Ulysses (novel)
A modernist novel chronicling a single day in Dublin.
Ulysses is a modernist novel by the Irish writer James Joyce. It is considered one of the most important works of modernist literature and a classic of the genre, having been called 'a demonstration and summation of the entire movement'.
- author
- James Joyce
- genre
- Modernist novel
- notable_for
- Stream of consciousness, Homeric parallels, obscenity trial
Lore & Background
Ulysses is the Latinised name of Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, and the novel establishes a series of parallels between Leopold Bloom and Odysseus, Molly Bloom and Penelope, and Stephen Dedalus and Telemachus. There are also correspondences with William Shakespeare's play Hamlet and with other literary, religious, and mythological figures, including Jesus, Elijah, Moses, Dante Alighieri and Don Juan. Such themes as antisemitism, human sexuality, British rule in Ireland, Catholicism and Irish nationalism are treated in the context of early-20th-century Dublin. It is highly allusive and written in a variety of styles. The writer Djuna Barnes quoted Joyce as saying, 'The pity is ... the public will demand and find a moral in my book—or worse they may take it in some more serious way, and on the honour of a gentleman, there is not one single serious line in it. ... In Ulysses I have recorded, simultaneously, what a man says, sees, thinks, and what such seeing, thinking, saying does, to what you Freudians call the subconscious.' According to the writer Declan Kiberd, 'Before Joyce, no writer of fiction had so foregrounded the process of thinking'. Its stream of consciousness technique, careful structuring and prose of an experimental nature—replete with puns, parodies, epiphanies and allusions—as well as its rich characterisation and broad humour have led it to be regarded as one of the greatest literary works.
Reader's Guide
Ulysses is divided into three books and 18 episodes, which roughly correspond to episodes in Homer's Odyssey. Joyce referred to the episodes by their Homeric titles in his letters, though the novel's text does not include those titles. The Gilbert and Linati schemata made the links to the Odyssey clearer and also explained the work's structure. Joyce seems to have relished his book's obscurity, saying he had 'put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that's the only way of insuring one's immortality'. The American judge who decided that Ulysses was not obscene, John M. Woolsey, admitted that it 'is not an easy book to read or to understand', and advised reading 'a number of other books which have now become its satellites'. Ezra Pound regarded the Homeric correspondences as 'a scaffold, a means of construction, justified by the result, and justifiable by it only'. For T. S. Eliot, the Homeric correspondences had 'the importance of a scientific discovery'. Edmund Wilson wrote that 'the adventures of Ulysses ... do represent the ordinary man in nearly every common relation', but felt Joyce made a mistake to have the whole plan depend on the structure of the Odyssey. In the late 1930s Joyce told Samuel Beckett, 'I may have over-systematized Ulysses.'
Did You Know?
- Joyce said he had 'put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant'.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ulysses?
Ulysses is a modernist novel by James Joyce that follows three characters through an ordinary day in Dublin, Ireland. It was first published in full in 1922 and quickly became a defining text of twentieth-century literature.
What is Ulysses famous for?
The novel is best known for its dense stream-of-consciousness narration and its loose structural echo of Homer's Odyssey. It also sparked a highly publicized obscenity trial in the United States, which ultimately cleared the book for wide American distribution.
What is the plot of Ulysses?
The story tracks Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Molly Bloom across the events of June 16, 1904, in Dublin. Though it covers only a single day, the narrative shifts through dozens of literary styles, from mock-epic to free indirect discourse.
Why is Ulysses considered important?
Critics and scholars frequently describe it as a summation of the modernist movement, showcasing virtually every experimental technique the era produced. Its influence on narrative form, language, and the interior life of characters shaped countless writers who came after Joyce.
Who wrote Ulysses and how long did it take?
James Joyce, the Irish author, spent roughly seven years drafting and revising the manuscript before its 1922 publication. Joyce drew heavily on his own memories of Dublin streets and his deep command of classical and European literary tradition.
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