Background

I first read Ulysses in 2011. I've dipped into the book several times since then. It's particularly helpful during tumultuous periods. Most recently, I returned to it after reading Marshall McLuhan's commentary on Joyce, and the way that he demonstrated the way that he explored different mediums for communicating, first with conscious (stream-of-consciousness) methods (in Ulysses), and then with the subconscious elements of language in Finnegan's Wake.

Readings

2011 Reading

Main article: Ulysses/2011

I began reading Ulysses in 2011, reading it alongside the audio book. I was listening to Librivox recordings, which were sometimes good and sometimes bad. In this reading I was making notes in each chapter - a few specific notes, but mainly identifying the major themes and the general idea of what's going on (often necessary). I was able to understand the structure by reading Stuart Gilbert's excellent guide. However, while the Gilbert guide explains some of the themes, and highlights many passages that are interesting or notable (making it easier to recognize and remind yourself of the themes in the chapter), it did not do much to make the longer and harder-to-understand chapters any shorter. Thus, the later chapters (Ch. 12-17) are still the hardest parts of the book to get through.

Here are notes from that reading: Ulysses/2011

2016 Reading

Main article: Ulysses/2016

I began re-reading Ulysses in its entirety in November 2016, and finished December 2016. I've begun making more detailed notes on each chapter, available via the table of contents below.

Ulysses/2016

2022 Reading

Main article: Ulysses/2022

Reading Ulysses 100 years after it was originally published. This time our focus is on expanding on each chapter's page on this wiki, and also navigating Ulysses using our even/odd non-linear route.

Ulysses/2022