ULYSSES BY JAMES JOYCE: for returning readers

“You should approach Joyce’s Ulysses as the illiterate Baptist preacher approaches the Old Testament: with faith.”
—William Faulkner

First published on 2 February 1922 – James Joyce’s 40th birthday – UIysses was immediately controversial, described by one Irish critic as “The most infamously obscene book in ancient or modern literature”. This special study is offered to coincide with the centenary of publication of Joyce’s genre-changing text.

Many readers have gone through the Ulysses study two times or more – this offering is specifically for those who have already read the work. Part of the joy with being second rounders is that we will hold the whole text in our minds as we re-enter. Knowing Joyce’s themes and arc from the start will allow us to concentrate on the language, allusions, connections and structure.

Each journey through the text yields insights and opportunities for further exploration – we will chase down some of the more obscure passages and references, we will trace the dented hats and the Man in the Macintosh, as well as closely considering Joyce’s exploration of the public vs. the private self, gender roles and desire, his critique of the one-eyed views of nationalism and patriarchy. Joyce is also pushing language to try and hold the complexity of human thought and experience: his word-play and puns try to open up the possibility of what words can mean. His images and phrases gather associations that shift and expand – do we have the plasticity to hold all these? Yes, I say, yes!

EVENINGS : Tuesdays 7:30-9:30 pm (GMT)  **This study will be VIRTUAL via Zoom**  

• Study starts 11 January and finishes 19 June (Sunday evening combined with other study groups) 2022; there will be a few special Sunday evening meetings with Ulysses first-timers to address the longer chapters.
• We will meet for 21 meetings; there will be a few breaks around school half-terms
• The total cost for the 21-meeting study, with all notes and resources materials, is £445
• Please purchase these editions in preparation for our study:
  • Ulysses, by James Joyce, Annotated Students’ Edition; (Penguin Modern Classics), ISBN-10: 0141184434. (There are many editions of Ulysses — I find this edition is most coherent and the notes and introduction by Declan Kieberd very helpful; as we will constantly be referencing particular passages, having the same edition will be extremely useful.)
  • The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide Through Ulysses, by Harry Blamires, ISBN-10: 0415138582