Fiction_L Archives attention James Joyce fans Dates: 2/9/00,11:20 AM  through  2/9/00,12:20 PM  (2 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to February 2000 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: Suzy
REC'D: 2/9/00, 11:20 AM

I have a patron who is thinking of reading Ulysses by James Joyce and wants
to know a) how to approach it and b) is it worth it? She is an avid reader,
but like most of us, with a limited amount of reading time and I think she
is concerned about spending an inordinate amount of time on one book. I know
college courses and book discussion groups spend months on it. Should she
read small portions, and maybe have another book going at the same time, or
just plow straight through it as one would any other book (any rough
estimates how long this would take?) Also, can anyone recommend a good
companion or guide to help with all the allusions and references?

Suzy
Chicago Public Library
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

FROM: "Karen Traynor" <[removed]@midyork.lib.ny.us>
REC'D: 2/9/00, 12:20 PM

A book discussion group at our library (of which I am a member) tackled
Ulysses a year ago. It was MUCH easier to read with the support of a
group--could your patron possibly hook up with one or two other people with
an interest in reading it? We didn't always understand what we read, but we
had a ball trying!

We typically read a chapter or two at a time,then met to discuss them. We
used every tool available to help us, including Cliff and Monarch notes.
Most helpful was a book called "The Bloomsday Book: a guide through Joyce's
Ulysses" by Harry Blamires. There are several editions of this book, the
most recent was the most helpful.

Another thing that helped us was LISTENING to portions of the book read on
audio. I have never found an unabridged version, but there are many good
condensations of it. Joyce's use of language falls better on the ear-- much
easier to absorb than only through reading! We also watched the video as a
group.

All of these tools helped us to gain at least a rudimentary understanding of
the book. It is a formidable task to undertake! I would encourage your
patron to just go with the flow and read to enjoy the language and not try
to understand the hidden meaning in every line. PEople have been studying
this book since it was published and don't all agree on the meanings in it!
But the beauty of the language is indisputable.

Karen Traynor
Sullivan Free Library
519 McDonnell Street
Chittenango, NY 13037

>I have a patron who is thinking of reading Ulysses by James Joyce and wants
>to know a) how to approach it and b) is it worth it? She is an avid reader,
>but like most of us, with a limited amount of reading time and I think she
>is concerned about spending an inordinate amount of time on one book. I
know
>college courses and book discussion groups spend months on it. Should she
>read small portions, and maybe have another book going at the same time, or
>just plow straight through it as one would any other book (any rough
>estimates how long this would take?) Also, can anyone recommend a good
>companion or guide to help with all the allusions and references?
>
>Suzy
>Chicago Public Library
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
>

Return to February 2000 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

The Webrary® and Fiction_L are services of the Morton Grove Public Library "Webrary" is a registered trademark of the Morton Grove Public Library. All rights reserved. Copyright of Fiction_L postings belongs to their respective authors; postings may only be reused with the author's permission. Compiled lists (compilations of titles or authors from earlier postings on a particular topic) may not be reused for commercial purposes. To use a compiled list for non-commercial purposes, please credit "Subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list." All other content is ©2012 Morton Grove Public Library, 6140 Lincoln Ave., Morton Grove, IL 60053-2989, (847) 965-4220.