JOYCE		LUCK CLUB
DUBLINERS	ULYSSES	THE PORTRAIT

No women at the funeral:   I think many are at this funeral because of obligation from work and the business world. Not out of love for Paddy.  MY personal thoughts: The process of "planting" the dead is romantic in nature. In reality funerals are often long and boring. I recently went to a planting of a body where both sides of the family were fighting over a 30year old argument not related to the dead man.  I think Joyce is setting the stage for Bloom's memories of son and father and setting the stage for Bloom as an outsider.  My question, why the lack of women at the funeral?  Chandra, I use "planting" as a hint to another theme in the book. Mike That is a good question. Never had thought of it. Perhaps with my Indian background I had assumed that women do not go to funerals. But do women play a major role at all in this book? It is mainly a man's world, is it not? Stephen. Bloom. Stephen's mother is present only in her absence. Molly so far is there only because of voglio e non vorrei! But it is Stephen who thinks, it is Bloom who thinks. Women do not seem to think here at all. Till we come to Penelope, I guess. >From what you say about the role of the soap, I am most intrigued about the book. This could be one of those books which should be read fast. But it is a difficult to book to read fast. Chandra Top! HOME!