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V.A.14

Second Copybook of the Later Draft of the "Oxen of the Sun" (14) Episode: "II" (1920)


Material Description and Collation

The manuscript is a copybook in Joyce’s hand all in black ink, with revisions, additions and/or lines in pencil only on pp. [3r], [5r] and [7r]. Joyce began an addition in the left margin of p. [5r] in blue crayon and continued it in pencil. The manuscript consists of 10 leaves (20 pages) of blue lined sheets, of which 12 pages are inscribed and 8 are blank: [1r], [4v], [5v], [8v], [9r], [9v], [10r] and [10v].

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 and 15–18 and NLI MSS 36,639/11/C, 11/D and 11/E. The cover and each sheet of the manuscript were cleaned, de-acidified and individually encapsulated in May 1988.


Title

Joyce wrote "II" in the center of the label on the front cover recto and "(2)" in the center of the top margin on p. [2r], both in red crayon.


Measurements

Each leaf measures 20.3 x 14.8 cm.


Pagination

Joyce foliated the rectos of pp. [2r]–[5r] "1"–"4" and pp. [6r]–[8r] "5)"–"7)" in pencil in the left margins, usually in the bottom corner; the remaining pages are not numbered.


Contents

The manuscript is the second 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 (14.0071–0122) and is continued in 7 further copybooks and 3 loose leaves (NLI MS 36,639/11/F) as follows:

Manuscript Ulysses Text 1922 (1992) / 1986
NLI MS 36,639/11/C 373.17–377.12 / 14.0277–0428
Buffalo MS V.A.15 377.13–378.16 / 14.0429–0473
NLI MS 36,639/11/D 378.17–379.32 / 14.0474–0528
Buffalo MS V.A.16 379.33–382.36 / 14.0529–0650
Buffalo MS V.A.17 382.37–387.34 / 14.0651–0844
Buffalo MS V.A18 387.35–392.06 / 14.0845–1109
NLI MS 36,639/11/E 392.07–403.09 / 14.1110–1439
NLI MS 36,639/11/F 403.10–407.07 / 14.1440–1591

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

MS V.A.14 Page Corresponding Text
on the Earlier Manuscripts
Corresponding Text
on the Later "Oxen of the Sun" Rosenbach Manuscript
Ulysses Text 1922 (1992) / 1986
p. [1r]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [1v] NA See pp. "7"–"8" Additional texts for p. [2r]
p. [2r]: "1" p. [5r] pp. "6"–"8" 369.15–370.02 / 14.0123–0149
p. [2v]: NA p. "8" 370.03–370.12 / 14.0149–0159
p. [3r]: "2" p. [5r] pp. "8"–"9" 370.04–28 / 14.0150–0175
p. [3v]: Drawing NA NA NA
p. [4r]: "3" pp. [5r]–[6r] p. "9" 370.28–371.08 / 14.0175–0192
p. [4v]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [5r]: "4" pp. [5v]–[6r] pp. "9"–"10" 371.08–25 / 14.0192–0210
p. [5v]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [6r]: "5" pp. [6r]–[7r] pp. "10"–"11" 371.25–372.10 / 14. 0210–0232
p. [6v] NA p. "12" 372.23–24 / 14.0246–0247
p. [7r]: "6" pp. [7r]–[8r] pp. "11"–"12" 372.10–372.34 / 14.0233–0257
p. [7v]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [8r] "7" p. [8r] pp. "12"–"13" 372.34–373.15 / 14. 0257–0276
p. [8v]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [8r]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [8v]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [9r]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [9v]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [10r]: Blank NA NA NA
p. [10v]: Blank NA NA NA

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 some or all of the text with X s on all of the inscribed pages in red crayon, except pp. [3v] and [6r]. During conservation, therefore after the manuscript’s publication in the JJA , the recto of each leaf, except the first, was marked "V. A. 14. 1"–"V. A. 14. 10" in the bottom right corner in pencil. The back cover recto is also marked "V. A. 14." in pencil.


Publication

This manuscript has been reproduced in black and white photo-facsimile on JJA 14.067–079.


Notes

On p. [3v], Joyce drew an oval (presumably, it is supposed to represent a table), with "SD" at its head. He also drew 3 more complete versions of the characters’ placements around an oval (table) on NLI MS 36,639/11/A, p. [6v].