Discussion - Week Ten - Ulysses - Conclusions

[Jim]

This discussion covers our conclusions about the book as a whole.

[Casey]

So, who made it all the way through? I just set down the book after reading the final words, and I'm not sure what to think about it. I wrote a bit of a review here on goodreads; Jim, I hope it's okay for me to repost it here.

I need to take some time before rating and reviewing this book. Reading Ulysses is an undertaking, and now that I've finished it I cannot articulate my reaction. Certainly, I had to push myself to finish reading this book, as the process often became infuriating. However, the lovely ephemeral moments of clarity somewhat justified Joyce's general style of overwhelming obfuscation. At this point, I'm glad to have finished (and I want to drink a glass bottle of wine).

Ulysses felt a lot more satisfying in college, when I possessed a good deal more snobbery and fancied myself the tortured artist type. Now, I mostly feel a vast sense of ennui. Perhaps I'm now starting to get the intended emotional effect?

It's difficult to sum up what Ulysses is "about." I can think of some themes, and some stylistic (meta-narrative) aspects, but they don't really capture it. Right now, I really just want to unwrap how I feel about it. How do you all feel about it?

[Jim]

Casey wrote: "So, who made it all the way through? I just set down the book after reading the final words, and I'm not sure what to think about it. I wrote a bit of a review here on goodreads; Jim, I hope it's o..."

If you write a longer review in the future, you can post a link to it in this thread.

I'm with you. Having finished, I'm not sure exactly what to say. I know that I read an amazing work of literature and I know it will be on my perennials list, but I'm not entirely ready to articulate my reasons yet.

I could write many little criticisms of this or that, but they seem like gnats buzzing around a giant ox who is not going to be even mildly affected by my whining.

I've had the flu all week and have been struggling with that while contemplating Ulysses, my mind in a haze of herbal and homeopathic potions, all to a soundtrack of early 70's FM rock with Joni Mitchell's 'Raised on Robbery' in surrealistically high rotation until I can imagine Molly singing "I'm a pretty good cook, sittin' on my gro-cer-eeez, Come home with me honey, I'll show you my best rec-i-peeez..." Somehow, Poldy has met-him-pike-hosed into my flu-addled mind and now I too can only think of Molly's bottom in terms of food - - "I was raised on robbery...."

When the fever breaks, I'll write more...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L45NJ-...

[Ashley]

Well, I just finished reading the last section. My thoughts and feelings are quite jumbled about it all. It's like there's so much to say about it, but I can't begin to know where to start or how to express my thoughts/feelings.

Jim wrote: "I know that I read an amazing work of literature and I know it will be on my perennials list, but I'm not entirely ready to articulate my reasons yet."

Precisely.

Casey wrote: "It's difficult to sum up what Ulysses is "about." I can think of some themes, and some stylistic (meta-narrative) aspects, but they don't really capture it. Right now, I really just want to unwrap how I feel about it. How do you all feel about it?"

Yes, it is very difficult to sum up what Ulysses is about. I'm more left with impressions and ideas than a coherent picture of the book. I feel that I'll have to ponder for a while before knowing exactly how I feel about it. All I can say at the moment is that I enjoyed it, for the most part, and certainly appreciated it; I know this is a work that will stick with me.

[Whitney]

Kind of lame metaphor here, but I compare Ulysses to a (literal) long trek as opposed to a day hike. When I get back from a day hike with a particular goal (the top of a mountain, a lake) I can go on for some time about the hike, how the view was totally worth it etc.. When I get back from a several day backpack trip, I usually don't have much to say ("yeah, it was cool"). I can discuss details with fellow hikers (the nasty boulder field at mile 8, the nice creek-side stroll on day 2), but I don't usually have a summary opinion of the entire experience.

[Ashley]

Whitney wrote: "Kind of lame metaphor here, but I compare Ulysses to a (literal) long trek as opposed to a day hike. When I get back from a day hike with a particular goal (the top of a mountain, a lake) I can go ..."

Actually, I think that metaphor works really well here! That pretty much sums up my feelings about it. Although I'm not very outdoorsy, so perhaps not hiking. Ha. It feels like when I got back from studying abroad, and people would ask me "what was it like?." How do you begin to discuss that sort of experience succinctly? I'd try to say something impressive, but my answer was basically what you said, Whitney: "Yeah, it was cool." I'm having the same issue here....

[Carly]

I couldn't make it - he lost me when he started droning on with all that body parts discussion.

[Carly]

Mind you, I've kept all the material on my drive - the recordings, the text, etc. I might - if I'm in the zone to do so - go back into again and just skip the parts that ticked me off.

I was disappointed - I really liked Bloom. I was looking forward to seeing what was going to happen with him. Then I come to 2 disks that went on and on and on about that orgy he was either imagining or participating in. It all seemed so ridiculous - so childish.

I just expected more out of this author. I'm so disappointed. Especially after I dropped just about everything else I was planning to read to study this novel.

Oh well . . . I'm into The Waste Land now. Not that far into it, but enough that I've been reading the online material on it.

Anyway - as the guy in Hitchhiker to the Galaxy says - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!

Ha ha!