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Book review: Ulysses by James Joyce

Started by Zovistograt, July 27, 2008, 08:47:54 AM

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Zovistograt

I recently finished reading Ulysses by James Joyce, published in 1922 in Ireland, 736 pages.  It's...amazing, really.  However, it is also very odd in nature, and this oddity might turn most readers away from such a formidable book.  Let me explain.

Ulysses is not a novel where the physical plot is actually important.  Sure, stuff happens...the physical plot is one full day in the lives of a couple of Dubliners.  Yeah, 736 pages of one day, and they aren't light pages.  That's because most of the book is not about what is physically going on.

For a good majority of the book (with the exception of the notable dramatic script from page 409 to page 561 and the FAQ-style thing in the third part), the story is told in a true stream-of-conciousness.  And when I say stream-of-conciousness, I mean it.  Every single thing that would go through their minds (them being mainly Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom, the former a Latin teacher and intellectual and the latter a less-than-decent commoner to say the least) is written in the book, even if it doesn't directly have to do with anything.  And really, these guys space out a lot.  The focus turns mainly on Bloom for a good portion of the book, and since he's a bit of a drunkard, you get to see what his stream-of-conciousness is when he's totally wasted as well.

The problem with this is that if you start reading it like you would a normal novel, you'll be lost in an instant.  You have to have the mindset that it's just a person's thoughts while going through things, not necessarily relevant to the topic at hand, whatever it may be.  I realized this after the first 50 pages and suddenly the book seemed a bit more accessible.  However, it is still a ridiculously complex book and you will find that you'll be reading the same paragraphs a few times to grasp their meanings.  And some paragraphs are long as heck (as long as 8+ pages at times).

You also should bring along a sense of humor if you plan to read Ulysses.  That's because, despite all the intellectual and mental stuff, there is MASSIVE LULZ contained, especially in the aforementioned dramatic script and what I'll call the FAQ portion.  I found the dramatic script part so hilarious that I was literally rofling.  Seriously.  For something that could be considered a classic, it sure is raunchy at times and incredibly absurd.  Also, his made-up words and onomatopoeias are absolute gold.

This book took me around 3x the time it should take to read a book of this length.  Why?  Because it's deep.  Really deep.  Deep in vocabulary, deep in meaning, deep in confusing wordplay and symbolism.  This is seriously a challenging read, and I know that most people read it only if it's assigned in college or whatever, but...if you're up for a challenge and an amazing trip of a read (especially if you like Irish stuff...but you don't have to to enjoy it), READ IT.  IT'S FREAKING AMAZING.  But also so confusing and dense that most people would read 5 pages and give up.  Perservere and conquer, and you will be rewarded with lulz, wonder, some more lulz, and a mental trip through Dublin that you'll never forget.

I give this book a 9.5/10!
"I lovat a gabber.  I could listen to maure and moravar again.  Regn onder river.  Flies do your float.  Thick is the life for mere." - James Joyce (Finnegans Wake, page 213)