James Joyce and Ulysses

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I've been meaning to ask this same question for a long time. I've not found anyone I know personally who had any lasting impression of the book, or could tell me why it's widely considered the greatest american novel of the 20th century.

I made it through about 150 pages before giving up. I can't say I enjoyed any of it, and have no idea what was going on. Can someone who appreciates the book point me to a small section in there that they think is particularly amazing, and maybe why?

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The final chapter.

[Ghazban]

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I've been meaning to ask this same question for a long time. I've not found anyone I know personally who had any lasting impression of the book, or could tell me why it's widely considered the greatest american novel of the 20th century.

I made it through about 150 pages before giving up. I can't say I enjoyed any of it, and have no idea what was going on. Can someone who appreciates the book point me to a small section in there that they think is particularly amazing, and maybe why?

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The final chapter.

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The final chapter was great; I also enjoyed the catechism chapter quite a bit. Most of it went over my head but I was reading it for enjoyment not to necessarily get everything possible out of it so I didn't take a lot of time on the sections that gave me trouble.

[Dan87]

I'm taking a British Lit (1900-1945) course right now and am writing my final paper on Ulysses. Wish me luck.

I am on page 350 out of about 900 in my edition and have found my mind wandering as a read, but every so often something catches my attention and I just think "holy crap this is awesome". You can open the book to any page and find something interesting.

I have to read the final chapter ahead of time for my class, and so far it is the most enjoyable one, followed closely by the third chapter where Stephen is sitting on the beach contemplating.

I don't know why but I think I would be proud to finish reading this book. My prof told me that Ulysses was voted the best novel of the 20th century, but it was also found to be the novel with the highest % of people who attempted ot read it to not finish it.

[WhoIam]

Am I the only one who likes all of Joyce except Dubliners?

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I'm taking a British Lit (1900-1945) course right now and am writing my final paper on Ulysses. Wish me luck.

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Yeah, this is where I first actually read the book. (Not that I finished it- we only read four chapters or so.)

My university occasionally offered a class that was solely dedicated to Ulysses, and if I ever go back, I might take it if they offered it.

[mosdef]

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I haven't read Ulysses, but this type of attitude always strikes me as more elitist than those who claim to understand Ulysses. It's basically saying, "If I don't understand it, no one else possibly can!"

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Not so - I'm not saying it's too dense to understand because I don't understand it, it's because when I've had a "learned" person try to explain it to me they basically just give a list of references to other sources that list sources of people who list sources regarding the content of the book. No one I have ever talked to has had an independent thought about Ulysses including my English professors. They all know whatever they know from having "learned" it from somewhere else.

I'm sure there's a small number of Irish literature experts out there that can critically evaluate Ulysses independently, but that's about it.

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This is exactly what you're saying.

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Did you even read what I wrote. My experience with lots of people including English professors is that they don't really understand it - they can only point to references of other people that say something about it that they take to be true. I've never met anyone who can actually explain it without having had it explained to them first. This is not the same as me picking it up, not understanding it, putting it down and saying "no one understands it".

[Constable]

I'm sure you have met lots of people that understand it quite well on its own, you are just projecting your own inability to understand it without outside help onto other people.

[asofel]

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I haven't read Ulysses, but this type of attitude always strikes me as more elitist than those who claim to understand Ulysses. It's basically saying, "If I don't understand it, no one else possibly can!"

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Not so - I'm not saying it's too dense to understand because I don't understand it, it's because when I've had a "learned" person try to explain it to me they basically just give a list of references to other sources that list sources of people who list sources regarding the content of the book. No one I have ever talked to has had an independent thought about Ulysses including my English professors. They all know whatever they know from having "learned" it from somewhere else.

I'm sure there's a small number of Irish literature experts out there that can critically evaluate Ulysses independently, but that's about it.

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This is exactly what you're saying.

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Did you even read what I wrote. My experience with lots of people including English professors is that they don't really understand it - they can only point to references of other people that say something about it that they take to be true. I've never met anyone who can actually explain it without having had it explained to them first. This is not the same as me picking it up, not understanding it, putting it down and saying "no one understands it".

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I I took Ulysses as a junior in high school. I certainly didn't follow most of it, even with reading it with the annotations. Thankfully my professor was actually a Joycean scholar, and I'm told among the top 25 or so in the world who actually knew wtf was going on...he was pretty trippy, almost like he did a fair amount of drugs when he was younger...because of him I have to say my experience in the class was amazing and I ended up writing my term paper on time travel in Ulysses. I can't even begin to remember wtf i based that on now......I guess my point is that some people do understand it, but its so dense, complex, and just full of references and such that its no shame to have tried reading it and not really grasp whats going on.

What would frustrate me is taking it with a professor who pretends to know whats up but really just quotes others...as it seems others have experienced here.

To me Ulysses was a great but frustrating experience, one I will probably revisit some day, along with other literature, when I have more time to just sit and think and wonder.

[Taso]

wow, for some reason I thought this was like the children's version of Homer's The Odyssey (6th grade reading, Ulysses) and I was wondering how anyone could not "get" even Homer's Odyssey, let alone the children's version. One wikipedia page later and I see I was way off.

[mosdef]

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I'm sure you have met lots of people that understand it quite well on its own, you are just projecting your own inability to understand it without outside help onto other people.

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Thanks, I appreciate your deep insight into my psychological makeup based on two posts on an internet forum. I will now go forth with this knowledge and change my life, for the better, forever. Please let me know if there is anyway I can repay you, and please go out among the people and spread your wisdom. Your depth of perception into the nature of man is too valuable to mankind to be withheld.