Ulysses

oldmanofthehills

Well-known member
Joined
13 Aug 2010
Messages
4,703
Location
Bristol / Cornwall
Visit site
I tried, lord knows I tried. Well written drivel and enough surplus words to drown a thousand innocent souls. Having got about a third of the way through I still have no idea what the book was about - or perhaps I just wiped away the traumatic memories. :confused:
 

AuntyRinum

Well-known member
Joined
30 Jul 2003
Messages
10,871
Location
Travelling
Visit site
I tried, lord knows I tried. Well written drivel and enough surplus words to drown a thousand innocent souls. Having got about a third of the way through I still have no idea what the book was about - or perhaps I just wiped away the traumatic memories. :confused:
My experience, as well. Supposedly the finest book written during the twentieth century.
 

Euphonyx

Well-known member
Joined
29 May 2010
Messages
3,527
Location
Dublin
Visit site
How many here have finished it?

Yes. Together with Dubliners and A Portrit of the Artist as a Young Man. I was told you had to read all three to experience the context of the Masterpiece. I live next to the Martello tower that features in the opening and often take a dip in “The sea, the snotgreen sea, the scrotumtightening sea” of Dublin bay! I can attest to the accuracy of that passage at any rate...
 

ianc1200

Well-known member
Joined
6 Dec 2005
Messages
3,179
Location
Frinton on Sea
Visit site
Some years ago got the whole book on MP3's - transferred to CD's I think about 35 CDs. Listened in the car going to work, many times each CD. Eventually could understand/relate to it all apart from the flight of consciousness in the brothel where Bloom's father came down the chimney. Clearly the best bit was the finish - Molly's soliloquy.

However, flushed with the success of at least listening to it all, got Finnegans Wake CD's/book of explanation. No way could I even start to understand that book.
 

chriss999

Well-known member
Joined
9 Oct 2012
Messages
5,731
Location
Devon, England
sailing-chinee.com
I read Ulysses last year. Some chapters made no sense to me & I skipped bits, but on the whole I enjoyed it. Each chapter is written in a different style, so that made the book fascinating but also pretty maddening at times.
Finnegans Wake - not for me!!
 

Star-Lord

Well-known member
Joined
25 Jan 2020
Messages
1,232
Location
?
Visit site
I have a copy downloaded on Audible, marinated by Donal Donnelly. Obviously my intention was to enjoy the book without having to read it. After a few minutes of listening I turned on the internet looking stuff up, trying to understand it all and keep track of the characters. It was impossible!
Next time I will put on the headphones and not press rewind and just go with the flow. It is only 42 hours and 18 mins long.
 

Slowtack

Well-known member
Joined
27 Feb 2007
Messages
2,585
Visit site
Managed it last year........only because recovering from a shoulder op and couldnt sleep for couple weeks. When asked what she thought of it Marylin Monroe said she hadnt understood it all but "liked the sound of it"......not a bad answer.
 

Slowtack

Well-known member
Joined
27 Feb 2007
Messages
2,585
Visit site
I see Ulysses has reared its head again.............
I came across a guide like this and found it useful in understanding the discontinuities and thought chasms between the various episodes.
If I can find the one I used I will post on here
  • Episode 1: Normal novel.
  • Episode 2: An informal catechism.
  • Episode 3: Elitist masculine monologue.
  • Episode 4: Poking fun at great historic heroes.
  • Episode 5: The hypnotic nature of religion.
  • Episode 6: Death.
  • Episode 7: Making fun of journalism (it's written like a newspaper; pay attention to the headlines).
  • Episode 8: Food puns, everything can be eaten and everything eats in this chapter.
  • Episode 9: Making fun of Hamlet and elitists who debate over obscure pieces of literature (in particular making fun of certain scholars who would later analyze Ulysses).
  • Episode 10: This chapter has nothing to do with the main characters. It is instead presented as a series of short stories surrounding the side characters. The humor is that it is in fact largely pointless and that most of the side characters make fun of the main characters.
  • Episode 11: Everything is a music pun. A lot of onomatopoeia is used.
  • Episode 12: There are two narrators: one is hyper-colloquial to the point of not making sense and one is hyper-scientific to the point of not making sense. The competition between the narrators produces the comedy.
  • Episode 13: Narrated by a young girl and everything is a sex joke.
  • Episode 14: An elaborate parody of all the great English authors.
  • Episode 15: Written as a hallucinatory play in a red-light district.
  • Episode 16: This chapter is very ambiguous and the comedy comes from mistaking characters for other characters.
  • Episode 17: Written as a catechism, the comedy comes from the hyper-scientific question and answer format being applied to the mundane.
  • Episode 18: Streaming consciousness of Bloom's wife.
Thus endeth the lesson!
 

Wansworth

Well-known member
Joined
8 May 2003
Messages
29,960
Location
SPAIN,Galicia
Visit site
I see Ulysses has reared its head again.............
I came across a guide like this and found it useful in understanding the discontinuities and thought chasms between the various episodes.
If I can find the one I used I will post on here
  • Episode 1: Normal novel.
  • Episode 2: An informal catechism.
  • Episode 3: Elitist masculine monologue.
  • Episode 4: Poking fun at great historic heroes.
  • Episode 5: The hypnotic nature of religion.
  • Episode 6: Death.
  • Episode 7: Making fun of journalism (it's written like a newspaper; pay attention to the headlines).
  • Episode 8: Food puns, everything can be eaten and everything eats in this chapter.
  • Episode 9: Making fun of Hamlet and elitists who debate over obscure pieces of literature (in particular making fun of certain scholars who would later analyze Ulysses).
  • Episode 10: This chapter has nothing to do with the main characters. It is instead presented as a series of short stories surrounding the side characters. The humor is that it is in fact largely pointless and that most of the side characters make fun of the main characters.
  • Episode 11: Everything is a music pun. A lot of onomatopoeia is used.
  • Episode 12: There are two narrators: one is hyper-colloquial to the point of not making sense and one is hyper-scientific to the point of not making sense. The competition between the narrators produces the comedy.
  • Episode 13: Narrated by a young girl and everything is a sex joke.
  • Episode 14: An elaborate parody of all the great English authors.
  • Episode 15: Written as a hallucinatory play in a red-light district.
  • Episode 16: This chapter is very ambiguous and the comedy comes from mistaking characters for other characters.
  • Episode 17: Written as a catechism, the comedy comes from the hyper-scientific question and answer format being applied to the mundane.
  • Episode 18: Streaming consciousness of Bloom's wife.
Thus endeth the lesson!
Thanks,might have another go,if I can find a copy
 

Star-Lord

Well-known member
Joined
25 Jan 2020
Messages
1,232
Location
?
Visit site
I see Ulysses has reared its head again.............
I came across a guide like this and found it useful in understanding the discontinuities and thought chasms between the various episodes.
If I can find the one I used I will post on here
  • Episode 1: Normal novel.
  • Episode 2: An informal catechism.
  • Episode 3: Elitist masculine monologue.
  • Episode 4: Poking fun at great historic heroes.
  • Episode 5: The hypnotic nature of religion.
  • Episode 6: Death.
  • Episode 7: Making fun of journalism (it's written like a newspaper; pay attention to the headlines).
  • Episode 8: Food puns, everything can be eaten and everything eats in this chapter.
  • Episode 9: Making fun of Hamlet and elitists who debate over obscure pieces of literature (in particular making fun of certain scholars who would later analyze Ulysses).
  • Episode 10: This chapter has nothing to do with the main characters. It is instead presented as a series of short stories surrounding the side characters. The humor is that it is in fact largely pointless and that most of the side characters make fun of the main characters.
  • Episode 11: Everything is a music pun. A lot of onomatopoeia is used.
  • Episode 12: There are two narrators: one is hyper-colloquial to the point of not making sense and one is hyper-scientific to the point of not making sense. The competition between the narrators produces the comedy.
  • Episode 13: Narrated by a young girl and everything is a sex joke.
  • Episode 14: An elaborate parody of all the great English authors.
  • Episode 15: Written as a hallucinatory play in a red-light district.
  • Episode 16: This chapter is very ambiguous and the comedy comes from mistaking characters for other characters.
  • Episode 17: Written as a catechism, the comedy comes from the hyper-scientific question and answer format being applied to the mundane.
  • Episode 18: Streaming consciousness of Bloom's wife.
Thus endeth the lesson!
I have it on audio book and thought I could do it the easy way.... But I kept stopping it every thirty second and googling for more info... I will just let it wash over me one day!
 
Top