantasies pure, imagining that "Bloom's hands and face worked and a tremor ran through her." She is also aware of being watched and seems to enjoy being seen, deliberately "[revealing] all her lovely beautifully shaped legs" to Bloom. This awareness of her sexual power runs counter to the stereotype of this type of heroine and, as such, Gerty becomes the antithesis of the romantic heroine. The parody also serves to criticize the censorship debate. The idea that young women were vulnerable to any moral deviance in works of fiction was particularly highlighted by the sensational outrage novel of the nineteenth century. These "sensational" novels were considered dangerous because they "made readers read with their bodies." Gerty is a virgin who is aware of her sexuality because she reads, exactly what supporters of sensation novels feared. Joyce's ironic twist, however, is that Gerty read a romance novel with a typically asexual heroine, rather than a "sensation" novel, seemingly making fun of the whole censorship debate. Perhaps Joyce is criticizing the willingness with which people vilify literature to scapegoat social problems. The problems facing Irish society in Joyce's time are revealed through the virgin/whore dichotomy. On the one hand, Irish Catholicism postulated the doctrine of Mary-olatry, but on the other, Ireland had a sizable population of prostitutes. In The Lamplighter, Gertrude models herself on the Virgin Mary. Likewise,in the "Nausicaa" episode of Ulysses, Gerty tries to see herself in this light, as "refuge of sinners... consoler of the afflicted" - allusions to the Holy Virgin. However, his sexual awareness means he must fail as a figure. The juxtaposition between Gerty's sexuality and that of the Virgin Mary takes on a comedic element as the discrepancy between Gerty's view of herself and who she really is becomes larger. Joyce's parody of the would-be virgin seems to allude to the hypocrisy of social attitudes of the time. The doctrine of Maria-olatria also suggests transubstantiation. It is therefore interesting that Gerty's stockings are a diaphanous object, recalling the motif of diaphanousness that permeates the earlier episodes of Ulysses. Aristotle spoke of the diaphanous as a medium that allows things to show their real selves only in light, raising the question of where the source of the light is located. This parallels the question of where the source of creativity – and in particular the creation of language – can be found. This question is explored through parody, as it highlights the relationship between language and consciousness. This is first considered through the construction of character-specific discourses. Gerty may be a typical example of "captivating Irish adolescence", but this is because she is a set of discourses that construct the ideal Irish woman. The parody occurs through Joyce's subversion of this ideal construct, in which Gerty seems to delude herself into believing that she is this ideal. There are several images in the episode that suggest Gerty's narcissistic delusions, including her placement, like Narcissus, near "the little pool by the rock", and her bedroom mirror, in front of which she "[smiles] to the beautiful reflection that the mirror returned to her!" Gerty seems to deliberately construct this self-image, perhaps to mask her insecurities about her role as a woman, and it is therefore significant that we discover that she is lame, as we realize that this is not the ideal feminine form that she has. Gerty thinks of Bloom in terms of male stereotypes: "the husband of her dreams... [who] would embrace her gently, like a real man, holding her soft body close to him." She is portrayed as a "typical" woman, imagining the possibilities of marriage and children, while Bloom is the "typical" man, who sees Gerty simply as an object of desire. In this sense, Bloom's narrative is an integral part of his character. This raises the question of linguistic determination and the possibility of thinking outside our language. Bloom acknowledges this question when he describes his erotic communication with Gerty as "a kind of language between us." He is aware that something has happened and wonders whether or not that is a language. Joyce seems to engage with these points of connection between thought and language and makes the reader wonder whether it is possible to document them. The two voices in this episode create an intratextual parody. Gerty observes Bloom as he observes her and, as such, the characters function simultaneously as both representants and objects of representation. Bakhtin argues that this dialogic relationship can be considered a parodic relationship, stating that "in parodic discourse two styles, two 'languages' come together... the language that is parodied... and the language that parodies." Likewise, the two voices of Gerty and Bloom criticize and comment on each other. The unreliability of Gerty's account of what happened between her and Bloom is highlighted by the juxtaposition of Bloom's speech with hers. Gerty romanticizes her physicality, and subsequently Bloom's reaction to it, claiming that "her eyes burned into her as if they thought they would... read, 1994