I have put in [Ulysses] so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant. James Joyce
While most of the great avant-garde art works of the early 20thcentury rest securely within the canon of modernist classics, Ulysses (1922) continues to challenge and, as the author had hoped, puzzle us. We are still struggling to become Joyce’s contemporaries.
This seminar will continue the effort through a critical reading of the novel. After an introduction to some pertinent contexts, we shall proceed through several of the 18 episodes each meeting.
Weekly reading will average 80-some pages of the densely allusive narrative. The instructor will provide commentary and read crucial passages aloud. Ulysses is one of the most technically accomplished novels, and approaching it through listening is perhaps the surest way of becoming Joyce’s contemporary.
