| Ulysses |
James Joyce's Ulysses
-- A Study by Stuart Gilbert
Stuart Gilbert
1. Faber and Faber, Revised 1952, Original 1932, Out of print
2. Vintage Books, 1958, ISBN: 0394700139, Paperback $8.96
One of the definitive works on Ulysses,
the Gilbert stands out primarily for the distinction of having
been virtually "ghost-written" by Joyce himself. (So
much for paring your nails, Jim.) The first real commentary on
Ulysses, it has acted as a template for almost all the
other guides which have followed in its footsteps. It breaks
the text down chapter by chapter, and outlines, for the first
time, the now-classic themes, motifs, colors, and associations
that correspond to each chapter. It also analyses the overall
structure of the novel, as well as providing annotations on some
of the more obscure references and allusions. And while it has
deservedly earned an historical place on every serious "Joyce
shelf," if you are going to buy one guide to Ulysses,
I nevertheless recommend the Gifford Ulysses Annotated
-- it draws heavily upon the Gilbert and then copiously adds
too it.
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The New Bloomsday Book
Harry Blamires
Routledge Press, 1996, ISBN 0-415-13858-2, Paperback $16.95
A new revision of a classic 1966 guide, this
book is one of the better companions to Ulysses.It is
compact, making it simple to carry around for that unexpected
quick reference fix, fitting snugly against my copy of the novel
in my little green book-bag. Well-written, it is logically organized
in 18 chapters, each one devoted to one of the sections of Ulysses.The
book is essentially a "walk-through" of the text, summarizing
and clarifying the events of the chapters. Blamires makes helpful
correlations throughout, and alerts the reader to various recurring
themes without ever coming across as sounding condescending.
I also like this book because it is one of the less anal-retentive
guides, making sense of the text without beating it to death
for every little bit of symbolism the author can possible extricate.
If you are looking for a simple and useful guide rather than
a biblical opus of annotations, the Blamires is for you.
You
may order this book through Amazon.com by clicking here.
Ulysses
Hugh Kenner
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, ISBN: 0-8018-3384-1, Paperback
$13.95
A very interesting book, this work is less
a guide to Ulysses than to the man who wrote it. Kenner
puts Joyce squarely in the modernist period, and traces the development
of the novel from Joyce's formative ideas to its enigmatic conclusion.
Kenner also focuses on the book's modernist structure, elaborating
the Homeric parallels and detailing the intentions of the many
stylistic variations. I recommend this book especially to those
who want to understand Ulysses as an organic creation,
the product of a unique author and epoch.
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Ulysses Annotated
Don Gifford & Robert J.
Seidman
University of California Press, 1989, ISBN 0-520-06745-2, Paperback
$24.95
This large book is sort of the "Ulysses
Bible." Vast and aggressively comprehensive in scope, it
is an astonishingly complete glossing of the text. Every name,
place, event, and historical figure is given a brief explanation;
and all non-standard English is defined, from foreign tongues
to the Anglicized Irish slang. Poems and songs -- even those
only briefly mentioned in the text -- are often printed in full,
and detailed maps are provided for each section. The chapter
"Oxen of the Sun" is given a full analysis, clarifying
each paragraph in terms of the author and/or style that Joyce
is parodying. In addition, one of the appendices analyzes "Aeolus"
for its full repertoire of rhetorical devices. I also find it
amusing that the book points out several of Joyce's little errors.
(Excuse me -- "portals of discovery.") This is not
a quick reference book for the faint of heart; but for a full
study of Ulysses it is invaluable.
You
may order this book through Amazon.com by clicking here.
Ulysses -- Modern Critical Interpretations
Harold Bloom & William
Goldman, Editors
Chelsea House, 1987, ISBN 1555460216, Hardcover $34.95
According to Amazon, this is a collection
of "critical essays published during the last twenty-five
years on Joyce's celebrated novel Ulysses." I have
not yet acquired a copy of this book, so I cannot provide a review.
If anyone would like to send me a review, I will gladly post
it.
You
may order this book through Amazon.com by clicking here.
Ulysses on the Liffey
Richard Ellman
Oxford University Press, 1973, ISBN 0195016637, Paperback $16.95
Written by Joyce's celebrated biographer
Richard Ellman, this book provides some insights into Ulysses.
I have not yet acquired a copy of this book, so I cannot provide
a review. If anyone would like to send me a review, I will gladly
post it.
You
may order this book through Amazon.com by clicking here.
The Irish Ulysses
Maria Tymoczko
University of California Press, 1997, ISBN 0520209060, Paperback
$17.95
A very recent book. According to the blurb
at Amazon.com: "In a radical new reading of Ulysses,
Professor Maria Tymoczko challenges conventional views that the
Irish writer rejected Irish literature. Instead Tymoczko demonstrates
how Joyce used Irish imagery, myth, genre, and literary modes.
For the first time, Joyce emerges as another author who remakes
English-language literature with his own country's rich literary
heritage." I have not yet acquired a copy of this book,
so I cannot provide a review. If anyone would like to send me
a review, I will gladly post it.
You
may order this book through Amazon.com by clicking here.
Cliff Notes on Joyce's Ulysses
Edward D. Kopper Jr.
Cliff Notes, 1981, ISBN 0-8220-1315-0, Paperback $3.95
Yes, the Cliff Notes. Why not? Small, cheap,
readily available, and often the last refuge of the panicked
student, every Literature instructor can recognize one of those
bright yellow covers coming from a mile away. The trouble is,
the Cliff Notes on Ulysses are not terribly useful. On
the positive side, it lists all the characters at the beginning
and provides some pithy character analysis at the end; but I
find the chapter-by-chapter commentary rather annoying. In my
opinion, too much attention is given to arcane little details,
and the overall effect is deathly dry and irritatingly condescending.
Several times I found myself thinking that the analysis was out
to lunch, the author being so intent on constructing a clever
web of inter-connections that he missed out on the real point
of the novel as a whole. Missing the forest for the trees, so
to speak. If you can get your hands on the more expensive Blamires,
it's well worth the extra money.
You
may order this book through Amazon.com by clicking here.
Go To:
Joyce Criticism Main Page
-- Back to the main criticism page, where you will find the standard
Brazen Head menu.
Notes and Annotations on Dubliners & Portrait -- Guides and criticism
on Joyce's first two works.
Notes and Annotations on Finnegans Wake -- Guides and criticism
on Finnegans Wake
General Criticism -- General
literary criticism or commentary on Joyce and his works.
Specific Criticism -- Joycean
criticism with an angle: Feminist, Marxist, Postructural, Postquailist,
etc.
Biography: Life and Times
-- Biographies about Joyce, or books about Ireland during his
epoch.
The sissymusses and the zossymusses in their robenhauses
quailed to hear his tardeynois at all -- Send email to the Great Quail -- comments, suggestions,
corrections, criticisms, submissions . . . all are welcome!
--A. Ruch
10 January 1999
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