進行中の「蟻とキリギリス」と『死者の書』 : Finnegans Wake 試論

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The chapter named "The Ondt and the Gracehoper"(FW Bk. III, Ch. 1, pp.414-19) contains numerous insects' names. Among them, the central figure seems to be a scarab beetle, not the ant nor the grasshopper. This chapter is, as the name. proves, based on one of the most famous Aesop's Fables, "The Ant and the Grasshopper"(North European version). But the most important fact is that there are numerous allusions to The Egyptian Book of the Dead. It is a collection of texts that the ancient Egyptian scribes composed for the benefit of the dead - words of power and prayers. There were carved or painted on walls of pyramids and tombs, and painted on coffins and rolls or papayri. The scarab beetle, or "dung beetle," is depicted in the form of the rising sun, and his seat is in the boat of the Sun-god. He is the god of matter which is on the point of passing from inertness into life, and also of the dead body from which a spiritual and glorified body is about to burst forth. When Joyce went to the British Museum, he was greatly impressed by the Egyptian ,statuary, as he told Arthur Power later. Present in the central saloon when he visited, was an enormous green-black granite scarab beetle, which probably gave him the inspiration for such phrases as "not a leetle beetle"(FW417.03) and "quite a big bug"(FW596.27). We can find many allusions to the scarab beetle, not only in this chapter, but also in other chapters. Like HCE for Earwicker, he is an image of Shem: In this chapter, Shem becomes the Gracehoper as Joyce, while his brother Shaun becomes the Ondt as Joyce's brother, Stanislaus. Wyndham Lewis was Joyce's friend and now is his enemy criticises Ulysses as a "time-book." Joyce, using the Aesop's fable and alusions to The Book of the Dead, made an apology for Lewis's criticism, especially in the phrase, "But, Holy Saltmartin, why can't you beat time" (FW419.08)? It reminds us of the 10th provision of the Proclamation of the transition magazine, "TIME IS A TYRANNY TO BE ABOLISHED." As Motoi Oda pointed out, it can apply for Joyce, who was not asked to sign it somehow, as well as Gertrude Stein. The Book of the Dead is concerned about "day," not "night" as Finnegans Wake is. But both books are concerned about "resurrection" or "rebirth of the dead.", It is quite siginificant that Joyce inserted numerous insects' names in this chapter with many allusions to the book because the name of the protagonist; Earwicker, is also derived from an insect's.
2002-01-31

進行中の「蟻とキリギリス」と『死者の書』 : Finnegans Wake 試論

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