Hermaphroditic Joyce By Dante Essay, Research Paper

Dante’s "The Hermaphroditic Joyce" One of the most powerful nuances of

any writing is the dialogue within the story. In literature, it is all too often

that characters live only in the jaded voice of the author and never truly

develop as their own, or are not strongly opinionated in a manner which

contrasts the opinions of the writer. It is also unfortunately true that the

women depicted in most male-authored literature do not often sound realistic, or

how most women one would speak to in the course of the day tend to sound. All

too often, women are depicted on a lower level of speech than men. For instance,

Dickens and Arthur Miller both apparently subscribed to this notion, as the

women in their stories were usually more passive, and not as elaborate as men in

their speech, however, James Joyce did not see things in the same light. The

most developed female character in Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young

Man, is one who speaks with dignity, passion, and the female tact which is all

too often ignored in the ch aracters of women. Joyce’s Dante Riordan’s words and

thoughts are true to those of literate twentieth century women. Although a

short-lived character in Portrait, Dante Riordan, in a brief amount of time

emits an apparently important and mysterious aura, the aura of a woman. Judging

from the studies of twentieth century linguists, Joyce’s brief representation of

Dante through speech is nearly flawless. To more lucidly understand this, one

must carefully examine some of the instances at which Dante speaks in her

conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Dedalus, Charles, and Mr. Casey, and re-examine

the arguments she makes. Dante is introduced into the dinner table conversation

as a silent character. However, when the men’s conversation turns to the misuse

of the preacher’s pulpit, Dante begins her interjections. All too often, women

in literature remain linguistically dormant unless called upon, however, studies

conducted in the reality outside the covers of a book have shown that women will

interrupt a conversation to contradict a previous speaker, and do so vehemently

(Coates, 193). A nice answer for any man calling himself a catholic to give to

his priest, (Joyce, 273) states Dante as her first response. At this point,

Dante has drawn herself into the conversation. Never speaking out of turn (as

linguists are always quick to point out about women), Dante’s next few lines are

responses to the rebuttals of Mr. Dedalus and Mr. Casey. In these lines, she

defends priests in that it is their duty to teach, warn, and direct their

flocks. According to the findings of most linguists, strong beliefs in religion

and authority are held by women, and a desire to speak in favor of them is

inherent to feminine nature. The bishops and priests of Ireland have spoken, and

they must be obeyed (Joyce, 274). Linguist, Jennifer Coates states that

woman-speak is revolved around power, and, as Dante illustrates in this quote,

that women’s conversational style, and topics of interest will usually be

subconcious admittances to the idea that women must obey men, and remain

socially submissive (Coates, 203). Joyce’s realistic portrayal of Dante does not

end there, however. In studying the findings of linguists, it becomes clear that

during the Renaissance, it was proper for a woman to be silent and a man to be

eloquent. However, the increased level of female literacy in the late nineteenth

and early to present twentieth century, changed this philosophy, and it is now

expected that women be just as, if not more eloquent than men. As Dante

continues her conversation, she quotes the Bible in response to the ongoing

attacks of the men at the dinner table in the presence of women and a child: Woe

be to the man by whom the scandal cometh! It would be better for him that a

millstone were tied about his neck and that he should scandalise one of these,

my least little ones. (Joyce, 274) Even today, it is rare in literature to find

a woman allude to, let alone directly quote literature as a witty response to a

verbal assault. Women have an instinctive shrinking from coarse and gross

expressions and a preference for refined and (in certain spheres) veiled and

indirect expressions (Coates, Jesperson, 126). What better way is there to

describe Dante Riordan? Her primary reason for involving herself with the

conversation from the start is the vile blasphemy at hand. Of her sixteen turns

in the conversation, eight of them are devoted to reprimanding the ‘language’

that she hears from the mouths of the men. To assert the reality of Dante’s

character even further, look to sociolinguist William Labov. He writes that, in

lower and middle-class groups, females are far less tolerant of incorrect

grammar and taboo (Labov, 207). This was made pleasantly lucid in the character

of Dante Riordan. In light of all of this, it steadily becomes more apparent

that Joyce had paid careful attention to real conversational language. In the

characters of the men, he captured the competitive attitudes, vulgarity, and

lack of tact which are so often marks of men in English speaking societies. But

more importantly, through the character of Dante, he captured the fire, the

respect, the subconscious submission, and the maternal aversion for taboo that

unite to form the psyche of this century’s woman. Joyce, in spite of his hatred

of the church, designed a character who’s few spoken words do all they can to

uphold the honor of the imperfect institution, and aside from Mr. Dedalus’s

final immature remark, Dante has the last word, and in effect wins the

conversation. This is literary genius. Developing thoroughly and realistically

the character of a non-existent person in the medium of text alone is a

monumental task, but one that appears so effortless in Joyce’s portrayal of

Dante. A problem re mains, however? where are all of the other real women in

dead white male literature?

Bibliography

1) Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations: James Joyce’s A Portrait

of the Artist as a Young Man. New York:Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. 2)

Coates, Jennifer. Women, Men and Language. New York:Longman, 1993. 3) Labov,

William. Variation in Language in Reed, C.E.O The Learning of Language. National

Council of Teachers of English, New York, 1971. Dante’s voice in Portrait.

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