Ulysses by James Joyce

[African_Love]

'Deep' or nonsense? Would you recommend it?

[Barbarous]

I always do recommend it for it has a myriad of depth. It's universal, Met Him Pike Hoses.

[DanielBenoit]

Possibly the furthest thing from nonsense. Has some of the most beautiful passages ever written. Personally, it's my favorite novel. If you love words and the art of words you will deeply enjoy it, even if you don't understand it at times, just go with the flow and feel overcome with joy. After reading it, I was so effected, it was like coming out of a deep long trance.

[Virgil]

Good, though a bit over rated with all the people who are overwhelmed by it. It is a solid novel, but requires some help if you are ateempting it for the first time.

[DanielBenoit]

^yes, but it's just too easy to be overwehlmed by its sensations.

And yes of course, one would need a guide, explaining basically what is happening. What I did was print out this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(novel)) page and read the summary before each chapter.

[Virgil]

^Good deal Daniel. It's amazing how great Wikipedia is. It is a great novel. I will say I bristle when people call it the greatest, but it certainly is one of the great works of the 20th century. It takes a while to get used to. I enjoyed it more on second reading than first.

[mayneverhave]

And for the more thorough, there are: Number 1 (http://www.amazon.com/New-Bloomsday-Book-Through-Ulysses/dp/0415138574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252976134&sr=1-1), and Number 2 (http://www.amazon.com/Ulysses-Annotated-Joyces-Revised-Expanded/dp/0520067452/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252976121&sr=1-2) (which is also available in shorter form online.)

[DanielBenoit]

Also, there's Re Joyce, which I have never read, but I trust must be good if it is by Anthony Burgess.

[African_Love]

Thank you Benoit and MayNeverHave, I will check those links out later.

Keep in mind I'm not the 'intellectual' type, I'm only interested in a good story.

[DanielBenoit]

Oh, then Ulysess might not be the best book to read. The entire novel takes place in one entire day containing many seemingly insignificant events. There isn't much stroy, just great charactarization and style. If you like character studies and especially words and word play then this is the book for you. To me, it is a series of daytime sensations for the purpose of expressing the beauty of simply everyday things, with a deeply human character in the middle of it all.

If you want a 'good story' check out Homer's Odyssey, on which Ulysess is based.

[NickAdams]

This is all you really need for a first read; it's the bone Joyce threw the critics:
http://www.ulysses-art.demon.co.uk/scheme.html


Also, there's Re Joyce, which I have never read, but I trust must be good if it is by Anthony Burgess.

It is. I'm the guy who reads everything except the book.:redface: I really enjoy books and essays about Ulysses.

[DanielBenoit]

This is all you really need for a first read; it's the bone Joyce threw the critics:
http://www.ulysses-art.demon.co.uk/scheme.html


Oooo how interesting! I'll make sure to have this with me next time I read it!

[mona amon]

Possibly the furthest thing from nonsense. Has some of the most beautiful passages ever written. Personally, it's my favorite novel. If you love words and the art of words you will deeply enjoy it, even if you don't understand it at times, just go with the flow and feel overcome with joy. After reading it, I was so effected, it was like coming out of a deep long trance.

This says it for me. I love this book. It's one of the funniest, most entertaining books I've ever read.

[phringo]

Best book ever. If you just keep at it. I had to try starting it four or five times before it started clicking. So don't give up. Once you get the feel for what Joyce is doing in his narrative style you will love it and it will read much easier. Don't worry about understanding everything the first time. Use a help book if you wish, read aloud with a friend or friends. It's the greatest book ever!

[ed_shaw]

That's the ticket, phringo: lead the way and encourage
people to stick with it. You're doing them a good deed.
When I tell bookworms I'm near finished with the book
and loved it, I say it's something like working a gold
mine. There's a mind-blower on virtually every page,
if ya have the patience to stay with the search.
(Mind blower in the sense of an incredible description,
an apt quote, a majestic illustration of language
mastery, to categorize a few of the talents from
Joyce's pen.)
After you get into the flow, it just rocks!