I want to give just a slight indication of the influence…
““I want to give just a slight indication of the influence the book has had. I knew that George Orwell , in his second novel, A Clergyman's Daughter , published in 1935, had borrowed from Joyce for his nighttime scene in Trafalgar Square, where Deafie and Charlie and Snouter and Mr. Tallboys and The Kike and Mrs. Bendigo and the rest of the bums and losers keep up a barrage of song snatches, fractured prayers, curses, and crackpot reminiscences. But only on my most recent reading of Ulysses did I discover, in the middle of the long and intricate mock-Shakespeare scene at the National Library, the line 'Go to! You spent most of it in Georgina Johnson's bed, clergyman's daughter.' So now I think Orwell quarried his title from there, too.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The author traces Orwell’s borrowing from Joyce, illustrating how writers recycle ideas across works.
In simple terms: Writers often borrow from each other.
Key Takeaway
Recognize intertextual links.
Themes
literature
influence
intertextuality
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
scholarly
reflective
When to use this quote
- academic research
- book clubs
- writing workshops
Key Concepts
plagiarism
creative borrowing
literary history
Questions to Reflect On
- How does borrowing affect originality?
- What responsibility do authors have to credit sources?
A Different Perspective
Attribution can be ambiguous.