Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - Ulysses

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Ulysses by James Joyce

17 reviews

timmytunter's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Reading Ulysses has been one of the most challenging literary experiences I’ve undertaken, and while I respect its monumental place in the canon of Western literature, I must admit that I did not find it a particularly enjoyable experience as a whole. The novel is undeniably a landmark in terms of its innovative structure, vast creativity, and the sheer complexity of its construction. The variety of writing styles Joyce employs throughout the novel is impressive, showcasing his command over the English language in ways that few authors can match. The research and intellectual effort required to produce such a work must have been immense, and I deeply respect Joyce for his ambition and skill.

That said, my overall experience with Ulysses was marked more by frustration than pleasure. I found the content at times painfully dull, and at other times simply nauseating, with a plot that I found ponderous, trite, and tedious. As a modern parallel to Homer’s The Odyssey, Ulysses strikes me as the very opposite of its grand and epic predecessor. While I understand that Joyce’s intent was to present a more mundane, perhaps even trivial, version of the hero’s journey, I found myself questioning the purpose of this choice. The Odyssey has its own flaws, but it is still a gloriously epic adventure, full of drama and heroism. In contrast, Ulysses often left me wondering, “To what end?” But then, I suppose, what is the point of any art. This is a line of thought I don’t care to pursue any further at present, for fear of meandering off the primary object of the present book review into Joycean tangents and digressions.

However, not all was lost in this literary labyrinth. There were episodes where I did derive some enjoyment, especially when I allowed myself to step back and view the text through a more abstract lens. By metaphorically crossing my mind’s eye(s), I was able to appreciate the bizarre and often surreal nature of some of Joyce’s episodes.

One of the highlights for me was Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun. This episode, with its chronologically successive prose styles, mirrors the evolution of English writing from Chaucer to the present day. Though relatively useless as a means of advancing the plot, it was, with the aid of guides and resources, an entertaining trip through the history of the English language. Joyce’s self-confidence is on full display here as he demonstrates his proficiency in almost any writing style.

Another episode that stood out was Episode 17: Ithaca. Some of Joyce’s most beautiful prose can be found within these pages. This catechismic episode also frequently amused me with its laughably overzealous attention to detail. The passage narrating the simple act of boiling water, for instance, stretches into an absurdly complex description, as if Joyce were daring the reader to endure the tedium of such minutiae:

“What concomitant phenomenon took place in the vessel of liquid by the agency of fire?
The phenomenon of ebullition. Fanned by a constant updraught of ventilation between the kitchen and the chimneyflue, ignition was communicated from the faggots of precombustible fuel to polyhedral masses of bituminous coal, containing in compressed mineral form the foliated fossilised decidua of primeval forests which had in turn derived their vegetative existence from the sun, primal source of heat (radiant), transmitted through omnipresent luminiferous diathermanous ether. Heat (convected), a mode of motion developed by such combustion, was constantly and increasingly conveyed from the source of calorification to the liquid contained in the vessel, being radiated through the uneven unpolished dark surface of the metal iron, in part reflected, in part absorbed, in part transmitted, gradually raising the temperature of the water from normal to boiling point, a rise in temperature expressible as the result of an expenditure of 72 thermal units needed to raise 1 pound of water from 50° to 212° Fahrenheit.

What announced the accomplishment of this rise in temperature?
A double falciform ejection of water vapour from under the kettlelid at both sides simultaneously.

For what personal purpose could Bloom have applied the water so boiled?
To shave himself.”

In short, by penning Ulysses, James Joyce doled out the ultimate literary troll to casual reader and scholar alike.

Ulysses was a challenging read, one that I am pleased to have completed, but equally pleased to not revisit. The pleasure I usually derive from reading fiction was largely absent, as my engagement with Ulysses became a mostly academic exercise. While this is not an exercise I dislike per se, I look forward to returning to the comfort of slightly more conventional works of fiction.

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atuin's review against another edition

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I think the label masterpiece is well earned, and despite the immense difficulty I still enjoyed the experience! There is so much here I feel like I missed I know I'll have to read this again next Bloomsday. Perhaps then I can give a more coherent review of this book.

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zazreads's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I'm glad to have this one in my literary backpack, but I simultaneously regret the time and effort I wasted on it.

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marthadude's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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witherskeleton's review against another edition

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challenging funny lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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melspippin's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

2.5

I just wish something interesting had happened.

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sunn_bleach's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"Ulysses" is about the totality of experience. For Joyce, it's the totality of a single man's day in the life. For Melville's "Moby-Dick", it's not just whaling, but the essence of adventure and being out of one's element, then looking back on those salad days with the knowledge and pity of older age. For books like that... of course you won't get everything. It's not your life. It's Starbuck's life, or Ishmael's life, or Bloom's life.

If someone wrote a comprehensive story about your particular existence, then there would be thousands of allusions that a reader wouldn't pick up on simply because the minutiae of everyday existence is filled with nuance and even encyclopedic level of experience. So, I'll recommend that you don't look up footnotes. Just read it. Experience what you experience. Then, whatever you walk away with from "Ulysses" (and other modernist literature) will be completely and uniquely yours as you bring your own allusions and experiences to the book.

That lesson is why this is one of the top five books I have ever read in my life - and that's not even getting into the prose, the deep satire, the idiosyncratic all-caps Dublin, the allegories... life also goes on.

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