Joyce's Ulysses

From James Joyce’s Dubliners: 

‘He stopped when he came level with us and bade us goodday. We answered him and he sat down beside us on the slope slowly and with great care. He began to talk of the weather, saying that it would be a very hot summer and adding that the seasons had changed gready since he was a boy -- a long time ago. He said that the happiest time of one's life was undoubtedly one's schoolboy days and that he would give anything to be young again. While he expressed these sentiments which bored us a little we kept silent. Then he began to talk of school and of books. He asked us whether we had read the poetry of Thomas Moore or the works of Sir Walter Scott and Lord Lytton. I pretended that I had read every book he mentioned so that in the end he said:

"Ah, I can see you are a bookworm like myself. Now," he added, pointing to Mahony who was regarding us with open eyes, "he is different; he goes in for games."

He said he had all Sir Walter Scott's works and all Lord Lytton's works at home and never tired of reading them…’

Walter Scott figured strongly in author James Joyce’s upbringing.  Joyce mentions Scott, or his work, in several of his own writings, from Dubliners to Araby, to Ulysses.  Neil Davison/Anthony Julius, in their James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Construction of the Jewish Identity Culture comment as follows: 

‘…the appearance of The Bride of Lammermoor in the “gigantic” heroes in the “Cyclopes” episode of Ulysses further implies Joyce’s adult opinion of the overly romantic tenor of Scott’s stories.  But regardless of his later facetious allusions to Scott, Joyce’s youthful reading of Ivanhoe affected his earliest conception of “The Jew” and in many ways challenged what he had learned from the Jesuits.  Although the novel form was considered improper extra-curricular reading for a student of the Jesuits, Joyce ws tempted to read Ivanhoe because of a controversy surrounding the work that occurred about the time he entered the College.

The incident…involved J.F. Byrne, who directly afterwards made friends with a new “frail looking lad named James Augustus Joyce.”…Byrne’s instructor, Father Fagan…suggested that his students read novels to improve their vocabulary, and one of his recommendations was Scott’s work (like Ivanhoe)..’

Enlightened Father Fagan was found out by Byrne’s older cousin, which put an end to novel reading recommendations.  The author’s speculate that Byrne mentioned the incident to Joyce when Joyce joined Belvedere two months later.  

Joyce’s work Ulysses, was published on February 2^nd, 1922; on his 30^th birthday (born in 1882).

Battle of Inverlochy

'It was about the middle of December that Argyle was residing at his castle of Inverary, in the most perfect confidence that the enemy could not approach him, since he used to say he would not for a hundred thousand crowns that any one knew the passes from the eastward into the shire of Argyle. While the powerful Marquis was enjoying his fancied security of his feudal dominions, he was astounded with the intelligence that Montrose, with an army of Highlanders, wading through drifts of snow, scaling precipices, and traversing the mountain paths, known to none save the solitary shepherd or huntsman, had forced an entry into his country, which he was laying waste with all the vindictive severity of deadly feud. There was neither time nor presence of mind for defence. The able-bodied men were slaughtered, the cattle driven off, the houses burnt; and the invaders had divided themselves into three bands, to make the devastation more complete. Alarmed by this fierce and unexpected invasion, Argyle embarked on board a fishing boat, and left his country to its fate. Montrose continued the work of revenge for nearly a month, and then concluding he had destroyed the influence which Argyle, by the extent of his power, and the supposed strength of his country, had possessed over the minds of the Highlanders, he withdrew towards Inverness, with the purpose of organizing a general gathering of the clans. But be had scarce made this movement, when he learned that his rival, Argyle, had returned into the Western Highlands with some Lowland forces; that he had called around him his numerous clan, burning to revenge the wrongs which they had sustained, and was lying with a strong force near the old Castle of Inverlochy, situated at the western extremity of the chain of lakes through which the Caledonian canal is now conducted.



The news at once altered Montrose's plans.
 
He returned upon Argyle by a succession of the most difficult mountain-passes covered with snow; and the vanguard of the Campbells saw themselves suddenly engaged with that of their implacable enemy. Both parties lay all night on their arms, but by break of day, Argyle betook himself to his galley, and, rowing off shore, remained a spectator of the combat, when, by all the rules of duty and gratitude, he ought to have been at the head of his devoted followers. His unfortunate clansmen supported the honour of the name with the greatest courage, and many of the most distinguished fell on the field of battle. Montrose gained a complete victory, which greatly extended his influence over the Highlands, and in proportion diminished that of his discomfited rival...'
 
The text above comes from Walter Scott's "Tales of a Grandfather" (volume 49).  The Battle of Inverlochy was a victory for Royalist James Graham over Duncan Campbell of Auchinbreck.  The battle took place on February 2, 1645.

Candlemas

The Purification of the Virgin occurs on February 2nd, which coincides with the Februation, or purification, of the people in pagan Rome.  The term candlemas derives from the blessing of the candles which occurs on this day.

Scott uses Candlemas as a time reference in, among other works, "Old Mortality":

"For," said Harrison to himself, "the carles have little eneugh gear at

ony rate, and if I call in the red-coats and take away what little they
have, how is my worshipful lady to get her rents paid at Candlemas, which
is but a difficult matter to bring round even in the best of times?"