Lenehan and the great outdoors U 7.612-13: O, for a fresh of breath air! I caught a cold in the park. The gate was open. a) A fresh of breath air
Lenehan has to sing for his supper, and he does so with a stock of mostly music-hall, pantomime witticisms and popular lore. Here is one ('a fresh of breath air' rather than 'a breath of fresh air') which he has picked up from sources such as the one cited below, and to which he gives another airing in Ulysses:
b) Catching a cold through an open gate The following quip about the cold picked up in the park because the gate was open had some currency in a slightly different wording for almost a century:
It seems possible that Lenehan’s insinuating remark about Molly Bloom was picked up as a unit that comprises fresh air and the open gate joke. In 1908 Dr Woods Hutchinson A.M., M.D. published a report promoting the benefits of fresh air. The Medical World approved, advising:
The newspapers eagerly picked up the slogan “Get the fresh-air habit”. The article by Dr Hutchinson (who became well known for his views on the ventilation of public places), was widely syndicated:
Harald Beck 1 The pantomime to which Vincent refers is probably Fortunio and his seven gifted servants, a fairy extravaganza by J. R. Planché (1843) |
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