Ulysses (novel)

Ulysses is a 1922 novel by James Joyce that takes its title from the Latin version of the Greek name 'Odysseus'. In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Ulysses first on a list of the 100 best novels in English of the 20th century. The book has been the subject of much scrutiny, criticism and controversy.

Related Topics:
1922 - Novel - James Joyce - Latin - Greek - Odysseus - 1999 - Modern Library - English - 20th century

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Ulysses chronicles the passage through Dublin by its main character, Leopold Bloom, during an unremarkable day, June 16, 1904. The title alludes to the hero of Homer's Odyssey, and there are many parallels, both implicit and explicit, between the two works (e.g. the correlations between Leopold Bloom as Odysseus and Stephen Dedalus as Telemachus). June 16 is now celebrated by Joyce's fans worldwide as Bloomsday. Joyce chose that date because he and his eventual wife, Nora Barnacle, shared their first date on that day.

Related Topics:
Dublin - Leopold Bloom - June 16 - 1904 - Homer - Odyssey - Odysseus - Stephen Dedalus - Telemachus - Bloomsday - Nora Barnacle

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Written over a seven-year period from 1914 to 1921, the novel was serialized in the American journal The Little Review from 1918, until the publication of the Nausicaa episode led to a prosecution for obscenity. The book was first published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach at Shakespeare and Company in Paris in 1922, but was banned in both the United States and United Kingdom until the 1930s. The work was blacklisted by Irish customs.

Related Topics:
1914 - 1921 - Serial - The Little Review - 1918 - Nausicaa - Obscenity - Sylvia Beach - Shakespeare and Company - Paris - 1922 - United States - United Kingdom - 1930s - Customs

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Ulysses is a massive novel: 267,000 words in total from a vocabulary of 30,000 words, with most editions weighing in at between 800 to 1000 pages, and divided into 18 chapters. At first glance the book may appear unstructured and chaotic, but the two schemata which Stuart Gilbert and Herbert Gorman released after publication to defend Joyce from the obscenity accusations make the links to the Odyssey, and much internal structure, explicit.

Related Topics:
Word - Vocabulary - Chaotic

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The legacy and impact of Ulysses on modern literature and literary culture is sizeable; one need only note the proliferation of the celebration of Bloomsday on 16 June all over the world, with a notably large celebration in Dublin, Ireland during 2004 to commemorate the centenary of the book's events.

Related Topics:
Bloomsday - 16 June - Dublin - Ireland - 2004

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Joyce is often quoted as saying that one could recreate the city of Dublin, piece by piece, from Ulysses. Many scholars have noted that although this rather bold statement may have been true at or around Joyce's time, so much of the city has changed that this claim is no longer viable. Nevertheless, many of the places and landmarks featured in Ulysses may still be found in Dublin, such as the Martello tower where the novel begins (now a Joyce museum) and Davy Byrne's pub. Indeed, perambulating around the city as Bloom and Dedalus did, one can still get a sense of how the city influenced Joyce's novel.

Related Topics:
Dublin - Martello tower - Davy Byrne's pub

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