Ulysses Draft Analysis

Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun

Details of the various draft stages.

Compiled by Danis Rose and John O'Hanlon
Draft Analysis Oxen of the Sun

2017 edition U pages 341-379
1922 edition U pages 368-407

Oxen Sections
Using Joyce's own numeration in the manuscripts, the episode can be divided into sections: a prologue, the nine months of gestation, and an epilogue.
  • (–)     U84 14.1–U84 14.1-70
  • (I)      U84 14.71–U84 14.122
  • (II)     U84 14.123–U84 14.276
  • (III)    U84 14.277–U84 14.428
  • (IV)    U84 14.429–U84 14.473
  • (V)     U84 14.474–U84 14.528
  • (VI)    U84 14.529–U84 14.650
  • (VII)   U84 14.651–U84 14.844
  • (VIII)  U84 14.845–U84 14.1109
  • (IX)    U84 14.1110–U84 14.1439
  • (–)     U84 14.1440–U84 14.1591

Early Drafts

Buffalo MS V.A.11:
School exercise book (Trieste) with purple paper covers. [10] leaves of unlined paper, 23.8 x 19.5 cm. Text in Joyce's hand in black ink on rectos, with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. The rectos are numbered 1-10 by Joyce. “OXEN OF THE SUN” handwritten on label on front cover
Buffalo MS V.A.12:
School exercise book with tan paper covers. [16] leaves of ruled paper, 22.7 x 16.2 cm. Text in Joyce's hand in black ink on rectos, with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. The rectos are on leaves 1-13 are numbered 11-23 by Joyce.
NLI Add MS 36,639/11A (NLI.11A):
School exercise book (Trieste) with purple paper covers. [10] leaves of unlined paper, 23.8 x 19.5 cm. Text in Joyce's hand in black ink on rectos, with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. The first 6 rectos are numbered 1-6 by Joyce, 7 and 8 are unnumbered, 9 and 10 blank.
NLI Add MS 36,639/11B (NLI.11B):
School exercise book with marbled purple-grey covers. [20] leaves of ruled paper, 20.4 x 15.2 cm. Text (discontinuous) in Joyce's hand in black ink on rectos, with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. The leaves are unnumbered, and several pages are blank.
u14.0 (eo-text)
First draft of fragment (U84 14.264-276} for close of section II written on verso of (unnumbered) last leaf of copybook V.A.12.
u14.1 (proto-text)
Draft (probably first for most of the text) of the episode written across 4 copybooks; In this draft stage the sections, though identifiable, are not clearly marked out by Joyce.
  • MS:,
  • [prologue] V.A.11 fols. 1, 2, (U14.11-70)
  • [I] V.A.11 fols. 2, 3, 4, (U14.71-122)
  • [II] V.A.11 fols. 4, 4v-5, 5v-6, 6v-7, 7v-8, (U14.123-276)
  • [III] V.A.11 fols. 7v-8, 8v-9, 9v-10 (U14.357), V.A.12 fols. fcv-11v-11, 12, (U14.277-428)
  • [IV] V.A.12 fols. 12, 12v-13, 14, (U14.429-473)
  • [V] V.A.12 fols. 13v-14, 14v-15, (U14.474-528)
  • [VI] V.A.12 fols. 15, 15v-16, 16v-17, 17v-18, 19, (U14.529-650)
  • [VII] V.A.12 fols. 18v-19, 19v-20, 20v-21, 21v-22, 22v-23, 23v-[24] (U14.651-812),
  • [VIII] NLI.11A fols. 1, 1v-2, 2v-3, 3v-4, 4v-5, 5v-6, (7), (U14.845-1109)
  • [IX] NLI.11A fols. 6v-(7), (7)v-(8), (U14.1173), NLI.11B fols. 2, 3, 2v, 4, 5, 6, 6v-7, 8, 10, 10v-11, 12, (U14.1110-1439)
  • [epilogue] NLI.11B fols. 9v-12, 12v-13, 13v-14, 14v-15, 15v-16 (U14.1440-1583)
  • Reproduced (V.A.11 and V.A.12): JJA 14: 7-25, 28-55
  • Published edition (NLI.11A and NLI.11B): The Dublin Ulysses papers, vol. 1, ed. Danis Rose (East Lansing: House of Breathings, 2012), pages 95-108.
  • Notebooks used: Sheets 14 (Oxen), Sheets 19 (Virtual), UN1 (NLI.3), UN4 (NLI.5A), UN5 (NLI.5B), Sheets 12 (Cyclops)
u14.1+ (proto-redraft)
Rewritten versions of opening of section I, and fragments of sections VII and IX written on the versos of pages in V.A.11 and NLI.11B.
  • MS:V.A.11, fol. 1v, 2v, 3v, 4v; NLI.11A, fol. 5v; NLI.11B, fol. 7v
  • Reproduced (V.A.11 only): JJA 14: 8
  • Published edition (NLI.11B only): The Dublin Ulysses papers, vol. 1, ed. Danis Rose (East Lansing: House of Breathings, 2012), page 109.
  • Notebooks used: Sheets 14 (Oxen), UN5 (NLI.5B)

Fair Copy

Buffalo MS V.A.13:
School exercise book (Trieste) with purple paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 6-8 (numbered 1-3 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on one verso. “I” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
Buffalo MS V.A.14:
School exercise book (Trieste) with grey paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-8 (numbered 1-7 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. “II” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
NLI Add MS 36,639/11C (NLI.11C):
School exercise book (Trieste) with brown paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-6 (numbered 1-5 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. “III” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
Buffalo MS V.A.15:
School exercise book (Trieste) with grey paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-3 (numbered 1-2 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on versos. “IV” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
NLI Add MS 36,639/11D NLI.11D): School exercise book (Trieste) with purple paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-3 (numbered 1-2 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. “V” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
Buffalo MS V.A.16:
School exercise book (Trieste) with tan paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-6 (numbered 1-5 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on versos. “VI” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
Buffalo MS V.A.17: School exercise book (Trieste) with purple paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-9 (numbered 1-8 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on versos. “VII” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
Buffalo MS V.A.18:
School exercise book (Trieste) with purple paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-10 (numbered 1-9 by Joyce), with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on versos. “VIII” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
NLI Add MS 36,639/11E NLI.11E):
School exercise book (Trieste) with purple paper covers. [10] leaves of ruled paper, 20.3 x 14.8 cm. Text in black ink on rectos 2-10 (numbered 1-9 by Joyce), and on the versos of leaves 10, 9, 8 (numbered 10-12 by Joyce) with pencil and ink revisions in margins and on facing versos. “IX” handwritten in orange-red crayon on label on front cover.
NLI Add MS 36,639/11F NLI.11F):
3 loose unnumbered sheets of ruled paper, 34.5 x 21.4 cm. Text in black ink on one side only, with pencil and ink revisions in margins.
u14.2
Fair copy of the episode, divided by Joyce into sections and written in onto 9 small copybooks (6 now at Buffalo and 3 at the National Library of Ireland). The prologue is found written at the end of the previous draft's copybooks and the epilogue is written on three loose sheets (at the National Library): in this listing we give Joyce's numbering and also (in parentheses) the notebook page number: Trieste, late April–mid May 1920
  • MS:
  • [prologue] NLI.11B fols. 19v, 19-18v, 18-17v (U14.1-70)
  • [I] V.A.13 fols. 1 (nb 11), 1v-2 (nb 12-13), 3 (15)(U14.71-122)
  • [II] V.A.14 fols. 0v-1 (nb 2-3), 1v-2 (nb 4-5), 3 (nb 7}, 4 (nb 9), 5 (nb 11), 5v-6 (nb 12-13), 6v-7 (nb 14-15) (U14.123-276)
  • [III] NLI.11C fols. 0v-1 (nb 2-3), 1v-2 (nb 4-5), 2v-3 (nb 6-7), 3v-4 (nb 8-9), 5 (nb 11) (U14.277-428)
  • [IV] V.A.15 fols. 1 (nb 3), 2 (nb 5) (U14.429-473)
  • [V] NLI.11D fols. 0v-1 (nb 2-3), 1v-2 (nb 4-5) (U14.474-528)
  • [VI] V.A.16 fols. 0v-1 (nb 2-3), 1v-2 (nb 4-5), 3 (nb 7), 4 (nb 9), 5 (nb 11) (U14.529-650)
  • [VII] V.A.17 fols. 0v-1 (nb 2-3), 1v-2 (nb 4-5), 2v-3 (nb 6-7), 4 (nb 9), 5 (nb 11), 5v-6 (nb 12-13), 6v-7 (nb 14-15), 8 (nb 17) (U14.651-844)
  • [VIII] V.A.18 fols. 1 (nb 3), 2 (nb 5), 2v-3 (nb 6-7), 3v-4 (nb 8-9), 4v-5 (nb 10-11), 6 (nb 13), 7v (nb 16), 6v (nb 14), 5v (nb 12), 6 (nb 13), 6v-7 (nb 14-15), 8 (nb 17), 9 (nb 19) (U14.845-1109)
    [IX] NLI.11E fols. 0v-1 (nb 2-3), 1v-2 (nb 4-5), 2v-3 (nb 6-7), 3v-4 (nb 8-9), 4v-5 (nb 10-11), 6 (nb 13), 6v-7 (nb 14-15), 8 (nb 17), 9 (nb 19), 10 (nb 20), 11 (nb 18), 13-12-8 (nb 14-16-17) (U14.1110-1439)
    [epilogue] NLI.11F fols. 1, 2, 3 (U14.1440-1587)
  • Reproduced: (V.A.13, V.A.14, V.A.15, V.A.16, V.A.17, V.A.18) JJA 14: 61-64, 68-79, 82-83, 88-94, 98-110, 115-132
  • Published edition (NLI.11B, NLI.11C, NLI.11D, NLI.11E and NLI.11F only): The Dublin Ulysses papers, vol. 1, ed. Danis Rose (East Lansing: House of Breathings, 2012), pages 129-146.
  • Notebooks used: Sheets 14 (Oxen), UN4 (NLI.5A), UN5 (NLI.5B), Sheets 12 (Cyclops)
u14.3 (proto-text)
Final working draft or fair copy (posited original for the first typescript and the Rosenbach manuscript); missing apart from some loose pages (numbered the same as the Rosenbach manuscript) forming the bulk of the “epilogue” section: it is likely that this draft, if it existed in a complete state as a separate entity, was assembled piecemeal; Trieste, late April–mid May 1920

Rosenbach MS and Typescripts

u14.4' (Gabler—R & V)
Fair copy (ink); made from final working draft, prepared for sale to John Quinn; Trieste, May 1920
u14.4   (Gabler—B)
First typescript (posited, missing) made from the final working draft.
u14.5   (Gabler—C)
Second typescript: exemplar (incomplete, covers U84 14.514–end only) prepared and revised for publication in Little Review (September-December 1920, published U84 14.1-400 only).
  • MS:Wisconsin-Milwaukee, missing, 10-28
  • Reproduced: JJA 14: 141-159
  • Notebooks used:
u14.5'   (Gabler—C)
Second typescript: spare exemplar (incomplete) containing a few of the corrections made in 1920.
  • MS Buffalo V.B.12.b: missing, 18-20, missing, 26- 27, missing
  • Reproduced: JJA 14: 246-266
u14.5''   (Gabler—C)
Second typescript: spare exemplar (incomplete) containing a few of the corrections made in 1920.
  • MS Buffalo V.B.12.c: missing, 18, missing, 20
  • Reproduced: JJA 14: 246-266
u14.6   (Gabler—D)
Second typescript: exemplar made in 1920 but prepared for the printer of Ulysses in 1921.

Placards and Proofs

u14.7   (Gabler—1)
First placards; covers U84 14.1–U84 14.976 only; (PL 42-1), (PL 43-1) dated by the printer 27 October, 29 October 1921
u14.8   (Gabler—2)
Second placards; (PL 42-2), (PL 43-2), (PL 45-1) dated by the printer 3 November, 6 November, 10 November 1921
u14.9   (Gabler—3)
First page proofs; covers U84 14.1–U84 14.772 only
  • MS Buffalo V.C.1: gatherings (←) 23a, 24
  • Reproduced: JJA 25: 253-256, 291-306
  • Notebooks used: UN4 (NLI.5A)
u14.10   (Gabler—4)
Second page proofs; (PP 23) dated by the printer 19 November 1921; (PP 25) dated by the printer 21 November 1921, marked “Bon à tirer” and dated 3 December 1921; (PP 26) dated by the printer 22 November 1921.
  • MS Buffalo V.C.1: gatherings (←) 23b, Princeton 24, Texas 25, V.C.1 26 (→)
  • Reproduced: JJA 25: 269-272, 307-322, 341-356, 359-364
  • Notebooks used: UN4 (NLI.5A), UN5 (NLI.5B)
u14.11   (Gabler—5)
Third page proofs (lacks a new version of gathering 25, covering U84 14.730–U84 14.1353); (PP 23) marked “Bon à tirer” and dated 25 November 1921; (PP 24) marked “Bon à tirer” and dated 3 December 1921; (PP 26) dated by the printer 1 December 1921, marked “Bon à tirer” and dated 7 December 1921.
  • MS Texas: gatherings (→) 23, 24, ..., 26
  • Reproduced: JJA 25: 286-288, 323-338, 365-371 (→)
  • Notebooks used: UN4 (NLI.5A), UN5 (NLI.5B)
u14.11+   (Gabler—5)
Last-minute additions for U84 14.683–U84 14.729 (missing).

Errata (post 1st edition)

u14.12'   (Gabler—6)
“Errata”: printed errata list for first edition; 2 copies
  • MS:BL Add MS 57356, 29, 33
  • Reproduced: JJA 12: 205, 212