So, I'm reading Ulysses for the first time, and was wondering if anyone had any tips for me, other than having a dictionary handy, lol.
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So, I'm reading Ulysses for the first time, and was wondering if anyone had any tips for me, other than having a dictionary handy, lol.
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Originally Posted by Mutatis-Mutandi
Get Cliff Notes, Spark Notes, whatever Notes you can find - the book is maddenly difficult. If you're familiar with Homer's Odyssey, that is helpful.
Arm yourself with patience, and free time.
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Originally Posted by Redzeppelin
Both good advice. I bet there may be web sites that can help you as well. But it is worth it. It's a great work.Quote:
Originally Posted by crisaor
I also look information from the website before I read short stories or novels. It's really a big helpQuote:
Originally Posted by Virgil
Okay. I will look over the notes for each part before I read it. I shall conquer Ulysses!
Actually, seeing as how the aprknotes are about as long as the chapters themselves, I think I will just read it slowly, then look up what I don't get. Plus, I'm on spring break right now, which is why I'm reading it. And I am a bit familiar with The Odyssey.
Read, reread, read criticism, reread, read the Odyssey, read criticism on the Odyssey, reread Ulysses, read Ulysses with a map in hand, read Ulysses with criticism and annotations in hand, then read it. Maybe then you will begin to really get at it. Then again, some sections are actually quite accessible, and ultimately the majority of the book doesn't require too much knowledge (though a substantial bit helps to really understand the book). I know there is, somewhere, a James Joyce Dictionary, that too can help.
Maybe I'll just read Dune. . . lol.
If you haven't read them (or if it has been a while since you have) Homer's Odyssey and Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man are good preperation.
Michael Groden's online guide to reading Ulysses(http://publish.uwo.ca/~mgroden/92StY/) is a good place to start for other "help".
Tip: brace yourself for "Oxen of the Sun" :sick:
read it aloud. It's so musical...
Stuart Gilbert's guide is great too.
I'm actually going to read Portrait of the Artist first, the The Odyssey, then Ulysses. I am going to read the Odyssey as prose by Samuel Butler, since I already read it in its poetic form.
The entire book is annotated online. In addition there is:
Ulysses Annotated (Don Gifford)
The New Bloomsday Book (Harry Blamires)
I own both. The Annotations do little in terms of criticism, they merely annotate whatever reference Joyce is making - and there are thousands of them. The book itself is about the length of Ulysses.
The New Bloomsday book basically holds your hand throughout the book and leads you from point to point. I recommend both, especially the New Bloomsday book for a first read. After your first read, the Bloomsday book might be superfulous, but Annotations will remain useful, as they are thorough.
One thing that helped me when I read it was having a lecturer who had already read and understood it, he was pretty cool to help me understanding it.
I am using Thornton's Allusions in Ulysses and finding it quite helpful.
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Originally Posted by mayneverhave
These are the two I'm using. They're OK.Quote:
Originally Posted by donquierafaber