“Fluctuous Neck Merchamtur”

Abstract James Joyce’s formal literary experiments are always associated with Paris, where he completed Ulysses (1922) and wrote Finnegans Wake (1939). This essay reflects on how Joyce navigated the diverse currents of the Parisian literary scene during the interwar years, particularly its more conservative figures and institutions. In order to make his groundbreaking novel accepted as a classic, Joyce emphasized, and made sure his supporters emphasized, comparisons with canonical authors, particularly French ones, but also with Homer’s Odyssey, presented as the master key to a roman à clef. Conversely, elements that pertain to sexuality or that stress the Irish aspect in the book were toned down, in the hope of countering accusations of obscenity or of nationalist activism. Valery Larbaud and Louis Gillet’s roles are examined as central to Joyce’s introduction and acceptance onto the French literary scene. In the process, the bolder, experimental breaking up of his linguistic material, as Joyce was effecting it in his Work in Progress, was probably not understood, nor truly accepted by those who were most effective in ensuring his Parisian fame.