Skip to content

INELUCTABLE MODALITY OF THE VISIBLE: AT LEAST THAT IF NO…

“INELUCTABLE MODALITY OF THE VISIBLE: AT LEAST THAT IF NO MORE, thought through my eyes. Signatures of all things I am here to read, seaspawn and seawrack, the nearing tide, that rusty boot. Snotgreen, bluesilver, rust: coloured signs. Limits of the diaphane. But he adds: in bodies. Then he was…” quote by James Joyce
Download Open image
““INELUCTABLE MODALITY OF THE VISIBLE: AT LEAST THAT IF NO MORE, thought through my eyes. Signatures of all things I am here to read, seaspawn and seawrack, the nearing tide, that rusty boot. Snotgreen, bluesilver, rust: coloured signs. Limits of the diaphane. But he adds: in bodies. Then he was aware of them bodies before of them coloured. How? By knocking his sconce against them, sure. Go easy. Bald he was and a millionaire, maestro di color che sanno . Limit of the diaphane in. Why in? Diaphane, adiaphane. If you can put your five fingers through it, it is a gate, if not a door. Shut your eyes and see. Stephen closed his eyes to hear his boots crush crackling wrack and shells. You are walking through it howsomever. I am, a stride at a time. A very short space of time through very short times of space. Five, six: the nacheinander . Exactly: and that is the ineluctable modality of the audible. Open your eyes. No. Jesus! If I fell over a cliff that beetles o'er his base, fell through the nebeneinander ineluctably. I am getting on nicely in the dark. My ash sword hangs at my side. Tap with it: they do. My two feet in his boots are at the end of his legs, nebeneinander . Sounds solid: made by the mallet of Los Demiurgos . Am I walking into eternity along Sandymount strand? Crush, crack, crick, crick. Wild sea money. Dominie Deasy kens them a'. Won't you come to Sandymount, Madeline the mare? Rhythm begins, you see. I hear. A catalectic tetrameter of iambs marching. No, agallop: deline the mare . Open your eyes now. I will. One moment. Has all vanished since? If I open and am for ever in the black adiaphane. Basta ! I will see if I can see. See now. There all the time without you: and ever shall be, world without end.””

James Joyce

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage explores perception, reality, and the thin veil between the visible and invisible, using vivid, fragmented imagery.

In simple terms: Seeing beyond the obvious reveals deeper truths.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions and look deeper.

Themes

perception reality language existence

Mood

introspective enigmatic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • art analysis
  • meditation
  • creative writing
  • philosophical debate

Key Concepts

phenomenology stream of consciousness symbolism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does fragmented narrative affect understanding?
  • What “gates” does perception open?
A Different Perspective

The abstract style may obscure meaning for many readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by James Joyce

Explore all 707 James Joyce quotes

More Favorite quotes

Browse all 1,856 Favorite quotes