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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I don't normally reread books, but I did quite an intense course on Ulysses so I thought I'd give it another go. Rereading this was a very, very good decision, so many things became a lot clearer. The first time it was just getting through these big lumps of text, this time I could actually enjoy the style and the themes and I even got to understand a bit more of its meaning. I guess it would have been a good idea to read a guide alongside it the first time. This time I had my courses and the Cambridge Compagnon to Ulysses to help me along.
Call me crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to a next reread. Especially Oxen of the Sun is an episode I'd love to reread now that I've got all the information from my classes as well.
Call me crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to a next reread. Especially Oxen of the Sun is an episode I'd love to reread now that I've got all the information from my classes as well.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
too esoteric and difficult to parse, may return later
How do I rate Ulysses? It's my second go and I'll likely read it again immediately because after three weeks and three papers and a lot of lit crit, I'm ready for more.
I think the reason Ulysses is so hard for people to explain and the reason why people get so frustrated trying to read it is because there is no plot, no climax or scene I, II and III. But at the same time, it's not static. The book is a circle, there is no beginning or end; from S to Y, Y to S.
It is an analysis of Irish political views; a map of Dublin; and it's about love and death. It's like Seinfeld, "a show about nothing."
One day is explained in 768 pages. Ulysses is mind-altering, and extremely challenging. "Shut your eyes and see."
It is an analysis of Irish political views; a map of Dublin; and it's about love and death. It's like Seinfeld, "a show about nothing."
One day is explained in 768 pages. Ulysses is mind-altering, and extremely challenging. "Shut your eyes and see."
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Truth to tell, I didn't make it through the second time. Probably 42 years of hardening of the arteries in the brain made this tough sledding. However, I decided to give it the rating I would have in 1967, when I was in graduate school and my mind was more lubricated on both literature and criticism.
Yes, I did find it "amazing." I read it minus commentaries, concordances, or criticism. I raced through it in a great rush, finishing in only a few days. Maybe that's how it's meant to be read, because this time I felt very weighted down with the external "aids" that were supposed to facilitate the reading. Instead, the book became an Irish word bog.
Much better just to run with it:
"Between the Saxon smile and yankee yawp. The devil and the deep sea.
List! List! O List!
My flesh hears him: creeping, hears."
Yeah, James, I hear(d) you.
Yes, I did find it "amazing." I read it minus commentaries, concordances, or criticism. I raced through it in a great rush, finishing in only a few days. Maybe that's how it's meant to be read, because this time I felt very weighted down with the external "aids" that were supposed to facilitate the reading. Instead, the book became an Irish word bog.
Much better just to run with it:
"Between the Saxon smile and yankee yawp. The devil and the deep sea.
List! List! O List!
My flesh hears him: creeping, hears."
Yeah, James, I hear(d) you.