*V.A.15

*V.A.15:
Fourth Copybook of the Later Draft of the "Oxen of the Sun" (14) Episode: "IV" (1920)¹

Material Description and Collation: The manuscript is a copybook in Joyce's hand all in black ink, with pencil revisions and additions only on pp. [2r] and [3r]. Though the original pagination has been maintained, the manuscript now consists of only 8 leaves (16 pages) of blue lined sheets, of which 2 pages are inscribed with text: pp. [2r] and [3r]; pp. [4r] and [5r] are only paginated but otherwise blank and all the remaining pages are blank. A blank sheet (2 leaves or 4 pages: pp. [1r] [1v], [10r] and [10v]) that was originally part of this manuscript is no longer with the manuscript in the Buffalo Joyce Collection.

As manufactured, the copybook was held together with a metal staple in the center vertical fold; it was removed for conservation purposes and the manuscript was disbound. It has a faded gray paper cover; on its front recto is printed a double border with floral ornaments at the corners. Within the border is a printed box enclosing the printed words "QUADERNO | di | [dotted rule]" and at the bottom, within a printed box breaking the border, is printed: "N. 3". On the back cover verso is printed: "ORARIO DELLE LEZIONI | [table] | TAVOLA PITAGORICA | [table]". The insides of the cover are blank. Although they vary in certain physical details, this copybook is of a similar kind as Buffalo MSS V.A.13, 14 and 16–18 and NLI MSS 36,639/11/C, 11/D & 11/E. The cover and each sheet of the manuscript were cleaned, de-acidified and individually encapsulated in December 1987.

Title: Joyce wrote "IV" in the center of the label on the front cover recto and "(4)" in the top left corner of p. [2r], both in red crayon.

Measurements: Each leaf measures 20.3 x 14.8 cm.

Pagination: Joyce foliated the rectos of pp. [2r]–[4r] "1"–"4"; the remaining pages are not numbered.

Contents: The manuscript is the fourth part of the later complete draft of the "Oxen of the Sun" episode of Ulysses . The draft is continued from Buffalo MS V.A.13 (368.04–369.14 / 14.0071–0122), MS V.A.14 (369.15–373.15 / 14.0123–0276) and NLI MS 36,639/11/C (373.16–377.11 / 14.0277–0428) and is continued in 5 further copybooks and 3 loose leaves (NLI MS 36,639/11/F) as follows:

The text on each page of this manuscript is as follows:

Dating: Joyce wrote this manuscript between early February and 20 March 1920 during his post World War I stay in Trieste.

Other Markings: Joyce crossed through all of the text with X s on both of the inscribed pages in red crayon. During conservation, therefore after the manuscript's publication in the JJA , the versos of pp. [6]–[9] were marked "IV" in the bottom left corner in pencil. The cover is not marked.

Publication: This manuscript has been reproduced in black and white photo-facsimile on JJA 14.081–085.

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1. The preservation states: "These writings were executed in bluish black writing ink with corrections in a browner writing ink and graphite pencil. A red pencil was also used to cross out areas and to number the cover of each notebook."

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