29 Apr
What can I possibly say about Ulysses (1920) by James Joyce in way of review? Here are 18 thoughts, one for each episode.
I can’t believe I finally finished reading Ulysses.
I can’t believe I read Ulysses for fun.
I can’t believe I didn’t read Ulysses in my college English courses. What cowardice forced my professors to [...]
27 Apr
One would think that Ulysses, a novel which is remarkable for it’s experiments with language and writing styles as well as the interior dimensions of its characters far more than plot, would be unfilmable. Yet I found two different movies that attempt to take Ulysses on, and having read the book I decided to watch [...]
25 Apr
Thoughts on the final three sections of Ulysses.
“Eumaeus”
Much of this section takes place in a cabman’s shelter which seems to be like a late-night pub. There are shadowy figures and impostors there including the sailor “Murphy.” Bloom has paternal feelings about Stephen, wanting to strengthen their relationship but also thinks of ways to profit off [...]
6 Apr
“Circe”
Egads! Just when you think James Joyce can’t confuse you anymore he creates an episode in the form of a play script with stage directions, sets it in a brothel, fills it with hallucinations, and makes it the longest episode in the book. Joyce almost taunts you to give up reading the book, but I’m [...]
23 Mar
“The Cyclops”
Perhaps the most complex and bizarre episode yet. An unnamed first person narrator, clips of seemingly random text written in different styles. What is this ridiculous list of names in the style of a saga other than a good laugh? Ah, but is the true hero here a pint of Guinness?:
Terence O’Ryan heard him [...]
18 Mar
Delicatessen (1991)
One of my favorite films which I saw on the big screen at Brattle Theatre a few years back. This was the first time Susan saw it and I was surprised that I’d forgotten how dark and gory this post-apocalyptic cannibalistic black comedy was. Still, it is funny and amazing creative with possibly the [...]
9 Mar
“Scylla and Charybdis”
This episode is thematically near and dear to my heart. Set in the National Library of Ireland (which I’ve also failed to visit) it features literary debate on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, plus stuff about fathers and navigating between two extremes. And it’s often satirical and funny.
–Bosh! Stephen said rudely. A man of genius makes [...]
23 Feb
I’ve read three more episodes and with lots of help The Bloomsday Book: A Guide through Ulysses by Harry Blamires, Paigerella’s podcast, and (shamefully) SparkNotes, I’m coming to appreciate the ways in which Joyce combines the mundanity of ordinary activity with scatterred memories and words (both spoke and thought) that take on many meanings.
“Hades” includes [...]
16 Feb
As mention in my February 2nd post, I’ve started reading James Joyce’s Ulysses in installments via DailyLit. The installments come through and rss feed to my Bloglines account and I’ve been working on the best way of reading them. I requested the long installment but to DailyLit that just means I get four installments a [...]
17 Mar
Confessions of a St. Patrick’s Day Curmudgeon
Posted by Liam in Ideas, Opinion & Commentary. Tagged: Boston, Catholicism, Faith, Family, Fun Stuff, History, Holidays, Ireland, Local, New York, News, Politics. Leave a Comment
While most kids look forward to Christmas, when I was a child, St. Patrick’s Day (along with Thanksgiving) was one of my favorite days of the year. It was a big day in my family usually involving going to the parade in New York and seeing family and friends we hadn’t seen in a while. [...]
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