How to Read Ulysses, and Why (Paperback)

Paperback. This short guidebook, written specifically for first-time readers of Ulysses by a veteran teacher of Joyce's novel, offers a way in to one of the most pleasure-giving books ever created. After an introduction surveying Joyce's techniques, both traditional (the creation of plausible characters and a fully realized Dublin setting) and modern (interior monologue, the Homeric parallels, stylistic experimentation), an episode-by-episode commentary leads readers through the fictional events of June 16, 1904, explaining obscurities, identifying main themes, translating foreign phrases - in short, making understandable the world of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold and Molly Bloom. An afterword looks at Ulysses as a whole, arguing that like all comic masterpieces it applies a sophisticated treatment to ordinary materials. An annotated bibliography suggests further resources for studying the novel. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…