Recommendations on how to Read Ulysses by James Joyce

James Joyce’s ambitious novel Ulysses with its multi-varied stylistic techniques, convoluted plot, and a plethora of literary and historical references discourages people to finish the book, even so, that most give up after only reading the first 100 pages. I agree with the fact that reading Ulysses is not an easy task. In fact, Joyce’s books take the top two spots of the Goodreads list of most difficult novels!

I believe that first and foremost, before approaching Ulysses, the reader needs to have an open mind. Yes reading this book is quite a grueling task but it can also turn out to be the most fulfilling endeavor in a person’s life. What’s needed are the right tools for guidance. So here, in this post, I will give the struggling Joycean some tips on how to best approach, read, study, and thoroughly understand Ulysses:

1. Before heading off on the Ulyssean journey, the following books by James Joyce are necessary prerequisites: Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners. Stephen Dedalus from Portrait of an Artist is one of the significant characters in Ulysses, with several other characters making appearances. I also recommend reading The Odyssey, as each chapter of Ulysses is structured on a section from the epic, and the novel also contains many symbolic references to Homer.
2. The reader should also be aware of the several major recurring themes in Ulysses. First, is the theme of Stephen’s and Bloom’s search of being. They both want to transcend alienation and find out who they truly are. Second, is the theme of “almosting”. Things almost happen but not quite fully. Third, is Bloom’s scientific mindset and Stephen’s Jesuitical training. Bloom tries to explain phenomenas scientifically and mathematically but most often gets them wrong. Stephen uses Aristotelian logic as a basis of his theories. Fourth, is the weight of the past bearing down on the characters. Fifth, is the theme of love. Love between Molly and Bloom, Bloom and Stephen, and Stephen and Molly. And remember Stephen is the mind and Bloom is the body and together they form a complete whole.
3. Joyce divided the novel into 18 episodes and each episode has its own structure. I would recommend the reader to carefully read the novel along with the Gilbert Schemata that was provided by Joyce as a reading aid to his friend Stuart Gilbert.
4. The reader can assign ~5 weeks to read the book for the first time. In this first reading I recommend just annotating the difficult words and translating the latin passages. Sometimes some sections of the book will not make sense but the reader should not give up and should keep on reading. It is important to remember that the purpose of the first reading is to get a general sense of the structure and plot of the novel.
5. For the second reading of the book, I recommend that the reader should read the episodes slowly and actively along with the aid of Ulysses Annotated by Gifford. It is one of the most essential and helpful guides that explains all the references in the novel.

With these tips I believe anyone can successfully master the lugubrious challenge of reading and understanding one of the greatest works of 20th century literature. Happy Reading!!