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Ulysses by James Joyce Readalong & Re-Readalongs (2014, 2016); Audio Listen-Along (2017)
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Cosmic wrote: "Pink wrote: "It's a rarity that I re-read anything, but I think listening will give me a different experience. You should all join in! Most of the chapters average an hour, so I'll fit that around ..."Personally, I find the characterization of the opening scene here as a black Mass a misleading exaggeration. Mulligan is very definitely mocking Stephen and Stephen's former relationship with Catholicism. But I don't think Mulligan cares that much about Stephen or the Catholic mass to go to that much trouble. He's just jerking Stephen around to entertain myself at Stephen's expense. Just a thought. - )
Petra wrote: "I started listening on this morning's commute.The first section was a little bit about the history of Ulysses and Joyce's writing of it.
He started loosely writing the novel in 1910.
The book w..."
That's very interesting. I've never heard of the Iowa story before. I always thought that it was a Federal Ban enforced by the United States Post Office. Denying the importation of the book. Very interesting. - )
Gill wrote: "I just finished Lotus Eaters. I, also, am finding it much easier listening, especially for the difference between the internal monologue and speech.3rd time round it's often like remeeting an old..."
More than a running gag, it becomes a dishonest rumor that cause Bloom some very unjustified difficulties. (Actually, Margo Norris, a famous Joyce critic argues in her Virgin and Veteran Readings that Bloom may be forced to do something drastic because of the rumor.)
Pink wrote: "Oh now I'm getting confused about the newspaper. I thought he threw it away earlier and it was this newspaper in the river, but now I'm not so sure (there was a mention of a crumpled throwaway, flo..."Gill wrote: "Something I've just noticed in Hades. Someone comments that Bloom used to work at Hely's the Stationers. Isnt that the name on the billboards that are being carried by 5 men in a different section?..."
Petra wrote: "I agree; despite being in public, it was a very private moment between Gerty and Bloom."It should be remembered that Bloom plans, near the end of Lotus-Eaters, to masturbate during his bath.
Petra wrote: "Oh dear.....I was afraid there would be a rabbit hole in the Rose and UP......Gill, both the Rose and UP came up somewhere at the beginning sections of the book as jokes and/or general comments. ..."
The Rows of cast steel was Lenehan's riddle in the newspaper office. Up:up is what was written on the postcard that Mrs Breen's husband received and she shows it to Bloom when they run into each other in Lestrygonians.
Petra wrote: "The dead hand writes on the wall, "Bloom is a cod".Vardaman states, "My mother is a fish".
Were Joyce & Faulkner "chum"my? LOL!"
Though Faulkner appears to have been influenced by Joyce I'm not sure if they ever communicated. Joyce did exchange letters for a while with H. L. Mencken.
Petra wrote: "2018, Terri......2018.... LOL!I agree. I've thought that Molly & Bloom disconnected at the death of Rudy because they didn't handle the grief together and were still both grieving apart. But the ..."
I think Bloom stops having sex with Molly as the only 100% effective means of birth control. As he fears another tragedy like Rudy.
Molly certainly enjoys her afternoon with Boylan, but he neither kissed her, nor, more importantly hugged her. Lust is one thing, while love is something slightly different. It's not until Bloom slides into his defiled marriage bed that Molly finally receives the hug she wanted.
Whether this is Molly's first or X affair is very hard to say. What I think can be said with some certainty is that it is her first affair at home; since Milly has just recently started living away from home. Just some thoughts. - )
Mark, I'm really enjoying your comments. This probably is Molly's first affair at home (whether or not she's had other affairs). That may be why Bloom is obsessing about it throughout the book. It's more of an intrusion than other affairs would have been (if real).
The Bloom's do care for each other and I don't think that either of them wants a life without the other. But they've lost the physical side and it's not surprising that they both think (and Molly has acted upon) of having an affair. That kind of closeness is much missed when it stops being a part of Love.
It would be a shame if Bloom is using abstinence as birth control. That would be very unfair to Molly and himself.
Thank you, Petra!Sixteen years is a long time for any couple. And the tragedy of Rudy's death has left them both damaged. Bloom even carries condoms around in his wallet, but he seems not to have confidence in their efficacy.
I think Bloom has already forgiven Molly by the time he gets into bed. He seems to be use to forgiving those that trespass against him on a regular basis. He also, I think, recognizes he is certainly culpable: forcing his wife to look for attention outside the home.
But what I think most important when it comes what will happen to the Bloom's after the last page is Bloom's addiction to to Molly's warmth in bed. All day long the word warmth comes into his mind when thinking about his wife. "How can one be warm alone." The famous line from Ecclesiastes comes to mind.
Thank you so much for allowing me access to your read. It was Pink who suggested it to me, in a conversation at another location. - )
Terri wrote: "Thanks, Pink! I feel like this is the chapter in which I fell in love with Joyce. :)(The blind stripling and the man in the mackintosh are becoming old friends.)"
Hi Terri - IMHO Circe is the best thing Joyce ever wrote! - )
Gill wrote: "I've just reached where Shakespeare appears:(Stephen and Bloom gaze in the mirror. The face of William Shakespeare, beardless, appears there, rigid in facial paralysis, crowned by the reflection ..."
I've always translated "ineluctable modality" as undeniable reality.
Cosmic wrote: "I have been in a bit of a lull. I started listening to the Joseph Campbell videos about Joyce /Ulysses. They have helped make me more curious about the chapter again.I was looking up something in..."
1934. Ulysses became legal in the U.S. in 1934. - )
Cosmic wrote: "In the introduction of the Oxford edition of Ulysses it says:In December 1921, two months before Ulysses was published, the French novelist, poet, and critic Valéry Larbaud presented the book to ..." I've read quite a lot of Bakhtinn.p,mbut I don't actually remember this reference, The main bookshops I have read by him is called the dialogicc imagination
So I'm gearing up for next read who else is joining me? !
Gearing up to start when, Gill? ........
We are starting on 1.1.18 to do a 3-month read of Ulysses over at the other club! (Catching up on Classics) It won the election! - )
Thanks, Mark! I've joined the group and will introduce myself soon. It looks like a Ulysses reread is in the works.
Petra wrote: "Thanks, Mark! I've joined the group and will introduce myself soon. It looks like a Ulysses reread is in the works."
Cool! I'm looking forward to it in both venues! - )
Haha, another year of Ulysses, nobody can resist!
Cool! I feel like I am in just the right place, at just the right time! - )
Great here we go here we go here we go! Just-in-time to fit in for my visit to Dublin for Bloomsday. Bit of an in joke actually Monday I'll explain!
So I am going to read Ulysses. Many many years ago when I was 20 years old I spent three months in a small village south of Dublin. Since then I have been fascinated with Irish history and literature. Five years ago I spent a month travelling through Ireland spending many hours in local pubs and touring old cathedrals and castles. I am approaching my read with a view to looking for Irish, English references as to local characters and history and what it says about these. Also to simply enjoy his wonderful use of language and his often bawdy sense of humour.
That is not to say that I am not interested in connections to Homer's Odysseus or in Giffords's annotations but am not going to try to read them completely myself.
Connie, you'll bring a fantastic perspective to this discussion. I hope you comment and let us know about where you are in the book, your thoughts, ask any questions..... anything Ulysses. If I remember correctly we didn't spend a lot of time with Odyssey connections, although we did discuss them a bit.
I hope you go back to some of our discussions. There were good points and observations made.
Thanks for revitalizing this thread.
Just finished Telemachus for the second time. Parts of it considerably more than that. It did get easier for me as I became more use to the frequent switch from dialogue to inner thoughts and the voice of the narrator. A couple personal notes: I spent many hours sitting on the grass at the base of a Martello tower in Saint John ( in 1975 -76 ) reading enjoying the solitude and beautiful view. Never saw the inside.
I grew up in the late fifties and early sixties as a Catholic and remember masses said in Latin. My older brother and friends often used Latin phrases from the mass, so when Mulligan uses such phrases as "In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti" I can hear it in the voice of my brother.
When I visited Dublin a few years ago my husband and I spent many hours in a local Pub/restaurant /small hotel called Oliver St. John Gogarty. So I was fascinated to learn that this is who Mulligan is fashioned after.
Gogarty was a physician/politician/writer who had an on again off again relationship with Joyce. He was known for his wit and off colour jokes (as are many Irishmen). He leased the Martello Tower on the outskirts of Dublin. The story goes goes that he offered the tower to Joyce who spent at least a few nights there. The story ges that an Englishman by the name of Dermott Trench was also staying at the tower and this is who Haines is taken from. Supposedly there was an incident with a gun that ended the visit. If you would like to read more about this check out this https://bloomsandbarnacles.com/2018/0.... Sassenach by the way means Englishman or foreigner common knowledge for lovers of the outlander series which I am.
This book is Ireland with its disdain for the English, conflicted feelings when it comes to the Catholic church, and love of the gab and bawdy jokes.
Wow Connie its nice to read your comment. Really wonderful to know the places exist which have been immortalised in this grand work. The book I am reading is Wordsworth Classics edition. The chapters are not named. I am on second chapter which starts with Leopold Bloom eating meal.
Nidhi, the first three chapters are together called The Telemachus. Post 2 of this thread has the 3 sections of the novel broken down into which chapters belong to which section, if you're interested. Connie, I love the picture of you reading at the base of a Martello tower. I'd love to see one at sometime.
How interesting that the pub you & your husband spent time in can be tied back to this novel (in name, anyway). It's small connections like this that bond us to this story. It's timeless.
Joyce made numerous connections throughout this work. It's fun to catch them as we read through this.
Mod
Did you come up north to Belfast?
My workplace is across the road from St Anne's Cathedral and before getting this job, I never thought about tourism in Belfast but especially this past summer, I'm noticing so many tourists, mainly American and Asian who love to see the cathedral, every time I leave my work building for lunch, I end up showing people back to the cathedral. It's opened my eyes, maybe because I'm not religious and had no interest myself but I find it fascinating.
Alannah Clarke no unfortunately we did not go north of Dublin at all. We talked about it but there just wasn't time to do everything. We followed the coast south from Dublin ending in Connemara then crossing across back to Dublin. We both really loved our time there so may go back one day
Went out today and purchased my own copy of Ulysses today. Had been using library book but feel a need to mark it up with highlights and comments, think I will make sure everything is in one colour as I think this may very well not be the last time I read this.Nidhi what are thinking of the read so far?
Connie wrote: "....think I will make sure everything is in one colour as I think this may very well not be the last time I read this...."I do this, too. I use a different colour ink with each reading.
Hi all Petra how many times you’ve read Ulysses ?😊
Connie, I have two problems first is the structure of the book, both my hardcopy and the ebook on my iPhone don’t have 18 chapters so I’m reading the book first then look for explanations.
Second is my pace is slow, on working days I get 1 hr. If I finish the book this year, it will be achievement for me lol. But I will be following you and the threads diligently. I have also reduced books in my challenge from 100 to 80.
I've read it 3 times & listened to it once. The best discussions were the times we read it here in this thread. The story gets better every time because I always learn more and make more observations. If you follow the comments in this thread you'll find very insightful views (not from me but from the others).
I'm not reading it this time; just following along. I may read an episode or two for a refresher later on.
The last read took me 6 months and was one of my most enjoyable reads. Ulysses is best when taken slowly. The pace you are reading it at, Nidhi, is perfect.
Thanks Petra. I knew single read is not enough for this book. Glad to be part of this group.
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I like the idea of Parallax. It would help us all if we..."
Parallax is such an interesting word. The two different views might be Stephen's and Bloom's, and the object might be the Artist. Sort of making Bloom and Stephen two different representations of the same person? Just a thought. - )