Ulysses

I chose the shorter version (yes it comes in various lengths depending on the version!) of this NYTimes all-time great book, Ulysses by James Joyce.   Yes, this is the book I chose to listen to during my six day sojourn through Europe for ACUHO-I and NYU.  A book broken into 18 chapters with deep psychological review of the various characters’ thoughts and deep reflection/dreams and feelings about others, themselves, and the world (Sigmund Freud probably loved this one – lots for him to apply his thinking on the author’s deep hidden issues).  The book focuses on Leopold Bloom’s travels through Dublin and the various characters that interact with him.  There are significant parallels with Ulysses to Homer’s poem the Odyssey (the life of the characters and a number of the events that occur). We learn of Bloom’s marriage to Molly, sharing some of their correspondence as he travels.  Joyce’s “stream of consciousness” type writing is an approach that he masters (and seen as the father of “modernism” through this piece).  While I could provide an overview of the various chapters, I will refrain from doing so, as I will do little justice at all by doing so.  This is so for lots of reasons, including the depth of the writing could not be properly captured in a few paragraphs.  There are actual courses for English majors that are dedicated to spending an entire semester examining the meaning of the Joyce’s work, yes pretty deep stuff!  In many ways reading one or two of the sections of the book gives the reader a good idea of what Joyce is attempting to do with the “psychology” of each character.  The final chapter was one of the more interesting sections of the book as it is from Molly – who explores her relationship with her husband, their sexual tensions, and her earlier relationships with men (hence why I mentioned Freud would have enjoyed this chapter in analyzing Joyce).  While there were a number of moments where I zoned out of this one, there were moments in which I was completely glued to the rich descriptions and the stream of consciousness that was coming at times throughout.  This is a book that one needs to read/listen to in small increments to get the most out of it.  I feel like I need to find an English major to help me comprehend what I just read – the depth and meanings.  I can see how influential this book was for its time and how it has greatly influenced the writing of today’s novels.  I need to re-read when I get this book list trimmed down.  Another NYTimes top 100 off my “to read list”….