Ulysses

Proof of Joyce's ingenuity

What people don't understand when reading Joyce's Ulysses- is that it is not so much the plot of the book that is important but way the book is written; people claim that it's boring. It is complicated but that is what makes the book the third most researched piece of literature...right behind Shakespeare's work and the bible. That alone says a lot about the work. The complicatedness was intentional. Joyce is a genius and this proves it. How many authors can claim they've parodied the greatest figures in literature--Homer, Shakespeare, Dante, and the bible? Does anyone realize that each chapter is written from a different character's point of view, each chapter is written in a different style, each chapter's is written to follow Homer's Oddyssey?

Ulysses is not made for people who want to sit back and just read and not think. It is not made to entertain people. It is written for people who APPRECIATE LITERATURE.

16 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

Well worth the effort

A first reading of Ulysses can be daunting, if not downright frustrating. Take it in bite-sized chunks and keep an excellent description (such as The New Bloomsday Book by Blamires) by your side and you'll be on your way. A previous reading of The Odyssey, though useful, is by no means required, as Joyce draws on myriad sources in addition to Homer.

Subsequent readings will come much more easily and reveal a mastery of the language that cannot be compared to any other book or author. Once you get the hang of it, you'll realize it isn't nearly as opaque (or pretentious) as it's made out to be. It's actually laugh out loud funny in many places.

Even better, find an audio version of the book or read it aloud (especially the Penelope chapter -- the last in the book). It's a book to be heard as well as read.

Also, there are DVDs of a walking tour of Joyce's Dublin that I found enormously useful in adding context to the book -- the city is itself a character.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Not getting it.

I've tried, but I have not been able to finish this. It's not easy reading, so it may just be that it requires longer spans of reading time than I am willing to give.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Beware of the Perfection.

This IS the greatest and best book ever written, but casual readers beware, it is also the most difficult to read book ever written.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A Book for Healthy Minds Only

Carl Jung 'diagnosed' this book as 'schizoid,' and it's a fact that Joyce's daughter Lucia had the disease schizophrenia. I studied this disordered work fifteen years ago as a senior in college, and two years later I had my initial episode of the dreaded mental illness schizophrenia. I believe that my illness would have happened anyway - but, just in case, I would strongly caution those who are already diagnosed away from not only _Ulysses_ but also _Finnegan_ and anything by Ezra Pound (especially _The Cantos_). I love the fact that Joyce rips anti-Semitism to shreds in _Ulysses_, but the schizoid language in places is just too much for me and I suppose others like me to handle. If you do get an overdose of Joyce, a pretty down-to-earth antidote is Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

well, what is there to say?

This IS a great novel--probably the high-water mark of the art form. Brilliant by any measure, it caries so many layers of meaning that one feels like Krishna's mother, when she saw all the universe in her son's open mouth.... Tenzing--I strongly suggest you consult one of the excellent works that break down some of the stickier themes in Ulysses. My favorites are Joseph Campbell's Mythic Worlds Modern Words (which has an amazing section on that very weird word, CONTRASMAGNIFICANJEWELBANGTANTIABILITY, along with much else); and Blamire's wonderful Bloomsday Book, which I think came out in a revised edition a few years back.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Huge, puzzling, fantastic

Most readers probably won't be able to approach this famous novel without some outside aid, but don't let that deter you. I've read parts of it many times and still haven't any idea what the central theme is supposed to be, yet it remains a fascinating work. The book is less about plot and character as it is about the creative use of language - stream-of-consciousness, changing narrators, parodies and other rhetorical devices are some of the techniques Joyce uses to the fullest. This is one of those rare books that can be read over and over and something new understood each time. For that alone, I recommend this to curious readers.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

New insights bloom with each read

I have to confess to being torn concerning this book labeled by many as the best of the 20th Century. I can appreciate the achievement: paralleling Homer with each chapter while employing just about every literary device available is to be commended. Bloom is truly a creation fit for modern literature. On the other hand, I get the feeling Joyce is toying with me as I read, flaunting his genius. Perhaps he has licence to do so. When a book is able to generate such potent responses, it is great. Several readings are needed to appreciate this book. My professor in Joyce seminar poured over this book for years and found new insights each time. The Cliff's Notes to Ulysses are not very good. For a better reading aid, opt for the Bloomsday Book instead (yes, you will need an aid of some sort).

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

20th century best novel

It is the best novel but also the most demanding one. In order to properly read it it took me four months and a course in Columbia University but every single minute I´ve spend with it couldnt be more intense and fruitfull. It takes a lot of work but the reward is inmense. Now I'm reading finnegans wake and each page is so full with connections, references, etc.. that it will take me at least 4 or 5 months, I can wait!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well worth the initial confusion

Ulysees can be a bit inaccessible at times but well worth the initial confusion. Perhaps the finest work of modernist literature I have read, Joyce's stream of consciousness technique is often imitated but has never been equaled. I WOULD however, suggest reading Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man BEFORE tackling this difficult work.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ulysses

Confusing
What's a gunrest?

Do not get the New Century Books edition

It is not formatted at all, just blocks of text and dialogue with no spacing between. It's already a tough read without trying to figure what is being narrated and what the characters are saying. Do not buy the New Century Books edition. This was my first e-book purchase and I am totally disappointed. I am obviously going to have to spend more time previewing copies if just anyone can publish an e-book.

Do not buy this book -- there are errors in text

While skimming this book a few minutes after buying it, I found two errors in the text: a misspelled word on one page and a paragraph accidentally repeated on another. A line-by-line comparison would probably find many more.

This kind of sloppiness might be acceptable in some cheap digital reprints, but not in a book like Ulysses, whose precise wording is an important part of its meaning. Unfortunately, Barnes & Noble offers multiple versions of Ulysses for the Nook but tells you nothing about how they were prepared, so the other versions might be just as bad. But definitely don't buy this one.

Not worth reading

I in good faith tried to read this book and did. What I encountered was nonsensical rambling. What's great about this book is beyond me. Just another in a series of overrated books that pretentious snobs will drool over while other people who look for literary value and a good story will throw the book in the fireplace to get some worth out fo it.

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Undisputed Champ of Writing

The best prose I've seen in a book by the greatest author ever. Though not much happens and the things that happen aren't noticeable or forgettable it is a must read based on prose alone.

Mediocre

The story is boring and not very exciting. The audiobook feels rushed, like there's a race to finish. The authors commentary at the end is especially nauseating, he goes on and on about how great his book is and how much everybody loves it. There are so many really great books out there I wouldn't waste my time on this one.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Joyce's Gift to the World

I view Ulysses not just as a piece of literature, but the most eloquent and amazing vision of life, love, fidelity, and compassion set over the course of one day in Dublin. Beauty through alliterations, allusions, and metaphors are scattered throughout the text that light up each page and set the bar for what literature SHOULD be. Joyce modeled himself after the two key characters, Stephen, being the young Joyce, and Leo, being the much older and wiser Joyce. Through this work we see a kaleidescope of wonder and amazement and sheer honesty of society as this work paralells Homer's The Odyssey. I strongly urge anyone who has the dillegence and patience to read this book and take time doing so this work was not meant to be an easy read, but rather a fulfilling journey that will touch your soul unlike anything in history of literature. I can truly say that this book changed my life, and I love it dearly.

Horrible!

This review refers to the audiobook reading, not the text. First-- Jim Norton has a British accent, not an Irish accent. Anywhere I read has that it is so much more enjoyable read out loud 'with a brogue'. Second-- He rushes through the reading. It seems his intent is just to get through the text as fast as possible, rather than convey each word or phrase. Third-- There is no emotion in his voice (this is a problem with many audiobooks.) Each word has the same emotional weight. He might as well be reading a phone book. My advice if you want to hear this read aloud--call me and I will read it to you over the phone. Maybe the long distance charges will come to less than the cost of this collection.

Interesting book if you could hear it

Enough has been said by other reviewers about the book itself, you either like it or hate it. However, trying to listen to this recording will drive you as mad as many feel Joyce was when he wrote this book. The reader speaks in the quietest voice for much of the book, so quiet I had to turn the cd player up higher than it has ever gone before. Then, the reader suddenly exclaims /yells for a character and the radio is blasted out. Very poor audio quality. However, if like me you can't stand reading Joyce but want to know what the story is all about, this is better than the full unabridged version on cd.

American Literature at its best

Perhaps the toughest book you will ever read, James Joyce's 'Ulysses' stands as a crowning achievment in English literature. Though tough to interpret, after completing this novel the reader will fill a since of achievment upon completion of this book. A must read for any serious English Literature student.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.