Title: Ulysses
Author: James Joyce
Publication date: 1922
Genre: Modernist fiction
What’s it about?
Ulysses chronicles a day in the life of Leopold Bloom, Dublin resident, as he goes about his business and pleasure. The novel employs a variety of writing techniques, such as stream-of-consciousness, playscript, and biblical style; and draws parallels with Homer’s Odyssey, for example in the characters of Stephen Dedalus (Telemachus) and Molly Bloom (Penelope).
Bloom leaves his home in the morning, and as he goes about the city he engages in a variety of appointments and encounters – placing an advert in a newspaper; visiting the local baths; attending a funeral; buying soap; eating dinner; enquiring after a pregnant woman; visiting a brothel – before returning home to his wife in the early hours.
The novel is around 265,000 words in length and extremely experimental in nature. Regarded as a challenge by even the most dedicated readers, it has a reputation for being impossible to finish. I’m therefore very proud at having managed to not only finish it but also enjoy it!
Read more information on Goodreads.
Where did I get hold of the book?
This came from my local university library. Interestingly, after finishing the book I discovered that some editions feature episode headings that draw the parallels with the Odyssey (e.g. ‘Circe’) – but this was not true of the edition I read. I wonder how much it would have added to my reading experience if this had been the case.
I should also point out that I had to renew it not once but twice! Fortunately I’d completed my previous two books (Mary Poppins and Anne Frank’s Diary) well in advance, so I had plenty of time to spend on Joyce’s masterpiece.
- Find the book in a library near you.
- Support local independent bookshops by buying the book from Hive (UK).
What did I learn from it?
I learned that you should never be put off trying a book simply because it has a reputation for being difficult! Give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised.
I really enjoyed reading Ulysses and, oddly, found it quite refreshing. Usually, when I read a book, I take a long time mulling over all the different nuances in the sentences, not wanting to move on to the next bit of action until I’ve sucked every possible atom of subtext out of the phrase I’m currently reading.
With Ulysses, I realised from the start that this wasn’t going to be possible. I knew that if I wanted to make it through to the end, I was going to have to abandon my perfectionist tendencies and just let the words wash over me, trusting that I would pick up the general sense as I went along.
Amazingly, this is what happened. I’m not quite sure how – I look back at individual sentences and am not entirely sure of the detail of what they’re saying – but somehow I picked up the general gist, and realised that I knew at any given point (more or less) where Bloom was, what he was doing, who he was talking to, and what he was thinking and feeling.
‘Difficult’ doesn’t have to mean ‘impossible’. And that’s a great lesson to learn.
How did it make me see the world differently?
This book has been a salutary reminder of the possibilities and options we have in life, even when we think we are stuck in a rut. This realisation has come not from the content of the story, but from Joyce’s innovative use of style and structure.
Since starting this book challenge, I’ve explored a range of texts, from non-fiction to literary fiction to high fantasy; but this is the first one that has used language in such a radical manner. It’s shown me that there are always new ways of approaching life, whether overall or in one select aspect (such as literature).
No matter how familiar the world feels, no matter how much our lives seem to be running on set paths already trodden by millions, no matter how little choice we feel we have in our destinies… every now and then, something comes along that makes you realise it can all be ripped up and rearranged in a totally new way.
This is precisely what Ulysses has done. If you are looking for evidence that we can change the world, this is it.
What changes will I make to my life as a result of it?
Firstly, I’ve become much more aware of the stream-of-consciousness thoughts passing through my own head, in particular the negative and disparaging ones. It’s so easy to be our own worst critic, and I’m sure I’m not alone in constantly berating myself for perceived faults, or telling myself no-one will be interested in my work.
So, having been made aware of this stream of negativity by reading the inner workings of someone else’s mind, I’m going to actively make an effort to stop the condemnatory thoughts whenever I catch myself indulging in them. We wouldn’t say these things to a friend, so why say them to ourselves? I’m seeing some benefits already, and I’m hoping it will free up space in my head for more productive, creative thoughts instead.
Secondly (and perhaps connected to the above), I’m going to stop worrying about these posts becoming longwinded. I’m conscious that they have increased in length as I read more and more, probably because my brain has got fired up and there is a lot I want to say. However, I need to ensure that this doesn’t descend into verbal vomiting, as this isn’t always interesting to the reader; although I love words, I am very appreciative of the need to edit them as I go.
But Ulysses has made me realise that ‘long’ doesn’t necessarily have to equate with ‘boring’. I won’t be using this as an excuse to waffle on regardless, but I have come to see that ‘editing’ means a lot more than merely ‘cutting’. So I’m going to stop worrying about whether my posts are too long – and start trying to make sure that, regardless of length, they are as interesting and meaningful as possible.
Essentially, these posts are about me finding my own way, and I will therefore write what I feel drawn to write, edit it so that my message is clear rather than clogged – and trust that it will find its audience in due course.
Over to you…
Has this post inspired you to read the book for yourself?
If you’ve read it, do you agree with what I’ve said? Did you have insights that I’ve not mentioned?
Please share in the comments below!