A 100 years of Ulysses from James Joyce and a 100 years of academic nonsense!

Approaching James Joyce's Ulysses for the first time can seem like a daunting task. Academics in their pedantic art say one must have read a considerable amount of literature and philosophy to understand the finer points of the book. Is this true, I do not think so.

Joyce's Ulysse is first and foremostly a source of great humour and a display of great humanity, It plays on the english language and one can easily say in english literature there is a before Ulysses and an after Ulysses.

Does one have to read Homer's Odysseus to understand Ulysses. I would say reading Homer is beneficial in understanding all literature full stop. Homer in a simple and direct form deals with all archetypes that dominate literature. The framework of Ulysse is based around the Odysseus but that is it. Where the Odysseus is dominated with the need for revenge, Ulysses is a celebration of life in all its forms. So I would not get hung up on not having read the Odysseus.

Similiarly the same applies to Shakespeare, Joyce like Shakespeare moulds the english language into something new, more capable of articulating what was not articulated before.

The Hamlet allusions are in no way pivotal to understanding Ulysse and it is my feeling, Joyce uses them to satisfy the pendantic needs of academics, who are incapable of enjoying a work for what its, a work to be enjoyed in its own context.

Hamlet is one of Shakespeares less satisfying plays, there is a lack of concisement which can be found in later plays. Hamlet's character has been subject to a lot of interpretation from great minds with nothing else better to do. Joyce writes in Ulysses, "He proves by algebra that Hamlet's grandson is Shakespeare's grandfather and that he himself is the ghost of his own father." I think this shows how seriously Joyce takes the whole matter.

What one should read, is Joyce's previous works, Dubliners and The portrait fo the artist as a young man. One gains a feel for Joyce's prose, an understanding of the era Joyce lived in and the development of the writer.

How should one read Ulysses. Slowly and if possible aloud, enjoy the word play and do not take it seriously, Ulysse like all literature should be enjoyed as a great work of literature.

Have an open mind, if one does not understand some of the prose, it just does not matter, Joyce like Homer sleeps at times. Forget annotations on the first reading, these only influence the thought process.

When Joyce gets into your head; the language, the imagery and the humour, things get interesting.

Not understanding Ulysses, no need to feel frustrated.

My feeling is too much emphasis is placed upon trying to understand what cannot be understood. Exploring Joyce's biography, character, sourcing references etc are just detours that distract. A great thing is made out of the stream of consciousness prose, trying to make sense of it is idiotic, just read and enjoy the journey. On reading a second, third or fourth time, new meanings arise, new avenues of thought that were not possible the first time reveal themselves.

Imagine taking a train journey through a new country, passing through towns, cities, different landscapes, the seasons, the weather; these are all virgin impressions which the mind has to process. Obviously one could have a travel guide, put names on places, go into great detail in studying the route. Listen to those who have already done the journey. Look at pictures etc etc. Every piece of pre-knowledge influences our perception and what we are seeing is tainted, we are seeing something through somebody else's lenses.

When we go down this path, we are not visiting a new country and gathering our own percpetions rather we are either finding confirmation of someone else's perceptions or are in disagreement with them or neutral to them. The same applies to Joyce, the more pre research one does the less freer one can approach Ulysses. What if I miss this reference, what if I do not understand this philosophical discussion. Better to read this work like all works of literature with a free mind. If the book does not speak to one, then that is not a bad thing, the time was just not right, or the book is not for you.