Ulysses guide

candlegrease

Having read Ulysses cold and having really enjoyed it I now want a guide to help me with understanding some of the nuances.

Is an annotated text or a guide recommended? And which ones are recommended?

ush

candlegrease

yeah, I've heard that mentioned. I don't know if its any better than the others though.

Meathlass

I'd be really interested in any responses to this thread. Every year coming up to Bloomsday I say I'm going to read Ulysses and this year will be the one!

I have the text itself but would definitely like a guide to go with it as I started it before and got a bit lost.

con1421

This was by far the hardest book that I have ever read....I think that it's just a long stream of consciouness.The last chapter there is only about 8 full stops with Molly Bloom

Just the thought of reading it again scares me

Meathlass

con1421 wrote: »

This was by far the hardest book that I have ever read....I think that it's just a long stream of consciouness.The last chapter there is only about 8 full stops with Molly Bloom

Just the thought of reading it again scares me

Thanks, that's reassuring

candlegrease

Meathlass wrote: »

I'd be really interested in any responses to this thread. Every year coming up to Bloomsday I say I'm going to read Ulysses and this year will be the one!

I have the text itself but would definitely like a guide to go with it as I started it before and got a bit lost.

IMO if you can't read it without a guide it may not be worth the hassle for you. Reading with a guide really disturbs the rhythm, I wish to do so only as my initial reading was very enjoyable and now I want to understand the finer points. But by all means go ahead, the more people that reas Joyce the better.

con1421 wrote: »

This was by far the hardest book that I have ever read....I think that it's just a long stream of consciouness.The last chapter there is only about 8 full stops with Molly Bloom

Just the thought of reading it again scares me

Try Finnegans Wake if you think its hard!

Meathlass

candlegrease wrote: »

IMO if you can't read it without a guide it may not be worth the hassle for you. Reading with a guide really disturbs the rhythm, I wish to do so only as my initial reading was very enjoyable and now I want to understand the finer points. But by all means go ahead, the more people that reas Joyce the better.

Well I would read a chapter/section first then go to the guide if I needed to clarify any points and better understand the themes, then read the relevant chapter again.

I'm not saying I can't read it without a guide, just that I think it would be more revealing if I did.

pastorbarrett

I think the Declan Kiberd book provides useful and original insight. I think he over-eggs just how accessible he believes Ulysses to be, but the tone otherwise is not overtly academic and downright boring, which I've found pretty much all critical readings on Ulysses to be.

Also, the annotated students edition is really useful too. That alone is enough for anybody to get stuck in. True, it's a bit of a pain skipping back and forth between notes and text, but otherwise I think I would've missed out on far too much. With that in mind, and as daunting as it may seem now, a re-reading proves more rewarding.

Enjoy, it's a rewarding read.

OakeyDokey

ush wrote: »

meridiangroup I think you have convinced me to pick this up. Ulysses has been on my book bucketlist for ages and I can never seem to grasp it when I'm reading. I think a guide might help me.

pastorbarrett

Go for it! I'd personally recommend coupling it with the annotated edition if you can afford it. 'Ulysses & Us' may provide a nice introduction to the text too, prior to reading.

Also, not to bog you down in material that's not the actual book, but Ellmann's biography provides some great commentary while also being a fantastic read.

Come to think of it, I think one of the genuine and real difficulties with Ulysses is the amount of nonsensical and unnecessary reading material surrounding it.

Academic

I first read Ulysses when I was 17, many years ago. At the time I found Stuart Gilbert's _James Joyce's Ulysses_ to be very helpful. Gilbert was a friend of Joyce, and got much of his information from Joyce himself. He knew the book intimately, having translated it into French.

It depends on what you're looking for. Gilbert will orient you to the larger plan of the book, indicating why it is each chapter is stylistically different from the others, if you think that would be useful. It’s been in continuous print since the 1930s I believe, so there ought to be a lot of cheap used copies around if you want to buy one, and it should be in most libraries if you just want to borrow it.

Enjoy.

Cheers,

Ac

squeakyduck

I would definitely recommend Ulysses Unbound by Kiberd.

I was lucky enough to study Ulysses with him in undergrad and also in my Masters. He's a great guy who speaks and writes with such simple style and has an absolute adoration for Joyce and his books.

Terence Kileens Ulysses unbound was also helpful to me as was sparknotes when I couldn't get Ulysses Unbound from the library!

Academic

Happy Bloomsday, everyone.

Cheers,

Ac

OakeyDokey

A bit late but Happy Bloomsday

I've just downloaded Ulysses and Us... Might start it later depending how much work I get done. Really excited

Harry Angstrom

I think it's better to read Ulysses initially without any guide. It's more fun trying to work out what he means for yourself, even if some of it is very academic and esoteric. Afterwards, you can refer to a guide.
It's a bit like reading A Clockwork Orange without referring to the glossary at the beginning of the book. It's much more satisfying trying to figure it out for yourself as you go along.

Queen-Mise

What I found really helpful was listening to the audio at the time as reading the book.
I understood so much more in one reading of the book that I would have even with 3/4 readings.

Call Me Jimmy

I have never bothered with books like this before as I find it hard to justify to myself spending the time with something probably just based on myself wanting to feel 'cleverer' or more accomplished.

One thing I was thinking though, it sounds like it reads like he was high as kite at the time, I'm wondering has anyone read / listened to Ulysses in an altered state of consciousness?

Mardy Bum

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

I have never bothered with books like this before as I find it hard to justify to myself spending the time with something probably just based on myself wanting to feel 'cleverer' or more accomplished.

One thing I was thinking though, it sounds like it reads like he was high as kite at the time, I'm wondering has anyone read / listened to Ulysses in an altered state of consciousness?

Ulysses is purposefully difficult and takes, depending on ability, a lot of effort to get through. This effort is rewarded though. The book is meticulously written, if he was drunk (he did love the beer) at times writing he would have later edited it. Ever single word is there for a reason. The first chapter alone purposefully mimics in order to criticise more popular fiction at the time, whilst also satirising mass, follows The Odyssey layout and is full of references to other texts (Wilde cracked looking glass appears on the first page). The first two words of the book are also fiercely debated. I wouldn't bother with altering your consciousness.

endacl

Has anybody tried this as a guide?



Like many, Ulysses has been on my shelf for a looooong time. Studied Homer in college, but have yet to 'get around' to the Joyce. One of these days...

Mardy Bum

endacl wrote: »

Has anybody tried this as a guide?



Like many, Ulysses has been on my shelf for a looooong time. Studied Homer in college, but have yet to 'get around' to the Joyce. One of these days...

Joyce recommended it to his aunt.

endacl

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Joyce recommended it to his aunt.

Good stuff. I've a head start so...

petronius

As someone who has read most of Joyce's books - I say Ulysses is difficult, I often feel like a heathen to say I don't like it, or maybe I didn't enjoy it.
I found Dubliners, Portrait... easy enough to read, and even The Dead.
however i found Finegans Wake even worse that Ulysses.

vitani

Ulysses is next on my list. It's been sitting on my shelf for the past five years, mocking me, but I think I'm finally ready to start reading it.

I studied Portrait in college and loved it but have always been wary of Ulysses.

petronius

I do think a guide would help.
For me it was a book I started and had to persevere through. I was stubborn enough to finish it and I am glad I did finish it, but sadly I wouldn't have described it an enjoyable experience for me, perhaps due to my own limitations.

cloudatlas

I think this has been mentioned before but there is an online marked up version which combines Gifords and Blamires' Guides http://www.columbia.edu/~fms5/ulys.htm
There are two ways of approaching it. 1. read a summary of each chapter and then read the book without looking things up purely enjoying the language and then read Kiberd's book. or 2. get a guide and check some of the references. I did the former when I read T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland but I have started pencilling notes into my Ulysses because I feel like I am missing out on the subtext. This takes time however and I haven't got very far, some day I will finish it!