"He chooses to make his rebel, even in the act of rebellion, subject to the language of governance. This is a way, I'd suggest, to put her in her place right from the beginning, before she even leaves it."
Joyce criticizes Spenser for adhering to linguistic cultural norms while proclaiming the words of revolt. For his part, Joyce employs iconoclastic language and slang throughout his writing, as symbolic of his holistic rebellion against society's expectations. He believes that unless the author does so, their words betray them, just like Spenser.
"Autumn came next
costumed in yellow
radiating fulness and good
fellowship, a sickle
in his hand, to reap
the ripe yield of the earth"
Rewriting Spenser's poem in his own language, Joyce proves his point about the necessity of adapted language. He reduces the more languorous descriptions of Spenser's to these six short lines. Joyce's goal is to simply capture Spenser's discussion but to place it within an updated cultural context.
"I'm sick to death of seeing
this dodgy state of things, and aliented too
from all attachments in this so unperfect world,
those sky-flowers falling furiously."
This excerpt is again Joyce's interpretation of Spenser's poetry. He summarizes as well as reimagines the original text. Joyce employs modern slang in order to emphasize the colloquialism of his intent. He does not wish to confuse but to enlighten his reader, provided they are knowledgable enough to understand his coded language.
