Ulysses: Shared reading

Often seen as dauntingly academic, James Joyce’s Ulysses is by contrast a book of life. 

Published in 1922, Ulysses is one of the most revered of novels; “the book to which we are all indebted” according to TS Eliot. It is Joyce’s reconstruction of Dublin, through memory, which has become a national Irish epic. Set over the course of a single day — 16 June 1904 — the day of Joyce’s first date with Nora Barnacle, Ulysses is a tribute to his lifelong partner.

Structured to mirror the episodes of Homer’s Odyssey, the novel contains all of life, from the quotidian (daily) to the sublime. Catholicism, bar room song, toilet habits, philosophy, horse racing, infidelity, advertising slogans, gossip, sex and death all appear between its covers. Some said it was ‘not fit to read’. “If that is so”, said Joyce, “life’s not fit to live”. 

Ulysses gives readers three major characters and — with its Modernist style — access to their inner worlds. In Stephen and Bloom Joyce gives us youth and experience, intellect and practicality in attempt to marry those opposites. And yes, Molly gives us the second most famous soliloquy in literature.

You are invited to read the novel, chapter by chapter, whether it be your first time or a re-reading. Led by Ulysses enthusiast Jim Stanton, readers will discuss each chapter as a group, in a comfortable setting. Together you will build a democratic understanding of a democratic novel, in the knowledge that the more you each put into your understanding, research and openness to the language, the more you’ll gain collectively. Though each may read in isolation, the group will gain from a collaborative reading of Joyce’s unsurpassable novel.

The group will meet monthly on the fourth Monday of the month, through until Oct 2026. New paperback copies of Ulysses can be bought on Amazon for £3.99.

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