Once more my weekly round-up of links, articles, conversations and general stuff pertaining to Ulysses and James Joyce himself – and sometimes even not. Here’s an old article from Newsweek that explores the idea and purpose of re-reading novels, something I’ll no doubt have to do myself after I finish my first go through the great book.
And what book can’t be improved by pleasant surroundings and an flagon of ale. There is an aspect to this novel which is more social than academic – something which is hinted at by this post from Chuck Boyd’s blog Chuckography. Must try that tour myself one day.
Although taking this tour through Las Vegas might be more exciting – Davy’s Locker where neither James Joyce nor Frank Sinatra ever drank.
If your interest in Dublin extends beyond Ulysses and the local drinking establishments then who better to contact than The Irish Town Planner’s Blog! Don’t worry – it’s not all town planning. Via a route only a town planner could conceive we do actually get to some Joyce – eventually.
As I delve deeper in the influence Joyce and his Ulysses has over the real world outside literary criticism I can’t help but wonder how far from (or close to) reality I can get! Ah, the answer – and as a designer this makes perfect sense to me! Prepare yourselves for the Joycean Shopping experience at Green’s Piggly Wiggly in Versailles, Mo. where ‘Silence, Exile and Cunning’ is always on the menu!
I’m sure that residents of Philadelphia PA already know this but for the rest of us it’s nice to know the company the original manuscript of Ulysses keeps when under lock and key. What strange adventures might be encouraged by equally naughty works of fiction during the Night at the Museum! There’s more than one good reason to visit the Rosenbach then.
Are you at all fearful that Ulysses is just another literary monster, over long, under done – perhaps it could’ve been edited better – to make more sense? Well, hang on – the modern era of the internet combined with self-publishing and even authors and publishers who seem to think that size alone brings literary merit – here’s a frightening blog post that just goes to show there’s a world of people out there who think they can go one or two thousand words better than the masters – read (but not literally) this post on the The Clog! And remember kids – size doesn’t matter!
I don’t know what to make of 2008 caper movie The Brothers Bloom, not having seen it myself – the synopsis doesn’t particularly fill me with hope, but you never know. Someone tell me the characters are so named for a deeper purpose than to try and add more than just a thin veneer of intelligence. A small movie that might filter through to you on DVD or rental soon.
The stream of consciousness and the deaf experience! Sounds like a great PhD? Well, it makes an interesting blog post at least on the Carroll County News of all places. My interest is piqued by having (almost) read Oliver Sack’s Seeing Voices, but your mileage may vary.
It’s always a pleasure to find another reader struggling with Ulysses and blogging about the struggle in My Ulysses Odyssey. Personally I can only manage one book at a time – there are other calls on my time you know! But perhaps I need to take as much from Odysseus as from Ulysses – I need to look myself in the mirror and psych myself up a bit – I need to be my own Ulysses!
And finally I don’t really know the context for this post but I think I can guess and it made me laugh so I think that means that as posts go – it is very good and very deep! A joke for the US audience perhaps, but just to be equitable to the folks on the other side of the Atlantic try reading this post on our own Cheryl Cole and see if you can spot the link between L’oreal and James Joyce before your friends! Just for fun you understand. More next week.
