‘Mn’ : transgressive ‘Penelope’

Abstract

This paper will explore notions of female agency and assertiveness in the final chapter (‘Penelope’) of James Joyce’s 1922 modernist novel Ulysses. It will attempt to demonstrate how Molly Bloom transgresses traditional and expected norms of behaviour and thought for a woman living in the early 20th century. I will argue that Molly is in some ways an androgynous figure and that she approximates the male sensibility to a degree. Additionally, the study will illustrate in brief how she challenges women’s marginality in a male-dominated society and how unapologetic she is, and whether this is related to her sexual agency or otherwise. I will also be making brief references to other chapters, in relation to Leopold Bloom particularly, for comparative purposes. I also intend to explore ‘Penelope’ in relation to the obscenity trial of Ulysses and how this might have conditioned its reception by readers. Finally, I will also attempt to suggest that the closing chapter of Ulysses is far less transgressive than might have initially been previously asserted.