finish reading Ulysses

I plan to minor in literature, so as this book seems quite important, I’m making it required for myself.

It is intimidating, though. I was sketchy about reading The Sound and the Fury for much of the same reason, but that turned out to be the most beautiful work I’ve ever read.
For all I know Ulysses could replace it.

I may be done reading it from start to end this weekend.

I went back and re-read “Preparatory to anything else…” where Bloom brushes off Stephen’s coat, until and through the following gem of a paragraph:

“Mr Bloom and Stephen entered the cabman’s shelter, an unpretentious wooden structure, where, prior to then, he had rarely, if ever, been before; the former having previously whispered to the latter a few hints anent the keeper of it, said to be the once famous Skin-the-Goat, Fitzharris, the invincible, though he couldn’t vouch for the actual facts, which quite possibly there was not one vestige of truth in. A few moments later saw our two noctambules safely seated in a discreet corner, only to be greeted by stares from the decidedly miscellaneous collection of waifs and strays and other nondescript specimens of the genus homo, already there engaged in eating and drinking, diversified by conversation, for whom they seemingly formed an object of marked curiosity.”

robotwisdom has this to say to sum up this chapter:

“This antepenultimate chapter is a sort of shaggy-dog story of Bloom’s attempts to build rapport with the barely-revived Stephen, in an allnight greasy-coffeespoon. A rebarbative old salt called Murphy spins some tall tales, and Stephen finally agrees to come home with Bloom. The style is a maze of risible rhetorical missteps.”

I’m feeling very close to Mr. Bloom, as we’ve journeyed much together in this long long day.

http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/ulysses/

Stephen and Lynch had gone off to the red light district by way of the train station. Bloom decides to follow them, worried as he is for Simon’s prodigal son. Apparently Mulligan trying to sneak back to the tower without Stephen, so they have some sort of argument. This is not clear to the reader. I’ll say it went past me, or I didn’t recall it when I later read the commentary.

Chapter Fifteen opens like a play, with Bloom arriving in ‘Nighttown.’ He’s tried to catch up with Stephen, only to end up snarled like fish in a net, in his own guilts and lusts. These take the form of hallucinations, randomly, chaotically presented in the form of theatrical script.
Bloom follows the melody of piano playing toward Bella Cohen’s brothel. There, he resists various magical attacks and confronts his own most perverse desires. Thus, he frees himself from Calypso’s snares.

Stephen also confronts ghosts, but for him they are of his mother. Striking out with his walking stick, he shatters a lampglobe. Bloom settles Stephen’s accounts and follows him out to the street, where the young man has begun arguing with two soldiers.One of them, offended, thinking Stephen insults the king and England, knocks him unconscious.

Here then, is where I left off last night.

And OH! I found a great way to learn and understand Joyce’s Ulysses:

http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/ulysses/

And here’s a site where you might join with others in studying and discussing Ulysses (of course we could do some of that right here, but we Joyceans are few and far between, methinks.)

http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/29/61/frameset.html

So now I’ve learned that she plays the role of Nausicaa, that of a temptress on the shores, trying to lead our hero astray. I kept reading and re-reading the first half, over the last years. Early this morning I finished it.

Using the University of London hypertext edition, edited by webmaster Frank Kriwaczek, let’s see what we learn:

http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rac101/concord/texts/ulysses/ulysses.cgi?word=Horne’s

Okay. I see: this is the “Oxen in the Sun” chapter (some texts refer to these as “episodes”).
Let me see if I remember… didn’t Odysseus’ men disobey his orders, and eat the cattle of the Cyclops? Is this what the chapter is referring to? I’ll have to read from the above link, the Concordance.
Now I’m reading the middle English chapter, what must correspond to the 14th episode. Who is Horne? Now, having read from the following commentary, I quite agree, Mina Purefoy’s son’s birth IS very confusing, but what has it to do with Odysseus, his men, and their mistake of eating the giants’ cattle? I feel stupid. But no worries, mates, I plod on determinedly.

http://caxton.stockton.edu/ulysses/stories/storyReader$57

I hesitate to do more than just cite Allyson Carroll, who has posted the above, so I won’t quote any of her work without asking her. However, I strongly suggest you read the above link from the Caxton Club at Stockton. And Allyson, wherever you are, thank you thank you thank you! :f :)

“Were there schemes of wider scope?

A scheme to be formulated and submitted for approval to the harbour commissioners for the exploitation of white coal (hydraulic power), obtained by hydroelectric plant at peak of tide at Dublin bar or at head of water at Poulaphouca or Powerscourt or catchment basins of main streams for the economic production of 500,000 W. H. P. of electricity. A scheme to enclose the peninsular delta of the North Bull at Dollymount and erect on the space of the foreland, used for golf links and rifle ranges, an asphalted esplanade with casinos, booths, shooting galleries, hotels, boardinghouses, readingrooms, establishments for mixed bathing. A scheme for the use of dogvans and goatvans for the delivery of early morning milk. A scheme for the development of Irish tourist traffic in and around Dublin by means of petrolpropelled riverboats, plying in the fluvial fairway between Island bridge and Ringsend, charabancs, narrow gauge local railways, and pleasure steamers for coastwise navigation (10/- per person per day, guide (trilingual) included). A scheme for the repristination of passenger and goods traffics over Irish waterways, when freed from weedbeds. A scheme to connect by tramline” (to read more go to:

http://botheration.org/ulysses/

There are so many references to this in other literature that i feel like such a dumbass for having never read it. I bought a copy a few months back & i tried the first few pages but damn!! i don’t freakin know what’s happening already BUT must read this book!!

Read it with a group and a trained scholar for best results! :)