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A review by thomas_vespertine
Ulysses by James Joyce
5.0
I don't know what I expected when I first sat down to read Ulysses, probably nothing specific as the book is more known for it's length than anything else. But I was suprised to read descriptions of daily life such as making breakfast for your wife, going to the toilet and going to Mass. Even though much of the novel is written in a stream of consciousness, this did not make Joyce neglect descriptions of daily life, it does not *just* take place inside its characters heads.
Greek philosophy and theatre, Shakespeare and the Bible, and further topics are all discussed at length in Ulysses. I think myself fairly knowledge about Greek philosophy and the Bible but my knowledge of Shakespeare is sorely lacking. Even so I felt that Joyce was educating me on these topics whenever I lacked previous knowledge of them,, especially when it came to sociological things such as Catholic devotions and Irish nationalism. And when I was familiar with a topic, it helped me understand it more.
The prose in the novel is simply fantastic. Its not always easy to read but I always found it fun, and there's lots of rhyming. Joyce manages to switch between writing in a realist style, in the style of a play and occasionally poetry. And there is of course the stream of conciousness, most prominent in the last part of the novel.
Ulysses is not merely a modernist masterpiece and it's not a cold and unfeeling brick, even if it is over 900 pages. Its filled with emotions, humour, contemplation about nationalism and religion, and it's one of, if not the greatest novel ever written.
Greek philosophy and theatre, Shakespeare and the Bible, and further topics are all discussed at length in Ulysses. I think myself fairly knowledge about Greek philosophy and the Bible but my knowledge of Shakespeare is sorely lacking. Even so I felt that Joyce was educating me on these topics whenever I lacked previous knowledge of them,, especially when it came to sociological things such as Catholic devotions and Irish nationalism. And when I was familiar with a topic, it helped me understand it more.
The prose in the novel is simply fantastic. Its not always easy to read but I always found it fun, and there's lots of rhyming. Joyce manages to switch between writing in a realist style, in the style of a play and occasionally poetry. And there is of course the stream of conciousness, most prominent in the last part of the novel.
Ulysses is not merely a modernist masterpiece and it's not a cold and unfeeling brick, even if it is over 900 pages. Its filled with emotions, humour, contemplation about nationalism and religion, and it's one of, if not the greatest novel ever written.