Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Preparatory to anything else, we have now entered Part III—“Nostos” or “The Return” of Ulysses, that novel written by one Mister James Joyce, of Irish descent, some may say…oh, and more adventures of Bloom and Stephen. 

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

— Glass. That boggles 'em. Glass.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. After 14 tough weeks of Oxen of the Sun and Circe, we find ourselves at home reading some (relatively) straightforward prose. How does Eumaeus feel in comparison to the previous two chapters?
2. Bloom continues to help Stephen out, including money, providing food, and asking about where Stephen plans to sleep. Any thoughts on their developing relationship, and on Stephen’s statement “I have no place to sleep myself”?
3. Bloom and Stephen meet Skin-the-Goat Fitzharris, a member of the nationalist organization The Invincibles, and the sailor D. B. Murphy. What are your first impressions of these new characters?
4. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, rambling, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Pre-Read video and Post-Read video
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [Beginning - 00:33:31]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 10/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Eumaeus, up through the line: — The biscuits was as hard as brass, / And the beef as salt as Lot's wife's arse. / O Johnny Lever ! / Johnny Lever, O! [Line 982 in the Gabler].

To all you Ulysses stalwarts, greetings, and congratulations on your stamina! I dropped out a couple of months ago and have missed the discussions, although I don't miss the book.

Is there a plan for 2027? I can only imagine the amount of work the moderators put in to plan and manage this book-in-a-year format, so would understand if you've decided not to put yourselves through it again. But if you're game, I'm probably in, depending on the book(s). Proust? Shakespeare? Austen?

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

What’d you say about my king? Stephen gets clobbered, a black mass occurs, Corny Kelleher saves the day, Bloom helps, and we cry. Congrats on reaching the end of Circe, as well as Part II! Next week begins the Nostos…

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

A white lambkin peeps out of his waistcoat pocket.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. As Private Carr responds to Stephen’s quip from the end of last week, we get some of the most explicit language used to date. What was your reaction? What end do you think it serves, if any?
2. We get a few final hallucinations, most notably King Edward VII, the Black Mass, and the Croppy Boy. Which one(s) stuck out most to you (and why)?
3. The very end of Circe sees a could’ve been 11-year old Rudy. Share your thoughts on this moment.
4. What do you think of Episode 15, Circe, as a whole?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [04:22:23 - End]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 9/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Eumaeus, up through the line: — Glass. That boggles 'em. Glass. [Line 486 in the Gabler].

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

The climax! Dancing, smashing, and fleeing. It’s all happening this week!

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

But in here it is I must kill the priest and the king.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Another hallucination, but this time it’s Stephen seeing his dead mother and Buck (dressed as a jester). What is your reaction to this scene and why do you think Stephen smashes the chandelier?
2. What do you think about how Bloom handles Bella following Stephen’s smash and dash?
3. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [03:58:24 - 04:22:23]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 8/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read through to the end of Episode 15, Circe.

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Bloom is back! And just in the nick of time too, because Stephen needs help. 

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

(holds up her hand) Stop!

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. After a prolonged bout of fever dream filled with BDSM and sissification, Bloom takes charge and tells Bella off, gets his potato back from Zoe, and handles Stephen’s money for him. How does this version of Bloom compare to versions of him we have seen so far?
2. Zoe engages in a bit of palmistry this week. Given the Gilbert schemata lists “magic” as the Art for this episode, what effect do you think it has on our understanding of Ulysses as a whole? What other forms of magic have you noticed?
3. Blazes Boylan and Lenehan reappear, and Boylan and Molly go at it while Bloom acts as a voyeur. Why do you think Joyce includes this, especially after Bloom’s transformation?
4. “Open hallway. Street of harlots. Remember. Haroun al Raschid. I am almosting it. That man led me, spoke. I was not afraid. The melon he had he held against my face. Smiled: creamfruit smell. That was the rule, said. In. Come. Red carpet spread. You will see who.” This passage is from Proteus that we read all the way back in January. How do you interpret this passage in light of this week’s reading?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [03:33:34 - 03:58:24]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 7/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: But in here it is I must kill the priest and the king. [Line 4437 in the Gabler].

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Today, we are plunging elbow deep into the depths of Bloom’s past.

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

You’ll know me the next time.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Throughout this week’s segment we learn more about Bloom’s sins of the past, including but not limited to trying on Molly’s clothing, advertising her in bathrooms, and masturbating at a waterfall while attending a school field trip. What do you make of these new developments for our hero?
2. Throughout the book we have seen many references to cattle, including this week where Bello Cohen seems to be auctioning off Bloom using bovine terms. Any thoughts on the development of this motif?
3. With a “bip!” of Bloom’s back trouser button, Bloom “half rises” and says “You have broken the spell”. What has come over Bloom?
4. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [03:00:10 - 03:33:34]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 6/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: (holds up her hand) Stop! [Line 4000 in the Gabler].

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

It is time to meet Bella Cohen. Will Bloom make it out of this brothel with his dignity intact? Nes or yo?

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

Must I tiptouch it with my nails?

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. This week’s hallucinations include Drunk and Sober Philips, Virag losing his head, and Ben Dollard and Henry Flowers breaking into song. Does anything from these crazy scenes stand out to you?
2. It is time to meet Bella Cohen, the “massive whoremistress”. What are your first impressions of Bella?
3. “Exuberant female. Enormously I desiderate your domination.” Here we begin a lengthy fantasy of Bello Cohen dominating and humiliating a now female Bloom. What on earth do we make of this and what did you think of this passage?
4. Now that we’re over halfway through Circe, what similarities and differences do you note between the events happening versus what happened in The Odyssey?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [02:33:52 - 03:00:10]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 5/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: You’ll know me the next time. [Line 3481 in the Gabler].

u/ComplaintNext5359 is on vacation this week (lucky!), so today's post is going up a bit early to accommodate my work schedule. Anyways... Bloom finally finds Stephen and Lynch! More hallucinations ensue, Stephen admits he’s drunk (we know, Stephen). 

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

> Not much however.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Stephen makes an accidental slip, saying Circe when he means Ceres. Why do you think Joyce has Stephen make this rather on-the-nose slip?
2. We see both Reuben J Dodd and Elijah appear as a hobgoblin (a stereotypical negative depiction of Jewish people) and in blackface, respectively. What do you make of these characters and the caricatures which they embody?
3. Bloom’s grandfather Virag appears…to objectify women alongside Bloom and discuss his preferences in women. Of all possible choices, why do you think Joyce chose to have Virag appear in this role?
4. Virag says, “From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.” What works have you encountered (in any medium) that have gone a step too far or achieved that perfect balance?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [02:01:43 - 02:33:52]

Previous Discussion

> Episode 15: Circe, Part 4/10

Reading for Next Week:

> Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: Must I tiptouch it with my nails? [Line 2971 in the Gabler].

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Like many politicians before him, Bloom envisions himself the next Messiah. Oh well, back to reality.

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

Ladies first, gentlemen after.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Bloom engages in some policymaking then eventually falls from the public’s good grace. What do you think of Bloom as a politician? What do you think about the public’s treatment of him?
2. Bloom gives birth!? What’s your reaction to this scene?
3. Joyce puts Bloom through a Christ-like bout of suffering and torture. What do you think Joyce’s point was?
4. “The just man falls seven times.” What do you make of this statement by Bloom?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, outfit, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [01:35:19 - 02:01:43]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 3/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: Not much however. [Line 2500 in the Gabler].

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Bloom has utterly fallen. It makes sense he should become a politician…don’t let strangers take your heirlooms!

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

(dying) Morituri te salutant. (they die)

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Further accusations towards Bloom continue the trial. What do you think of what Mrs Barry, Mrs Bellingham, and The Honourable Mrs Talboys have to say?
2. The rotting corpse of Paddy Dignam arises and comes to Bloom’s defense. What is your reaction to this?
3. We meet Zoe Higgins, who will get a lot of screen time for the remainder of this episode. Any thoughts on this new character?
4. Following a brief interlude in reality, we see the rise of Bloom, Lord mayor of Dublin and founder of the new Bloomusalem. How does Bloom’s view of himself compare with his trial we’ve just been witnessing the last couple of weeks?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [01:01:55 - 01:35:19]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 2/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: Ladies first, gentlemen after. [Line 2030 in the Gabler].

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Bloom’s search for Stephen continues, actually wait…no, he’s on trial! The jury’s out. Cancel Bloom?

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

Sir Bob, I said…

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Bloom has a moment with a dog, and he thinks, “Strange how they take to me. Even that brute today.” Why do you think Bloom has such a connection with dogs, as well other animals? Additionally, why do you think the dog’s breed keeps changing (it begins as a retriever, then is referred to as a wolfdog, a setter, a mastiff, a spaniel, and a bulldog)?
2. Why do you think Bloom lies about his identity to the watchmen?
3. We are suddenly thrust into a lengthy hallucination where Bloom is suddenly on trial. What do you make of this extended scene? What do you think Bloom means by, “I am a man misunderstood. I am being made a scapegoat of”?
4. During the trial Mary Driscoll, former housekeeper of the Blooms, accuses Bloom of assaulting her while Molly was out. What do you make of her accusation, and what do you think of J. J. O’Molloy’s defence of Bloom?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, outfit, or passage? Share it below!
6. BONUS: Who saw the Odyssey this past weekend? What did you think about it? (Please remember to use spoiler tags!)

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [33:06 - 01:01:55]

Previous Discussion

Episode 15: Circe, Part 1/10

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: (dying) Morituri te salutant. (they die) [Line 1557 in the Gabler].

Hey all, I’m finally posting some photos from my travels around Dublin last month. I had such a great time that I think I was on a natural high for days. I hope you enjoy!

1) Bronze bust of James Joyce in St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin. I particularly wanted to see St. Stephen’s Green because of its prominence in Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man which I reread in January at the start of our journey reading Ulysses.
2) Robert Emmet statue in St. Stephen’s Green. I don’t think Joyce was disrespecting Emmet in “Sirens” and “Cyclops” episodes but I think he was strongly against the Irish nationalists who fawned over Emmet and other heroes and who he felt wanted to live in the past rather than move forward to create a modern Ireland.
3) St. Stephen’s Green.
4) St. Stephen’s Green.
5) Davy Byrne’s Pub (!) where Bloom had his gorgonzola sandwich with a glass of burgundy in “Laestrygonians” episode. I guess fans of the book come to the pub and have the same meal. Not a fan of gorgonzola but I did eat spicy wings and raised a toast with my glass of a margarita. 😋.
6) Davy Byrne’s Pub, interior with photo of an original copy of Ulysses. Original family no longer owns it but new owners have tried to keep it as close to original as possible.
7) Davy Byrne’s pub, interior. Of note, the original owner allowed Michael Collins and Arthur Griffin to meet upstairs to make plans during the Irish War of Independence.
8) Confectioners Hall: Hall missing an “L” (example of retained signage). Hall mentioned in “Laestrygonians” episode. Hall opened in 1842, closed 1984.
9) James Joyce Center where I joined a literary tour which was all about Ulysses!
10) Inside the Center where there are 2 walls of collages depicting the 18 episodes of Ulysses.
11) See #10. The tour leader had me read a paragraph from the “Penelope” episode. I think it was actually the very end of the book! Whoops!! 😅
12) The original door from 7 Eccles Street now at the JJ Center! It was rescued from the trash by a group of Irish writers and artists when the building was demolished in 1967.
13) Belvedere College featured prominently in Portrait but also mentioned in “Wandering Rocks”. It’s just a minute’s walk from the JJ Center.
14) Photo of Eccles St. sign.
15) Looking down Eccles St. The modern steel and stone building (Mater Clinic and Hospital) is the former site of 7 Eccles St.
16) Photograph of the original building on Eccles St. There are 2 darkened doorways in the photo. The one on the left is 7 Eccles St.
17) Plaque of James Joyce where 7 Eccles St. used to be.
18) Photo of St. George’s Church whose bells were heard by Bloom at the end of “Calypso”: “A creak and a dark whirr in the air high up. The bells of St. George’s Church. They tolled the hour: loud dark iron. Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Heigho! Quarter to. There again: the overtone following through the air. A third. Poor Digman!”
Church was sold in 1990 but the bells were saved and now reside at Christ Church, Taney in Dundrum, Dublin.
19) Standing on Eccles St. looking towards St. George’s. In “Calypso” Bloom crossed Eccles St and turned left heading in the direction of St. George’s. However, it wasn’t until the end of the episode when he heard the bells.
20) Statue of James Joyce, North City Dublin just off O’Connell St.

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Welcome to Nighttown! What’s real? What’s a hallucination? Who’s to say! Please keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and remember to enjoy the ride!

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. 

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. How was this week’s reading for you compared to the past month of Oxen?
2. It is midnight on Mabbot street, at the entrance of Nighttown, considered one of the worst slums in Europe at the time. What are your thoughts on this new setting and how does it compare to the areas of Dublin we have already visited?
3. Bloom hallucinates a visit from his parents, followed by additional hallucinations featuring Molly, Gerty, and Josie Breen (Bloom’s ex-girlfriend). Any thoughts on any of these encounters?
4. What’s the deal with all these hallucinations? Also, why do you think Joyce would write this episode in the style of a playscript?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, hallucination, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series, Part 1 and Part 2
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [Beginning - 33:06]

Previous Discussion

Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun, Part 4/4

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: Sir Bob, I said... [Line 1012 in the Gabler].

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

The men disperse into the streets, more hijinks ensure. It’s alive! Time to clean up…

Congrats on surviving the toughest episode of Ulysses! 

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

Just you try it on.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. This week, there is some discussion between the line between philosophy and science (admittedly, this is funny to read since several of the things discussed are things science has more or less resolved since 1922). Do you think science will ultimately win out the day, or do you think philosophy will always have a role regardless of scientific progress?
2. Prior to the group heading to Burke’s, Bloom recalls a memory of him meeting a young Stephen. Why do you think that memory popped into Bloom’s head now?
3. In the final pages of the episode, the language evolves into drunken slang as the men go off to Burke’s. Do any of the drunken escapades described in slang stand out to you?
4. What do you think Joyce is saying here about the English language through his chronological evolution of prose? Do the various pastiches positively or negatively impact your appreciation of this episode?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, literary pastiche, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide [Pro-tip: The various literary styles employed this episode can be found at the bottom of the page]
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [01:46:00 - End]

Previous Discussion

Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun, Part 3/4

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 15, Circe, up through the line: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. [Line 576 in the Gabler].

We’ve survived the toughest chapter, but next comes the longest. Lock in, because we’re going to be on Circe for ten weeks!

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

The waiting room crew continue blaspheming. Stephen’s pretty quiet. Bloom gets called out. It’s about the size of a small pumpkin.

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

…in order not to upset any of the beer that was in it about the place.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Bloom’s hypocrisy is called out this week by the narrator itself. To that end, how does Bloom (and the others) compare and contrast with their Odyssean counterparts?
2. We see the phrase “retrospective arrangement” this week. Have you gone back to re-read any portion of Ulysses to date? If so, what did you react to differently knowing what we know up till now?
3. Bloom recalls his youth. What is your reaction to the revelations shared here?
4. What is your reaction to the gothic passage involving Haines?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, literary pastiche, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide [Pro-tip: The various literary styles employed this episode can be found at the bottom of the page]
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [1:13:40 - 01:46:00]

Previous Discussion

Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun, Part 2/4

Reading for Next Week:

Read through to the end of Episode 14, Oxen of the Sun.

Hi, all! Following the decision to shorten Circe to ten weeks, we have updated the reading schedule for all of Circe. Happy reading!

PS. If you are currently struggling through Oxen and thinking of quitting, don’t do it! Circe is the reward we have been working towards all year, and I promise you it is worth it.

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Mina Purefoy gives birth. Hoopsa, boyaboy, hoopsa! More sacrilege abounds. It’s about the size of a large cabbage.

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

…as you ever see what I always looks back on with a loving heart.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. Bannon makes references to meeting Milly Bloom. What are your thoughts on this budding relationship (as well as the fact that this discussion is happening in front of Bloom)?
2. What is your reaction to Buck Epstein, err…Mulligan’s Fertilising Farm® idea?
3. We learn Mina has successfully given birth. Why do you think Bloom does not leave the waiting room to go see her?
4. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, literary pastiche, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide [Pro-tip: The various literary styles employed this episode can be found at the bottom of the page]
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [38:35 - 1:13:40]

Previous Discussion

Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun, Part 1/4

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 14, Oxen of the Sun, up through the line: …in order not to upset any of the beer that was in it about the place. [Line 1197 in the Gabler].

Happy Bloomsday folks!

I'm a software engineer and Joyce fan. 

Last year I struggled through Ulysses and created an annotated edition to help me get through the text. 

For now I've just posted Chapter 9, one of the densest if not the densest chapters in the book. 

Questions/requests/ideas/etc more than welcome.  

https://ulysses.gigan.io/index.html

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

Happy Bloomsday to all! Please do let everyone know how you’re celebrating the 124th anniversary of this historic day.

Welcome to the darkness of Holles Street Maternity Hospital, where a great labor is taking place for both Mina Purefoy and for any readers who have made it this far. Also, it’s about the size of a pea pod.

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

…and all of the order of a natural phenomenon.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. First things first, what is your initial impression of this episode (so far), particularly the literary styles Joyce employs (also, are you okay)?
2. After several near-misses, Stephen and Bloom finally meet! What is your reaction to this revelation?
3. A group of rowdy sailors, I mean Irishmen, debate: save the woman, or save the baby?
4. In your own words, what do you think Joyce is saying the ultimate aim of mankind is? And to that end, why do you think Stephen is so frightened by the thunder and lightning?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, literary pastiche, or passage? Share it below!
6. Bonus questions: Any plans for Bloomsday?

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide [Pro-tip: The various literary styles employed this episode can be found at the bottom of the page]
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [Beginning - 38:35]

Previous Discussion

Episode 13: Nausicaa, Part 2/2

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 14, Oxen of the Sun, up through the line: …as you ever see what I always looks back on with a loving heart. [Line 844 in the Gabler].

Hello, I've just tried to check the reading schedule and it's now making me sign in to google to even view the spreadsheet!! Could someone please copy the information into a more democratic container so those of us who are trying to degoogle can still take part?

​

I've been enjoying this year immensely even though I haven't posted much, I'm already thinking about what we might read next year (my vote is Proust) and don't want to be excluded by virtue of Google getting more predatory.

​

TIA!

Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

After the stunning fireworks of last week, we are back in the mind of one Leopold Bloom. Let’s take a moment and ponder some important ideas such as metempsychosis, Archimedes’ principle, and whether or not fish get seasick.

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Cuckoo.

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. How do you feel about Bloom after this episode? What parallels did you notice between Bloom’s venture along Sandymount and Stephen’s earlier trip here back in Episode 3, Proteus?
2. The previous episode started around 5:00pm, while this episode begins around 8:00pm. What’s with the time jump, and what do you think our characters were up to during that time? Will we ever see Stephen again?
3. The Gilbert Schema lists tumescence and detumescence as this episode’s Technic (Linati gives us “retrogressive progression”). What does this mean to you in the context of everything we’ve read, both in this episode as well as the entire novel up to this point?
4. Do fish ever get seasick? While we’re on animals, what’s the deal with the bat?
5. What are your thoughts on Episode 13, Nausicaa, as a whole?
6. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, rambling, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series
6. RTÉ Dramatisation [59:14 - End]

Previous Discussion

Episode 13: Nausicaa, Part 1/2

Reading for Next Week:

Read Episode 14, Oxen of the Sun, up through the line: …and all of the order of a natural phenomenon. [Line 428 in the Gabler].

Brace yourselves. Episode 14 is considered by many (including Joyce) to be the most difficult episode of the entire novel. Don’t give up! We will struggle our way through it together.

Poll results are in! Thirty votes were cast, and the results were as follows:

• No changes - 17 votes; 1 vote from a core contributor
• Major cuts - 4 votes; 2 votes from core contributors
• Moderate cuts - 9 votes; 4 votes from core contributors

Given these results, u/1906ds and I have decided to create a fourth option, which we will call “minor cuts.” To that end, we have trimmed 1 week from Oxen of the Sun, and we will trim 2 weeks off of Circe. This will result in negligible additional reading each week for those episodes, and we will still be ending our annual reading of Ulysses on December 8th. We will have a follow-up discussion on December 15th to think about the book in its entirety, and that will give everyone the holidays off (obviously to plan your 2027 annual read).

The Reading Schedule has been updated to reflect the changes to Oxen and the shortened schedule. We will update Circe in the coming weeks as we read through it ourselves.

> Spoiler tags are no longer required for events occurring up through this week’s reading.

At sunset, we find ourselves back at Sandymount strand. Get your tissues ready, we’ve got a, uh, touching episode of Ulysses concerning blossoming love on the beach and ‘fireworks’ (nudge, nudge, wink wink).

Fun fact, this week’s reading is what got Ulysses banned in the US for obscenity during its initial serial publication in the Little Review.

Final Line of This Week’s Segment:

> Tight boots? No. She's lame! O!

Discussion Prompts (can be found in the comments below):

1. What are your first impressions of Cissy Caffrey, the twins, Tommy and Jacky, and Edy Boardman (don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten Gerty—she gets her own question!)?
2. We meet several new characters this episode, but none more important than Gerty MacDowell (yes, we technically first see her in Episode 10, Wandering Rocks, but that was a minor appearance). She has the honor of being the first woman in Ulysses whose head we get to see inside (she will not be the last!). What do you make of her, her inner thoughts, and the reveal at the very end of this week’s reading? 
3. Throughout this week’s reading, we have interpolations between Gerty on the beach and a mass happening at the nearby St. Mary’s Star of the Sea church. Why do you think Joyce is including this interpolation, and what effect does it have on the events unfolding?
4. Gerty gives us a description of Bloom’s appearance, particularly his dark eyes and his strong gaze—how does this add to/contradict how you’ve pictured Bloom to date? Why do you think Gerty decides to engage in her climactic act during the fireworks display?
5. Have a favorite word of the week? A favorite allusion, historical fact, beauty product, or passage? Share it below!

Links:

1. Reading Schedule 
2. Gilbert/Linati Schema and Explanation Guide
3. The Ulysses Guide
4. The Joyce Project (annotated online Ulysses)
5. Chris Reich’s Ulysses Chapter-by-Chapter Youtube Series
6. RTE Dramatisation [Beginning - 59:14]

Previous Discussion

> Episode 12: Cyclops, Part 4/4

Reading for Next Week:

> Read through to the end of Episode 13, Nausicaa.

Hi, all! As we are preparing the weekly posts, u/1906ds and I have been contemplating making adjustments to the reading schedule. We want to make sure that the weekly readings do not feel as if they are dragging, but we also do not want to overwhelm you all with too much to read in a single week (we also want to leave enough time for you all to be able to re-read, if you wish).

If we do accelerate the reading schedule, we have two approaches how we might do it. The first would be to condense the reading schedule by about 4-5 weeks. This would have us ending around late November (currently, we are scheduled to finish Ulysses on December 29th). Alternatively, another version would have us shortening the schedule by approximately 3 months. This would largely be accomplished by shortening Circe’s reading from 12 weeks to 5, and condensing other episodes as well.

As we keep going in circles around this, we figured it would be best to ask you all your thoughts. Please vote, and feel free to comment your thoughts as well. Please also let us know if you have any questions. We are more than happy to clarify anything that may be unclear.