- Leopold Bloom’s Curriculum Vitae
Introduction
James Joyce promised the professors centuries of solving his puzzles,1 and the collation of clues required to recreate Leopold Bloom’s C.V. here attests to the continued propensity of Ulysses to astonish and amuse its careful readers. Accurately tracking Mr. Bloom’s career requires a long trail of post-it notes and question marks, but the following document with its attendant explanatory notes offers insight into his employment history.
Contradictions occur in Joyce’s own scribbled chronologies in [End Page 824] the James Joyce Archive notebooks, so it is tempting to say that Joyce himself was “almosting it” (U 3.366-67). Cross-referencing several sources within the novel, however, allows us to fix dates: Bloom’s memories of his career arise sporadically and with often-reliable details; the muse of the “Ithaca” episode provides a treasure trove of useful dates and facts; Molly corroborates or clarifies points when Poldy seems confused or inexact; and others, such as Nosey Flynn, David Byrne, and the nameless narrator of “Cyclops,” also contribute what they remember.
Perhaps the most significant revelation in solving this puzzle is Mr. Bloom’s inability to hold a job following Rudy’s death on 9 January 1894 (U 17.2281). We already know the degree to which this tragedy impacted his marriage, but it also clearly impaired his professional performance; indeed, Bloom lost or left positions with Hely’s, Cuffe’s, and Thom’s before settling for self-employment, all in the year 1894.
Despite this instability, throughout the daylong interview of 16 June 1904, Mr. Bloom demonstrates his capacity for success in business. He carefully evaluates investment opportunities, such as the Agendath Netaim prospectus, and he has a keen eye for value, as shown by the astronomy book he purchased for half its worth (U 10.527). His choice of career in advertising and also his placement of his daughter Milly in the burgeoning industry of amateur photography reveal his talent for forecasting. Bloom thinks creatively and innovatively—characteristics of increasing usefulness in the emerging consumer-based economy of the twentieth century. While the tragedy of Rudy’s death landed him “on the rocks” for a few years, his resolve, combined with his natural business acumen, has, by 1904, replaced him “[o]n the pig’s back” (U 13.841, 8.1060).
Mr Leopold Bloom
7 Eccles Street
Dublin, Ireland
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION:
Erasmus Smith High School,2 graduated 1880.3
Extracurricular activities: Parallel bars;4 Female impersonator in the dramatic production Vice Versa.5
Mrs Ellis’s Juvenile School.6
Extracurricular activities: Marbles.7 [End Page 825]
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
19028-Present:
Freeman’s Journal, 4-8 Prince’s Street North.9
Advertisement Canvasser:10 Create advertisements that capture involuntary attention, generate interest, and convince consumers to buy products.11
189612-1901:13
David Drimmie & Sons, English and Scottish Law Life and Phoenix Fire Offices, 41 Sackville Street Lower.14
Insurance Salesman.15
1894-1896:16
Mrs Marion Bloom’s Costumes and Clothing, Holles Street.
Co-Manager and Advertiser: Collected and sold secondhand clothing and theatrical costumes. Designed advertisement reading “Mrs Marion Bloom has left off clothes of all descriptions.”17
1894:18
Alexander Thom & Co., Ltd., Printers and Publishers, 87-89 Abbey Street Middle.19
Property Value Appraiser.20
1894:21
Laurence Cuffe & Sons, 5 Smithfield.22
Actuary:23 Clerk for the superintendence of sales in the Dublin Cattle Market.24
188825-1894:26
Wisdom Hely’s Stationer, 85 Dame Street.27
Salesman: A traveler for blottingpaper.28
Account Manager: Collect accounts of convents.29
1881-1888:30
David Kellett’s Draper & Milliner, 19-21 Great George’s Street.31
Apprentice: Worked the mail-order line. Learned to make a true black knot.32
1880-1881:33
Rudolph Bloom’s Jewelry34 & Commercial Loans by Post.35
Salesman: A fullfledged traveler for the family firm.36 [End Page 826]
PATRICK HASTINGS is the English Department Chair at the Gilman School in Baltimore, where he teaches Ulysses to seniors. He graduated from Washington & Lee University and received his M.A. degree from Middlebury College’s Bread...