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Ulysses by James Joyce Readalong & Re-Readalongs (2014, 2016); Audio Listen-Along (2017)
What I want to know is......what "average man" masturbates in public???!!!! :D
Petra wrote: "What I want to know is......what "average man" masturbates in public???!!!! :D"Lol! A friend told me a story once, but think it would be highly inappropriate to repeat it here.
Mod
:D ....that could be why this book was banned as indecent when it first came out. Charbel, ....um, ...... what more can I say? LOL!
One of the three versions I have of Ulysses is one I got quite a while ago by EbookEden. com . It's currently unavailable on Amazon for some reason . I read the overview and here are a few interesting facts :1. There are about 265,000 words in the book .
2. " In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Ulysses first on its list of the 100 best English language novels of the 20th century .
3. Joyce once said that he'd " put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant ,"
4. The original did not include the episode titles but were added in some releases after the obscenity trial since the links to The Odyssey were used in the defense of it .
I have also come across synopses of the episodes and I am not going to read those until after I read each episode myself to see how much I get or don't get (which is probably more like it !)
This feels like we are gearing up for a long mental journey.
I just read that the longest sentence in English literature , 4,391 words are in the last episode , by Molly Brown . And my husband thinks I talk a lot . I will be bringing this to his attention .
Angela wrote: "I have also come across synopses of the episodes and I am not going to read those until after I read each episode myself to see how much I get or don't get (which is probably more like it !) ..."Interesting facts, Angela! Joyce seems to have been a master at funning with people.
Your strategy for reading the book is good. I did that last time and plan on doing it again this time. I found it helpful for following along and yet the synopses' included things that went over my head completely. Maybe this time round, some of those things will make sense? We'll see.
Angela wrote: "I just read that the longest sentence in English literature , 4,391 words are in the last episode , by Molly Brown .
And my husband thinks I talk a lot . I will be bringing this to his attention ."
LOL!
Diane S. wrote: "This feels like we are gearing up for a long mental journey."It is a difficult read, that's certain. But it's also an interesting one. We don't have to go into the depths of The Odyssey, the colours, the organs, etc. We can just enjoy the story for what it is.
Whatever comes out of our group read, we're going to have fun with this.
Angela wrote: "I just read that the longest sentence in English literature , 4,391 words are in the last episode , by Molly Brown . And my husband thinks I talk a lot . I will be bringing this to his attention ."
Angela you are priceless!
Evelyn , maybe I should read aloud to him !
Yes, at least that one very long sentence!!
Yes I meant that one sentence - lol
Petra wrote: "That's two of us that will be away soon. Perhaps its better to wait until everyone is back.I'll be back by September 7. How about we start on September 8th? Will we all be back from vacation then..."
8th works for me too. Also slow reads sounds good - gives time to reads notes and perhaps reread.
Petra wrote: "I just had a look at my copy. The first chapter is 15 (small-printed) pages long. This is fairly short for most books but Ulysses may take extra time & discussion. Is everyone fine with reading &..."
In my copy the first chapter goes from p3 to p47. Are we talking about the same thing. The last words of the chapter are: ....."silently moving, a silent ship" ????
Sorry. I googled it and now see what you mean. I was looking at PART 1 which is divided into 3 EPISODES. Episode 1 goes from p3 to p22. Seems to be a nice amount to start with.
Are we excited to start? For Chapter 1 (Telemachus), here is a bit of a synopsis of Chapter 1 (Telemachus) of The Odyssey:
A mob of suitors is devouring the estate of Odysseus and courting his wife, Penelope, in hopes of taking over his kingdom.
She is accomplished and clever, still beautiful, an heiress and presumably a widow; but she clings to the hope that Odysseus might come back, and holds them off, without ever saying positively that she will never marry again.
Their son, Telemachus, an infant when Odysseus left but now a young man, is helpless to stop them. He has resigned himself to the likelihood that his father is dead.
With the consent of Zeus, Athena (in the disguise of Odysseus’s old friend Mentes) travels to speak with Telemachus. She advises Telemachus to call together the suitors and announce their banishment from his father’s estate.
He then gives the suitors notice that he will hold an assembly the next day at which they will be ordered to leave his father’s estate.
Two particularly defiant suitors rebuke Telemachus and ask the identity of the visitor with whom he has just been speaking. Although Telemachus suspects that his visitor was a goddess in disguise, he tells them only that the man was a friend of his father.
I'm very excited to start.I read The Odyssey as part of my ancient civilization course. I was actually surprised at how easy I found it. In fact, I still remember the whole story, which I hope will help in tackling this book.
Petra ,Thanks for the synopsis . Since I have not read The Odyssey , I think that reading a brief synopsis is a great idea .
Are we beginning to read on the 8th or is that when the discussion opens ?
That's actually a good question as I'm a bit confused about that as well.
I thought we were starting reading on 8th and discussing during that week. Hope it's not before then.
I am very happy about the other enthusiasm for this read! It means we'll have a great time together.We are going to start reading on the 8th and start discussing during the week.
I read the first few pages the other day; not to start (I'm going away for a few days & have no time for Ulysses) but to get a feel for it again. I found the first joke! It was a "groaner", not a "LOL" but I recognized it. LOL! That was a first! :D
Charbel wrote: "I'm very excited to start.I read The Odyssey as part of my ancient civilization course. I was actually surprised at how easy I found it. In fact, I still remember the whole story, which I hope wil..."
Charbel, I was surprised at the ease of reading it, too. I will never forget the "wine red sea" which was mentioned so often. :D
I really liked the translation I was recommended. The words flowed so nicely.
I'm heading out today for a few days of hiking/walking with my step-dad. I'll be back by our start date and am looking forward to this group read. I've been meaning to reread Ulysses for awhile now and am happy to have such great company along the way. I really hope we all like this book.
I'd like to join, if i may. I started reading Ulysses month ago but (only a few pages) and stopped because of my Bachelor thesis.
Gökhan wrote: "I'd like to join, if i may. I started reading Ulysses month ago but (only a few pages) and stopped because of my Bachelor thesis."You're very welcome, Gökhan.
Gokhan, welcome to our Ulysses group read! (sorry about not adding the umlaut to your name; I don't know how to do that)I'm back from my hiking trip. We had a great time with 3 days of terrific hiking. My step-dad leaves tonight and I'll be able to start reading Ulysses tomorrow.
How are we all doing? Are we ready to start? Has anyone started already?
I will be starting tomorrow! Can't wait!
Mod
Welcome back Petra . Glad to hear you had a great time .I did start reading because I may not be as present here towards the end of next week since I have out of town family visiting for a few days . I wanted to be sure that I would have Episode 1 read so I could comment before they arrive .
I'll only say right now that I survived ! Lol . I read it first , then read a summary to be sure I understood what I had read and then I read an analysis .
Has anyone else started it ?
I'm ready to start too. Also wondering how far to read in first week
Anne , I think we agreed on Episode 1 . The number of pages depends on the version you have .
I will be starting it this evening, looking forward to our read together!
We had thought to start with one chapter per week and see how it goes. Using that as a guideline, here is our reading schedule. I'll also post this in the first post of this thread so that it doesn't get lost. Look it over and let me know what you think. We can amend it at any time to suit everyone. Some chapters are very short (which doesn't necessarily mean "easy"), so we may want to double up some weeks (or not....it's entirely up to you all).
Please be honest. I'd like for us to enjoy this book. It has it's tedious moments and its hard-to-read segments. I don't want anyone leaving the read because of stress. :D
Reading Schedule: (page numbers are from this edition of the book:
)Part 1:
Sept 8: Chapter 1 (Telemachus) pages 5-19 (last word: "Usurper.")
Sept 15: Chapter 2 (Nestor) pages 20-29 (last words: "dancing coins")
Sept 22: Chapter 3 (Proteus) pages 30-40 (last words: "silent ship")
Part 2:
Sept 29: Chapter 4 (Calypso) pages 43-54 (last words: "Poor Dignam!")
Oct 6: Chapter 5 (Lotus Eaters) pages 55-66 (last words: "floating flower")
Oct 13: Chapter 6 (Hades) pages 67-87 (last words: "this morning")
Oct 20: Chapter 7 (Aeolus) pages 88-110 (last words: "was known")
Oct 27: Chapter 8 (Lestrygonians) pages 111-134 (last word: "Safe!"
Nov 3: Chapter 9 (Scylla And Charybdis) pages 135-160 (last words: "bless'd altars."
Nov 10: Chapter 10 (Wandering Rocks) pages 161-186 (last words: "closing door")
Nov 17: Chapter 11 (Sirens) pages 187-212 (last word: "Done.")
Nov 24: Chapter 12 (Cyclops) pages 213-250 (last words: "a shovel.")
Dec 1: Chapter 13 (Nausicaa) pages 251-276 (last word: "Cuckoo")
Dec 8: Chapter 14 (Oxen of the Sun) pages 277-307 (last words: "it on.")
Dec 15: Chapter 15 (Circe) pages 308-428 (last words: "waistcoat pocket.")
Part 3:
Dec 22: Chapter 16 (Eumarus) pages 431-467 (last words: "lowbacked car")
Dec 29: Chapter 17 (Ithaca) pages 468-520 (last word: "Where?")
Jan 5: Chapter 18 (Penelope) pages 521-552
I like that pace. It looks good. I think at this pace I might read "The Odyssey" at the same time.
Petra, this looks fantastic,thank you for making this so easy for all of us!
Thanks , Petra. I like this pace too because I think if I were to just try to read it straight through , it might be too easy to give up . This way we can take a breather in between and read other books in between as well . Thanks so much for doing all of this !
Hey, guys! I'm new to the group and I'm interested in reading Ulysses with you, but I can only start by the beginning of October. I'll catch up with you then!
Thanks! I'm happy to do this. I thought Ulysses was a tough but good read when I read it years ago. I was grateful for the group read that I belonged to at the time. I'm truly looking forward to this read with you all and rereading this book. I'm glad to be here for you all and have you here for me. Mostly, we'll have fun.
Welcome, Renato! Jump in whenever you can. We look forward to you're joining us.
A quick synopsis of what's been said about Chapter 1 (Telemachus) so far:The Sheila Variations – Telemachus Blog entry:
http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=7543
Map of Dublin with markers showing locations within the book (so that we can follow Stephen & Bloom’s day):
http://joyce-ulysses.net/?q=node/20
Stephen Dedalus:
At the beginning of Ulysses, it is over two years after the end of Portrait. Stephen has been back in Dublin for over a year, having returned to sit at his mother’s deathbed.
Stephen’s artistic talent is still unrealized — he is currently a reluctant teacher of history at a boy’s school. He is disappointed and moody and is still dressed in mourning over the death of his mother almost a year ago.
Stephen’s interactions with various characters — Buck, Haines, Mr. Deasy — in the opening episodes of the book crystallize our sense of the damaging ties and obligations that have resulted from Stephen’s return to Ireland.
At the beginning of Ulysses, Stephen is a self-conscious young man whose identity is still in formation.
The various themes (?) in Telemachus:
TIME: 8.oo am.
SCENE: A Martello tower (erected by the British to repel French invasion during the Napoleonic wars) at Sandycove on the shore of Dublin Bay, 7 miles southeast of Dublin.
ORGAN: None
ART: Theology
COLOURS: White, gold
SYMBOL: Heir
TECHNIQUE: Narrative (young)
CORRESPONDENCES: Telemachus & Hamlet/Stephen; Antinous/Mulligan; Mentor/the milk woman. Sense: Dispossessed son in struggle.
For Chapter 1 (Telemachus), here is a bit of a synopsis of Chapter 1 (Telemachus) of The Odyssey:
A mob of suitors is devouring the estate of Odysseus and courting his wife, Penelope, in hopes of taking over his kingdom.
She is accomplished and clever, still beautiful, an heiress and presumably a widow; but she clings to the hope that Odysseus might come back, and holds them off, without ever saying positively that she will never marry again.
Their son, Telemachus, an infant when Odysseus left but now a young man, is helpless to stop them. He has resigned himself to the likelihood that his father is dead.
With the consent of Zeus, Athena (in the disguise of Odysseus’s old friend Mentes) travels to speak with Telemachus. She advises Telemachus to call together the suitors and announce their banishment from his father’s estate.
He then gives the suitors notice that he will hold an assembly the next day at which they will be ordered to leave his father’s estate.
Two particularly defiant suitors rebuke Telemachus and ask the identity of the visitor with whom he has just been speaking. Although Telemachus suspects that his visitor was a goddess in disguise, he tells them only that the man was a friend of his father.
....and we begin. Happy reading. Looking forward to your thoughts. Hope we all enjoy this read.
Thank you, Petra! And happy reading, everyone!
Thanks Petra, it's all coming together quite nicely thanks to you.I started this morning. I read the introduction which in my copy was written by Declan Kiberd. It really helped in my launching myself in the book, and it's safe to say that I'm hooked. I rarely read introductions, the latest one I think was that of Lord of the flies, and am really surprised at how helpful it has been.
As for the book, I'm still in the beginning (obviously) but I'm already in love with the dialogue.
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By naming his book Ulysses, Joyce was attempting to lasso Homer's epic. He wanted to pull it down to earth, to reveal the way that ordinary people make heroic quests in their daily lives. In Joyce's novel, our epic hero is an average Jewish ad salesman who has been feeling a bit dumpy lately because he hasn't been doing Sandow's Exercises. On top of that, his wife is cheating on him, he has a head full of sexual neuroses, he has bad gas, and at one point he even decides to masturbate in public. Leopold Bloom is one average guy. The point, though, is that no matter how average we think we are, we are living lives worthy of literary epics.
One way Joyce turns a day in a man's life into a heroic epic is by opening up his thoughts, by moving the epic from the realm of action to the realm of the mind. In the 20th century, he seems to be saying, our odysseys take place between our ears. And it is there that we battle despair, jealousy, self-loathing, ignorance, lack of understanding, and boredom.
A last point, which we borrow from critic Hugh Kenner's excellent guide to Ulysses. At one point in the book, Molly wants to know what metempsychosis is. Bloom has trouble explaining it, but the basic idea is that it is reincarnation, your soul coming back again in another form. Kenner takes the idea of metempsychosis and argues that Bloom is not just an imitation of Ulysses. He is Ulysses. That's not to say that the book presupposes that reincarnation is possible and that Bloom is Ulysses reincarnated in the flesh. But in the sense that both Ulysses and Bloom came from the creative minds of authors with similar purposes, they are very much one and the same, albeit in different circumstances.