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jammasterjamie 's review for:
Ulysses
by James Joyce
Okay, phew. Wow. I finished it. Like, just now. Two minutes ago. I started reading it a couple of weeks ago, going into it having heard that this was a 'hard book', that it was going to be difficult to understand and follow, that it's filled with nonsensical drivel that needs to be parsed through with a fine-toothed comb to catch even the smallest glean of a nugget of understanding, and while all of those warnings were true, this wasn't half as insurmountable a peak as I'd been led to believe. The language was quick, quirky, catchy, and fun, although yes, there were times where I had to read, then re-read, then re-read again to figure out what was going on, and yes, some areas were near incomprehensible, but for a large-part the book flowed. I think the biggest issue for me was the lack of plot or story or clear motivation - the usual things I expect from novels - but it all comes together in the last hundred pages and really clicked for me that sometimes the story isn't the only thing, and in this case not really necessary because the actual story being told was much larger than Bloom or any of the rest of these colourful characters.
I need to let this sit - I definitely don't think it's as powerful or as difficult a novel as I'd been led to believe, but from my 21st Century vantage point, it's also not as ground-breaking or awe-inspiring as I'd hoped. I think a lot of the fame comes from the supposed bawdiness and what was deemed obscene in the early 20th Century, but in this internet age where people literally blog about their bowel movements, I think a lot of the shock and awe has been watered down. Probably because of the permissiveness Ulysses created in our culture in the first place, but regardless, the obscenities were neither shocking nor titillating.
As a character study, I can't think of a better book really, with the ridiculously detailed train of thought narrative, but again, I have to sit and think on this some more. It's up there with Herzog to me, in that respect, which was also a little funny and ironic because soon after I thought that to myself, who showed up but a character named Moses Herzog! Which leads me also into how influential Ulysses was on 20th Century art and literature - You can see droplets of it everywhere across books, television, movies, music, everything!
Yeah, I'm going to have to read this again. Not any time too soon because it's a little exhausting, but yeah... Interesting read. I don't find myself full of questions, but I'm craving answers and explanations nonetheless. Good book.
-----2021 Re-Read-----
I stand by everything I said above. A lot of this book is purposely convoluted and I love that because it allows the mind to wander and wonder around the action and garner strange inspirations from sometimes seemingly random places and passages. Ulysses is definitely one of those books meant to be read several times, and although the narrative actually does follow a pretty straight line in spite of its more than occasional haughtiness of language, the reader can't help but discover and uncover new meanings and perspectives each time. It has been five years since I last read Ulysses and it felt like an entirely different novel this time due to the place I am in my life - The insights hit differently and maybe even a little harder, and the laughs it brought were more boisterous and joyful. I didn't feel like I was revisiting old friends as much as I was being reintroduced to people I used to know and getting to judge who they turned into with a fresh eye from the perspective of age and where I am in my own life. And that's what Ulysses really is to me - A complete life between two cloth covers.
I need to let this sit - I definitely don't think it's as powerful or as difficult a novel as I'd been led to believe, but from my 21st Century vantage point, it's also not as ground-breaking or awe-inspiring as I'd hoped. I think a lot of the fame comes from the supposed bawdiness and what was deemed obscene in the early 20th Century, but in this internet age where people literally blog about their bowel movements, I think a lot of the shock and awe has been watered down. Probably because of the permissiveness Ulysses created in our culture in the first place, but regardless, the obscenities were neither shocking nor titillating.
As a character study, I can't think of a better book really, with the ridiculously detailed train of thought narrative, but again, I have to sit and think on this some more. It's up there with Herzog to me, in that respect, which was also a little funny and ironic because soon after I thought that to myself, who showed up but a character named Moses Herzog! Which leads me also into how influential Ulysses was on 20th Century art and literature - You can see droplets of it everywhere across books, television, movies, music, everything!
Yeah, I'm going to have to read this again. Not any time too soon because it's a little exhausting, but yeah... Interesting read. I don't find myself full of questions, but I'm craving answers and explanations nonetheless. Good book.
-----2021 Re-Read-----
I stand by everything I said above. A lot of this book is purposely convoluted and I love that because it allows the mind to wander and wonder around the action and garner strange inspirations from sometimes seemingly random places and passages. Ulysses is definitely one of those books meant to be read several times, and although the narrative actually does follow a pretty straight line in spite of its more than occasional haughtiness of language, the reader can't help but discover and uncover new meanings and perspectives each time. It has been five years since I last read Ulysses and it felt like an entirely different novel this time due to the place I am in my life - The insights hit differently and maybe even a little harder, and the laughs it brought were more boisterous and joyful. I didn't feel like I was revisiting old friends as much as I was being reintroduced to people I used to know and getting to judge who they turned into with a fresh eye from the perspective of age and where I am in my own life. And that's what Ulysses really is to me - A complete life between two cloth covers.