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I've heard many times that it's a difficult book that I'm thoroughly put off. Can you give me a sales pitch on why I should read it?

staccatomeasure 5y ago
* many people think it’s the best English novel of all time (worth seeing what they’re seeing) * bragging rights * personally, I found it like going to a different world. It’s equal parts emmersive, foreign, and familiar. There’s moments it’s a slog to get through and moments it’s a page-turner. In the same way The Beatles Get Back was so great because it actually felt like being in the studio, reading Ulysses isn’t like reading a story, it’s like being in a different world.
ramesh31 5y ago
>Can you give me a sales pitch on why I should read it? Reading it is fun just for the sake of it, like dancing. You don't have to read the whole thing. Every paragraph is a delight. It's less about the story, and more about the language itself.
kinghtown 5y ago
Just buy a used copy and keep it around the house. It’s a difficult book but not that bad. The hard parts are the stuff about turn of the century Irish politics which no one outside of Ireland really thinks about too much (which you may be thinking is a ridiculous detail to focus on a book, but bear in mind Joyce was trying to paint an accurate picture of Dublin at the time), there is also a huge cast of characters to keep track of and almost all of them have considerable depth, and there are admittedly some parts which are perhaps to experimental for their own good or have dated a bit poorly as literary experiments but the vast majority of the book is absolutely lovely. It’s a near perfect book and only one chapter for me doesn’t work (Oxen in the Sun) but the whole thing really is a peak literary experience which only gets better with a reread. it’s a lot more manageable if you read his books in order starting with Dubliners. Ulysses is not exactly a sequel but reading through his work chronologically kind of prepares you for his eccentricities. just don’t consult reading guides or appendixes too much because that sort of stuff will just kind of ruin it.
- twoodfin 5y ago
  Agree with this completely, even though Oxen is probably my second favorite episode after Cyclops.

staccatomeasure 5y ago

* many people think it’s the best English novel of all time (worth seeing what they’re seeing) * bragging rights * personally, I found it like going to a different world. It’s equal parts emmersive, foreign, and familiar. There’s moments it’s a slog to get through and moments it’s a page-turner. In the same way The Beatles Get Back was so great because it actually felt like being in the studio, reading Ulysses isn’t like reading a story, it’s like being in a different world.

ramesh31 5y ago

>Can you give me a sales pitch on why I should read it? Reading it is fun just for the sake of it, like dancing. You don't have to read the whole thing. Every paragraph is a delight. It's less about the story, and more about the language itself.

kinghtown 5y ago

Just buy a used copy and keep it around the house. It’s a difficult book but not that bad. The hard parts are the stuff about turn of the century Irish politics which no one outside of Ireland really thinks about too much (which you may be thinking is a ridiculous detail to focus on a book, but bear in mind Joyce was trying to paint an accurate picture of Dublin at the time), there is also a huge cast of characters to keep track of and almost all of them have considerable depth, and there are admittedly some parts which are perhaps to experimental for their own good or have dated a bit poorly as literary experiments but the vast majority of the book is absolutely lovely. It’s a near perfect book and only one chapter for me doesn’t work (Oxen in the Sun) but the whole thing really is a peak literary experience which only gets better with a reread. it’s a lot more manageable if you read his books in order starting with Dubliners. Ulysses is not exactly a sequel but reading through his work chronologically kind of prepares you for his eccentricities. just don’t consult reading guides or appendixes too much because that sort of stuff will just kind of ruin it.

twoodfin 5y ago
Agree with this completely, even though Oxen is probably my second favorite episode after Cyclops.