Mass
Forms
Mass, Massboy, Masstime
Related Terms
Amass, Massed, Masses, Massa, Massage
Explication
Due to the Roman Catholic homogeneity of Ireland in Ulysses, mass stands as a particularly prevalent and loaded term. The very first usage of the word, “The ring of bay and skyline held a dull green mass of liquid” encapsulates Joyce’s perception of the island with unsettled tone, a place of bleak prospects and affirmed cultural stereotypes as connoted by the descriptor “green” (U 1. 107-108). Mass manifests in Ulysses as a term that intersects and intertwines itself with the Irish population, in both the traditional Catholic and Celtic sense.
While mass, in the context of Ireland, most obviously denotes a Catholic service, slight variants of the word, including massboy and masstime, convey how colloquially commonplace Catholic ritual is in Irish society and how it is inexorably connected to identities of its people, “Yes. In his way. Choirboy style. Mass was the boy. Massboy” (U.11 611-612). The routine importance of mass is an acknowledged frame of time that both structures Irish daily life and looms as an austere moral reminder. In Ulysses, mass, massed, and all its lexical modifications, do not merely convey a typical religious ceremony, but rather a sociopolitical force that drives the Joycean expression of fitful Irish life.
A final permutation of mass that visibly stands out occurs in Episode 14. As “Oxen of the Sun” stylistically progresses through the many voices of the English literary tradition, eventually African-American diction is incorporated into the plot and employed to praise the late Paddy Dignam, “Did ums blubble bigsplash crytears cos fren Padney was took off in black bag? Of all de darkies Massa Pat was verra best. I never see the like since I was born” (U 14. 1555-1557). The related term of massa is especially intriguing for its natural usage would have been far removed from the Irish context. Additionally, it being utilized to praise the deceased Paddy Dignam suggests how the term complicates conceptions of Irishness. By marginally adding to the noun presentation of mass and reapplying it with a separate voice, the word no longer displays a connotation of Irish religious culture. The racialized mode of massa asserts that the recently passed away Paddy Dignam is no longer apart of Ireland.
Definitions and Examples
mass, n.1 (OED 1.a)
- The Eucharist, esp. (in post-Reformation use) as understood and celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church.
- The liturgical celebration of the Eucharist; the Eucharistic service. Now usually without article: e.g. after mass, to go to mass, etc.to say mass: (of a priest) to officiate at the celebration of the Eucharist. to hear mass: to attend mass as a member of the congregation.
“Mr Bloom put his face forward to catch the words. English. Throw them the bone. I remember slightly. How long since your last mass?” (U 5. 421-422).
mass, v.2 (OED 1.b)
- To collect, assemble, or come together in a mass or masses. Also with up.
“Their full slow eyes belied the words, the gestures eager and unoffending, but knew the rancours massed about them and knew their zeal was vain.” (U 2. 367-369).
massa, n.1 (Merriam Webster)
1.a. Southern: Master
“the reverend Ananias Praisegod Barebones, tendered his best thanks to Massa Walkup and emphasised the cordial relations existing between Abeakuta and the British empire, stating that he treasured as one of his dearest possessions an illuminated bible, the volume of the word of God and the secret of England’s greatness, graciously presented to him by the white chief woman, the great squaw Victoria, with a personal dedication from the august hand of the Royal Donor” (U 12. 1520-1526).
Related Topics
Religion/Catholicism
Blackness
Bodies
Union and Division
