
Chamber Music
by James Joyce
'Chamber Music ' Summary
Although it is widely reported that the title refers to the sound of urine tinkling in a chamber pot, this is a later Joycean embellishment, lending an earthiness to a title first suggested by his brother Stanislaus and which Joyce had come to dislike: "The reason I dislike Chamber Music as a title is that it is too complacent", he admitted to Arthur Symons in 1906. "I should prefer a title which repudiated the book without altogether disparaging it."
Richard Ellmann reports (from a 1949 conversation with Eva Joyce) that the chamberpot connotation has its origin in a visit he made, accompanied by Oliver Gogarty, to a young widow named Jenny in May 1904. The three of them drank porter while Joyce read manuscript versions of the poems aloud - and, at one point, Jenny retreated behind a screen to make use of a chamber pot. Gogarty commented, "There's a critic for you!". When Joyce later told this story to Stanislaus, his brother agreed that it was a "favourable omen".
In Ulysses, Leopold Bloom reflects, "Chamber music. Could make a pun on that."
In fact, the poetry of Chamber Music is not in the least bawdy, nor reminiscent of the sound of tinkling urine. Although the poems did not sell well (fewer than half of the original print run of 500 had been sold in the first year), they received some critical acclaim. Ezra Pound admired the "delicate temperament" of these early poems, while Yeats described "I hear an army charging upon the land" as "a technical and emotional masterpiece". In 1909, Joyce wrote to his wife, "When I wrote [Chamber Music], I was a lonely boy, walking about by myself at night and thinking that one day a girl would love me."
Book Details
Authors

James Joyce
Ireland
The work and life of Joyce is celebrated annually on 16 June, known as Bloomsday, in Dublin and in an increasing number of cities worldwide, and critical studies in scholarly publications, such as the...
Books by James JoyceDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

The Wind Among the Reeds by William Butler Yeats
'The wind among the reeds', published in 1899, by critics' opinion is the main achievement of his early works. Imagery of Yeats' poetry at this time...

Homeward Songs by the Way by George William Russell
Homeward Songs by the Way is a poetic masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of time and space, whisking readers away on an ethereal journey throu...

Drink To Her by Thomas Moore
This poem by Thomas Moore is a celebration of drinking, merrymaking, and the pleasures of companionship. The speaker of the poem urges his companions...

Poems and Ballads (First Series) by Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne's *Poems and Ballads (First Series)* is a collection of intensely passionate and highly sensual verse that challenged Victo...

Deep-Sworn Vow by William Butler Yeats
“Deep-Sworn Vow” is a poem by William Butler Yeats that explores themes of love, loyalty, and sacrifice within a mythological and symbolic context. Th...

The White Flag by John Hay
What if the white flag was not a symbol of surrender, but a weapon? In John Hay's poem "The White Flag," the speaker imagines a world in which the wh...

Hundred Great Poems by Various
This book is a compilation of 100 poems from a diverse range of poets, providing a wide-ranging selection of poetic styles and themes. The poems cover...

Poems by Alice Meynell
This collection of poems by Alice Meynell showcases her distinctive style, characterized by its lyrical beauty, intellectual depth, and exploration of...

Maid's Lament by Walter Savage Landor
The Maid's Lament is a poignant poem by Walter Savage Landor, a prominent English writer and poet of the 19th century. It tells the tale of a heartbro...

Joy by Clarissa Scott Delany
It is a celebration of the power of joy and the ways in which it can transform our lives. Written in the early 20th century, "Joy" is a powerful refl...
Reviews for Chamber Music
No reviews posted or approved, yet...