Ulysses, Again
April 3, 2004
I don’t want to jinx myself, but I am making good progress on Joyce’s Ulysses—and enjoying it. This evening finds me on page 262, smack in the middle of the “Sirens” chapter. Apparently, this is one of the toughest parts of the book, but I’m ok!
Besides reading the book itself, I have been relying on a couple of critical works: Richard M, Kain’s Fabulous Voyager and Marilyn French’s The Book as World. I like both, with French’s being the more readable but Kain’s the more interesting. This is the first chapter in the book where I am leaning heavily on the secondary sources. My problem in the past, when reading Ulysses, has been to read 10 pages of criticism for every page of text in the book itself. Talk about taking the fun out of something.
As I have said before, the most striking thing about the book so far is Bloom and his loneliness. There are so many awkward little moments—he forgets to pay for something and then feels guilty—that are just so touching. I know from my prior outside reading where the plot is going, roughly, but he and Stephen haven’t really come together yet. Interestingly, Stephen’s father, Simon, and sister, Dilly, are almost more vivid at this point in the book. More on Simon later; are there many deadbeat dads in literature?
Posted by Bill Trippe at April 3, 2004 11:22 PM
