| Ulysses |
James Joyce's Ulysses --
A Study by Stuart Gilbert
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.
The New Bloomsday Book (3rd Edition)
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.
Ulysses
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.
Ulysses Annotated
Don Gifford & Robert J. Seidman
University of California Press,
1989, ISBN 0-520-06745-2; Paperback $24.95. [Browse/Purchase]
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.
Ulysses -- Modern Critical
Interpretations
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.
The Cast of Characters: A Reading
of Ulysses
Written
by a professor of literature who is also a psychoanalyst, this new work
takes a unique perspective on Ulysses, essentially placing the cast
of the novel on his couch and thereby illuminating their rich "inner lives."
A Brazen Head review will be forthcoming; you can also read the New
York Times review, by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt.
Ulysses on the Liffey
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.
The Irish Ulysses
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.
Cliff Notes on Joyce's Ulysses
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.
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