Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses/Circe/483

thumb|600px|center|page=486 Annotations Contact with a goldring, they say5It is still a common superstition that contact with a gold ring will cure a stye.Gifford (1988) 494. This, apparently, is based on the myth that styes (and acne) occur in young women at the onset of menstruation due to sexual repression or masturbation. The cure is marriage (i.e. contact with a gold wedding ring).Inman W. S. 1946 Styes, Barley and Wedding Rings The British Journal of Medical Psychology John Wiley & Sons 20 4 331–338 Argumentum ad feminam5(Latin) Argument to the woman.Gifford (1988) 494.Thornton (1968) 396. Argumentum ad hominem (argument to the person) is the name of a fallacious form of reasoning in which one attempts to refute a statement by discrediting the person who asserts that statement. Argumentum ad feminam generally denotes a fallacy in which the lynchpin of the argument reflects poorly on female nature. Virag seems to be alluding to the myth (see the previous annotation) that styes in young women are caused by sexual repression or masturbation, the cure being marriage to a man. References Annotations to James Joyce's UlyssesPreceding Page | Page Index | Next Page