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Have you read Ulysses?

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    #62
    Fuinseog
    Registered Users Posts: 5,371 ✭✭✭Fuinseog


    mosin wrote: »
    My news years resolution every year is to read Ulysses but frankly I find it a bit daunting. Is there such thing as a reading group you can join specifically to help you get through Ulysses? Wud love to join one in the Dublin area.

    why bother when you can watch the movie?


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    #63
    marienbad
    Registered Users Posts: 9,463 ✭✭✭marienbad


    Fuinseog wrote: »
    why bother when you can watch the movie?

    Then why bother with the movie when you can just watch the trailer ?


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    #64
    Lady von Purple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 318 ✭✭Lady von Purple


    I've read almost all of Ulysses, I skipped sections here and there though so I'll be interested to see if this reading group happens. If it does, count me in as well!
    I'd love to be able to honestly say I read the whole thing. :cool:


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    #65
    Wereghost
    Registered Users Posts: 324 ✭✭Wereghost


    Read it once in 2003 or thereabouts and listened to the audiobook more recently. It really only takes off about three quarters of the way through, in my experience. Maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention.


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    #66
    Queen-Mise
    Registered Users Posts: 7,461 ✭✭✭Queen-Mise


    I read Ulysses in about 3 weeks (:D:D:D:D).

    Ok, I didn't really. What I did do was I had the audio of the book and listened to it whilst reading. It took about three weeks to do it. But I would highly recommend doing it - in the first chapter alone Buck Mulligan goes through about 10 different accents which is not possible to get whilst reading.

    I really enjoyed doing it this way - and understood so much - it would have taken me at least six months to read... even if I had finished it. I will be able to read it again now without the audio as I have some idea what it is about.


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    #67
    Clementine2010
    Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭Clementine2010


    Its just been released added onto an existing iPhone App called 3D classic literature Collection, only 0.79€ just bought it, planning on reading on train etc. Should take about 10 years! Will let you know how I get on!


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    #68
    Giruilla
    Registered Users Posts: 1,595 ✭✭✭Giruilla


    I'm currently reading Ulysses right now... haven't found it hard going so far. Absolutely beautifully written. Joyce can capture a scene in one line in what it would take other writers 2 pages!

    Does the book get completely incomprehensible at same stage?? I'm wondering why people are so afraid of this book!


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    #69
    PurpleBee
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭PurpleBee


    Giruilla wrote: »
    I'm currently reading Ulysses right now... haven't found it hard going so far. Absolutely beautifully written. Joyce can capture a scene in one line in what it would take other writers 2 pages!

    Does the book get completely incomprehensible at same stage?? I'm wondering why people are so afraid of this book!

    The first two chapters are quite straight forward.

    There are three places where a lot of people give up, chapter 3 (Proteus), chapter 9 (Scylla and Charybdis) and chapter 14 (Oxen of the Sun).

    The first sentence of Oxen is absolutely terrifying but it gets easier from then on. If you read an introduction to each of those three chapters to figure out roughly what Joyce is trying to do it helps. I don't know how I would have made it through them without some extra help.


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    #70
    Giruilla
    Registered Users Posts: 1,595 ✭✭✭Giruilla


    PurpleBee wrote: »
    The first two chapters are quite straight forward.

    There are three places where a lot of people give up, chapter 3 (Proteus), chapter 9 (Scylla and Charybdis) and chapter 14 (Oxen of the Sun).

    The first sentence of Oxen is absolutely terrifying but it gets easier from then on. If you read an introduction to each of those three chapters to figure out roughly what Joyce is trying to do it helps. I don't know how I would have made it through them without some extra help.

    I'm on chapter 5 now. I'm just enjoying reading it without any help at the moment, but I just looked at a summary and analysis of chapter 3 there. I definitely missed/misunderstood a few things!! Still though, I'm going to stick with this.. I think I'll read a chapter summary after I've finished reading each chapter.


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    #71
    PurpleBee
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭PurpleBee


    I don't know if you've come across the Gilbert schema but it kind of helps give a sense of the structure without giving away what happens, not that much happens in the first place!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_schema_for_Ulysses


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    #72
    Giruilla
    Registered Users Posts: 1,595 ✭✭✭Giruilla


    PurpleBee wrote: »
    I don't know if you've come across the Gilbert schema but it kind of helps give a sense of the structure without giving away what happens, not that much happens in the first place!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_schema_for_Ulysses

    Yeah thats actually written into the version of the book I have!
    What is it though, just motifs to be aware of while reading?


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    #73
    PurpleBee
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭PurpleBee


    Joyce composed it and gave it to his friend Stuart Gilbert to help him recognise the patterns in the work. Its only a rough guide and Joyce didn't necessarily stick to it rigidly himself. But I think it's helpful.


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    #74
    david_etc
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭david_etc


    The Gilbert Schema is a strange one because Joyce obviously wanted people to understand the Homeric allusions (Ellmann says that when his mother claimed she didn't understand Ulysses that he told her to go out and buy a child's rendition of the Odyssey), yet just before Ulysses was eventually published as a whole he removed the Homeric chapter titles. The fact that we still call them Telemachus, Nestor etc is us bringing the allusion back to the book, rather than the book bringing them to us.


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    #75
    PurpleBee
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭PurpleBee


    david_etc wrote: »
    The Gilbert Schema is a strange one because Joyce obviously wanted people to understand the Homeric allusions (Ellmann says that when his mother claimed she didn't understand Ulysses that he told her to go out and buy a child's rendition of the Odyssey), yet just before Ulysses was eventually published as a whole he removed the Homeric chapter titles. The fact that we still call them Telemachus, Nestor etc is us bringing the allusion back to the book, rather than the book bringing them to us.

    I'd say its related to Stephen's relationship with Shakespeare in that Joyce wanted to recreate Homer within the consciousness of Ulysses (Joyce's one) rather than having his work defined by the voice of the past.


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    #76
    david_etc
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭david_etc


    PurpleBee wrote: »
    I'd say its related to Stephen's relationship with Shakespeare in that Joyce wanted to recreate Homer within the consciousness of Ulysses (Joyce's one) rather than having his work defined by the voice of the past.

    I don't think you're wrong, but the fact that the novel is called Ulysses certainly draws attention to the parallels rather than them being merely a recreation within its consciousness. It's quite overt in that manner. I'm still not exactly sure where I lie in the whole Joyce's-relation-to-Homer thing. Really interesting subject.


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    #77
    Red Hand
    Registered Users Posts: 4,986 ✭✭✭Red Hand


    I have read about 10 pages of it, got distracted by something else and it is on my bookshelf since. That was about a year ago.


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    #78
    david_etc
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭david_etc


    You should definitely try and pick it up again.


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    #79
    Kinski
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,555 ✭✭✭Kinski


    david_etc wrote: »
    You should definitely try and pick it up again.

    Opening it helps, too. ;)


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    #80
    rich.d.berry
    Registered Users Posts: 517 ✭✭✭rich.d.berry


    I gave up too finding it very heavy going. I got about a third of the way through. I still have it sitting on the bookshelf and have from time to time considered giving it another go, but I lack the courage to follow through. Maybe someday.


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    #81
    Giruilla
    Registered Users Posts: 1,595 ✭✭✭Giruilla


    About 500 pages into Ulysses at the moment. Felt like giving up once or twice but really enjoying it now. Some chapters are really confusing, but the online guides help a lot. Think the Cyclops chater and Nausicaa have been my favourite so far!


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    #82
    BookBunny
    Registered Users Posts: 8 ✭BookBunny


    I studied Ulysses in college, and I have to say even though I only read bits of it (impossible to read the whole thing in two weeks) I found it pretty amazing. Although boring and heavy at times, it did capture my attention, and it did have interesting aspects of Irish life at the time (superstitions in particular). I enjoyed it, and would attempt to read the whole thing when I finish my degree and have more time.


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