'Ulysses' by James Joyce

 

"When I die Dublin will be in my heart"...Dublin c.1904 

Ulysses is seemingly a world away from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (and indeed much of Joyce's work) with the intimacy that it affords readers to its characters and their outrageous, inmost thoughts and behaviours. Since its 1922 publication, Ulysses has charmed and Ulysses has baffled. It has spawned accusations of lunacy, pornography, and Bolshevism. But it has also immutably influenced writing. Its timelessness and uniqueness, allayed with its lyricism, incandescence, and shimmering complexity, make it one of my favourite novels.

  

Ulysses is set in Dublin, on 16th June 1904, to be precise. It traces in a series of episodes during this single day, the activities of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus (also in A Portrait) as they move through the streets of Dublin.

Aside from the significance of Dublin to Joyce, as the place that sculpted him in his formative years, this bustling, hidebound, and archaic city which his characters inhabit, contrasts sharply with their quiet, often guilt-ridden musings. Dublin additionally sets up an isolating dichotomy between fantasy and reality, which is crossed and then recrossed by Joyce's personae.

As implied by the title of the novel, there are many parallels to be found in it to Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. Stephen and Leopold, for instance, are similar to Odysseus and Telemachus in their search for a paternal bond. Like Odysseus, Leopold longs to be a father. This subconscious desire comes after the still birth of his son, Rudy. For Leopold, a son would reinforce his sense of identity, being a Jewish immigrant and an outsider. Meanwhile, Stephen feels disconnected from his father and is consequently seeking a paternal figure. As a professor and an author, he touchingly compiles various theories on father-son relationships. Whilst Stephen's ideas are, for me at least, challenging to grasp, the poetic flair with which Joyce writes is bewitching. I recommend reading this book aloud to truly appreciate Joyce's use of language.

Another link between Ulysses and The Odyssey remains in Leopold's wife, Molly Bloom. Like The Odyssey's Penelope, Molly is besieged by suitors. Except instead of fending off these men, Molly has affairs with them. It is tempting to cast judgement on Molly for being a lady of loose morals. And yet, reading her testimony, Molly's infidelity can be redeemed, perhaps even forgiven, as she mentions Leopold's own dalliances and the tribulations of men who 'know as much about [her] backside as anything in the world'.

While exploring love, death, and other aspects of the human condition, Ulysses is wonderfully funny. One particular moment, to wit, is when Leopold is at a brothel and hallucinating. He visualises scenes of glory and is asked "What is the parallax of the subsolar ecliptic of Aldebaran?" to which he replies "Pleased to hear from you". 

Ulysses is, at times, crude and shocking in its unvarnished portrayal of human life. However, putting this aside, it is a stunning novel that confirms Joyce as one of the great writers.

With thanks to labirrateca.blogspot.co.uk for the image.