Ulysses
Back of the Book
Set entirely on one day, 16 June 1904, Ulysses follows Leopold Bloom and Stephen Daedalus as they go about their daily business in Dublin. From this starting point, James Joyce constructs a novel of extraordinary imaginative richness and depth. Unique in the history of literature, Ulysses is one of the most important and enjoyable works of the twentieth century.
Why You Should Read It
A popular first year literature course at Harvard University focuses on the readings students “need” to do to fully understand James Joyce’s Ulysses—the last novel in the course. The syllabus includes, of course, The Iliad and The Odyssey, some Shakespeare, some Milton and so on—however, on the 40 th anniversary of the classic, Ulysses reads as smoothly as some Woolf (whose flow is also up for discussion—but once the reader accesses the rhythm, the ride is smooth). Joyce’s preoccupations are strangely contemporary and it pushes readers, as it always has, to reflect on what exactly makes a classic. Joyce’s engagement with the struggles of the human spirit and the humour of a mischievous and benevolent God, with love and despair and the ugliness of bodily function that reveals itself in the effort of daily living—remains evergreen. Undoubtedly, had we figured it out, the purpose of literature (in short, to engage meaningfully with the self and the other) would have become, simply, obsolete.
Memorable Passage
I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.
About the Author
James Joyce (1882–1941) was an Irish modernist writer whose groundbreaking contributions to literature have had a profound and enduring impact on the course of 20th-century fiction. Born in Dublin, Joyce's seminal works, such as Ulysses and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, exhibit an unparalleled mastery of language, form, and narrative experimentation. Joyce's complex, stream-of-consciousness style revolutionized the novel, challenging conventional storytelling structures and delving deep into the inner workings of the human mind. His intricate explorations of identity, religion, and the human condition, set against the backdrop of Dublin, have earned him a reputation as one of the most influential literary figures of his time. Joyce is worth knowing not only for his literary innovation but also for the lasting impact of his work, which continues to shape the way we approach and understand the possibilities of language and storytelling in the realm of modern literature.
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