Jack Trainor answers “I have tried reading this book twice but...”

Deepak Pitaliya asked this question about Ulysses:

I have tried reading this book twice but could not get past 30-40 pages. I even read Iliad and Odyssey before starting this book as the book is supposed to draw some parallel with Odyssey. Is it readable?

Jack Trainor Much of the book is stream-of-consciousness -- semi-connected thoughts bouncing around in someone's head -- often lacking context. One could figure it…moreMuch of the book is stream-of-consciousness -- semi-connected thoughts bouncing around in someone's head -- often lacking context. One could figure it out with multiple close readings, but unless one doesn't mind being lost much of the first time, I recommend keeping a good guide at hand.

I used Harry Blamires' "The Bloomsday Book," which provides basically a paraphrase summary of each chapter and points out many of the connections. I don't think I could have finished "Ulysses" without it.

I also read the Stuart Gilbert book on Ulysses and the Ellman bio of Joyce. Those were helpful, but Blamires made the difference.

There's a more recent edition, "The New Bloomsday Book," which uses page numbers linking to more recent editions of Ulysses (such as Gabler) rather than the older editions (such as the Random House/Modern Library).

Recently I discovered an online hyperlinked version of the "Ulysses" text with explanatory roll-over messages. Looks good, but have only read the first chapter in that format:

http://www.columbia.edu/~fms5/ulys.htm (less)

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Frank D Get the RTE (Radio Telefis Eirann) version.
Jul 12, 2020 06:53PM · flag

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