Britannica Sources used in this answer

What happens in the “Oxen of the Sun” chapter of Ulysses?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

In the "Oxen of the Sun" chapter (Episode 14) of Ulysses, the narrative takes place at a maternity hospital. To symbolize the biological growth of a fetus in the womb, James Joyce employs a complex stylistic device: the language of the chapter evolves through every historical stage of English prose, beginning with Anglo-Saxon and progressing chronologically to the present day.1