Hey all, thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this, you might like the follow-up episode of How To Read It in which I take a look at Joseph Heller's Catch-22 which you can find here: ruclips.net/video/T9jS5ka_fNo/видео.html
Hi Tom, really enjoy your channel. Though I tried to read this book twice, I found it so confusing that I couldn't get through it. Can you dumb it down for me in a few words? Thanks.
@@nedgilkeson4391 - try listening to it, it is a brilliant listen. also skip to Bloom and skim over Stephen's chapters, you can always come back to them. for a guide I recommend Declan Kiberd (lecturer in Joyce's old alma mater)
Absolutely love it. Your enthusiasm is infectious, so to add to the Ulysses apologia: What I hate about the conflation of "Ulysses is great" and "Ulysses is hard" is that it makes Joyce sound terribly pretentious, just trying to be clever and obscure, when Ulysses is a deeply sincere and intensely personal work. He spent seven years and sacrificed most of his eyesight writing out the manuscript of an 800 page novel longhand, and survived mostly because of Harriet Shaw Weaver's patronage. It was a colossal undertaking, and he approached it with both the determination of purpose in what he knew he was creating, and the joy of working on something that it's 100% clear that he loved. Specifically, if you are a writer, you owe it to yourself to read Ulysses, both to engage with one of the undisputed masters of language, and to see how much inventive, creative fun he had with all of it.
I think everyone reading Ulysses should listen to the voice of Joyce reading it. I love Ireland. I lived in Dublin for most of the 70’s. There is something so quintessentially Dublin about Joyce. I love it. I must admit, I never got through Finnegan’s Wake, although I enjoyed listening to Joyce reading it.
I just finished reading Ulysses last week--it took almost a year! Throughout the book I learned how to be a better reader. My uncle lent me the book and made sure I had the annotations along with it. But soon I figured out I needed more of an overview of each chapter--not every single word or reference. So I started reading the sparknotes before each chapter and following along that way, which helped tremendously and I would love to check out that book you recommended next time I read Ulysses. Also, my Uncle recommended I should listen to the last episode, which was fantastic as well as it gave so much emotion to the words! Love your video, thanks for posting it!
Hope you enjoyed it! I found the same actually; line by line guides weren't massively helpful but that general overview just helped ground me in what was going on in the plot when I needed it. After spending so much time with my head in Ulysses, however, shorter books all seem a little thematically thin!
I attempted to read this book twice, & though being an English & Literature major, I could make no sense of it whatsoever & couldn't get through it. Can you clue me in with an over view? Thanks.
So lucky... when I started reading it my teacher thought I was insane... TT I’m still reading it and I don’t think I can either... BUT ILL GET THERE EVENTUALLY *insert anime opening*
Finished Ulysses after watching this video. Took me three months, but it has been worth it. Ulysses captures so many aspects of life and the human experience, and how the wealth of complex emotions and circumstances culminate into how we live our lives. This video was super helpful! Thank you! I really understood the book because of this. For those who haven't read it, I'd recommend reading a quick plot summary of each chapter once you finish it, as it helps you make sure that you understood what occurred. It's challenging to read, but it is totally worth it!
Yes, I’ve read JJ’s Ulysses. Yes, it is hard to understand. But leaving ME behind and softly falling into JJ’s magic pages always makes thoughts and senses (some I never knew I had) light up and resonate with raw life. Did I enjoy your “How to Read It” - Yes. More? YES !
Nicely done. I'm on my 3rd attempt at this book, and this time I'm much further on than I've previously gotten (over halfway now) - I have to say I am enjoying it far more this time than previously and I think its videos like this that have helped. I am appreciating it as a sedate, meandering and experimental look at everyday life in Dublin at that time. I appreciate the wit and levity its often written with. In short I think I'm so much further through and enjoying the read so much more because I'm not taking the novel quite so seriously as I did before.
I'm on my first read through and have finished the third chapter... I barely have the vaguest notion of what I just read lol the first and second chapter were clear enough, but now I feel lost.
God man Mr. Nicholas! This is my second attempt of the book (after 15 years break!) and your video made it bit easier to approach it and more encouraging to keep reading. Best from 2021 Ireland 🇮🇪
This was absolutely wonderful and I’m so grateful you made this! I was an avid reader as a kid reading every day, loving books more than TV and video games, but I’m in my 30s now and have lost the love for it. I bought a copy of Ulysses after heading about it on a podcast but haven’t even opened it, because I was too fearful about feeling stupid or my fried attention span making it painful. Your wonderful video assuaged that fear completely and I’m totally stuck into it now. You are brilliant!
A remarkable novel appeared lately, titled No Land for Dead Men is a superb work and it has all the features of Ulysses but with a good story in it; a fantastic book.
I've never read the book. I have a copy and I've thumbed it over the years. Since watching this vid I've started turning pages. My first thought is, not that I should read this book.....but it may benefit me if I do. This vid, narrated expertly and knowledgeably , is an inspiration and the literal journey begins!
I read it into a tape recorder for about an hour a day and listened back while I was doing chores . I think it took about six weeks. There was no way I could have taken it in in one reading and even with the playback I probably didn't get half of it , but I enjoyed the writing and it made me realize that my vocabulary needed an upgrade . I kept a notebook of unfamiliar words to look up before I played back. The changes in literary styles in the book showed how different Weltanschauungen can inform a given subject.
As someone who took a Joyce class in college to read this book, I gotta say this was a good introduction. Also, it's so weird in retrospect how Ulysses is held up as so hard when Joyce's next book, Finnegan's wake, I found impossible to read.
Came across this video having decided to give Ulysses a try. Loved it! Your enthusiasm for and down-to-earth approach to the book is really helpful! Thank you!
Having read Portrait is a really good set-up for reading Ulysses. Partly because it means that you've got that little bit of background on Steven but largely because Portrait just acclimatises you to Joyce's style that little bit (and gets you used to occasionally having to wade through something not entirely engaging, ahemthesermonahem.
Thank you Tom for your invigorating overview of Ulysses- why I should have a crack at it. Many years ago I attempted ‘Finnigans Wake’, I got through 278 pages by reading it aloud to myself in my best Irish accent (I’m Australian with no Irish experience) which helped to made the experience an existential joy especially - when reading it to my lover, ( perhaps more like a farce) however the virtual impenetrability of the txt & especially its narrative, has left me procrastinating on Ulysses ( I have read Homer’s original) but your introduction has reactivated my interest in the heroic undertaking. Tom - your finely articulated enthusiasm is nothing short of infectious - all power to your adventures. Thank you. 🙏🎖👑
Gary. You absolutely must finish Finnegan's Wake and then read it again a year or two later, and then again a year or two after that. I know it sounds crazy but it's not. I have read the book at least a half dozen times and only the last time did I read it out loud. The first time I read it took a year. I could only read a couple of pages at night because I spent so much time rereading, trying to understand better or trying to misunderstand less. Anyway, with each read my reading time lessened but only slightly, still taking months. However, when I read it aloud, I finished cover to cover in a couple of weeks. I, too, read it in one of the worst Irish accents ever attempted buy a Floridian and laughed out loud more times than I had in all the previous readings. After reading FW a few times, I realized that my understanding of the text increased because my knowledge about many things mentioned in the book had increased. It is said that Joyce used more than 70 languages, in addition to his seemingly nonstop polyglot puns and portmanteau words, which means that if you learned a new language you would probably understand the book better. The same thing happens if you learn new words or old words that have gone out of usage. If I was a Catholic I would know more but I'm just a southern baptist so I don't understand all the references Joyce makes about Catholicism. I know almost no Latin but if I knew more the book would make more sense. What I'm saying is that your understanding of the novel increases with your life experiences. It's been probably a decade now since I last read it. So when I do finally read it again it will undoubtedly make more sense. So please do yourself a favor and read the rest of the novel, aloud, of course. Lastly, I recommend you buying a small book written by Joseph Campbell and someone else called A Skeleton Key To Finnegan's Wake. It's a great guide. Good Luck and Happy Reading
Well done,Tom, I tried many times, also testing people pretending to have read, while they obviously could just quote the first lines of chapter one, then I stopped even trying… YOU,Tom, make me want to start anew, thank you‼️
I most insightful extremely brief encounter with the uproarously funny Ulysses of James Joyce who surely must have been a genius. Total congrats on this!
Haha, thought I'd start with a tough one (in that, I basically had to leave out 90% of what I wanted to say about it!) so that everything else should then seem easy by comparison, right?
Tom Nicholas I thought you did a good job. It might have helped enrich the context by mentioning the characteristic of modernism in literature. I’m a high school English lit teacher, and I must say your enthusiasm and engagement with the material is inspirational.
@@jamesroberts2282 Thanks James! Yes, I was keen to squeeze that in but didn't want to make it too long! I do have a video on Modernism more generally although it's not particularly focussed on literature. Thanks you, I do try to get some of that enthusiasm across in my videos so I'm glad that's working!
@@Tom_Nicholas You can always say the other 90% in another piece or even break it up into segments . I'm positive anybody that watches it will thoroughly enjoy and appreciate it .
Hey man, you convinced me to read Ulysses, simply in the sense that you said it wasn't important to know exactly what's happening ALL the time... I actually didn't really understand anything until chapter 4 (let alone know I was past ch. 1 because the "episodes" aren't numbered in my edition). By the time I made it this far, I more or less understand Joyce's style insofar as I could start picking up on story structure, and once that happens, the words become surreal/psychic/psychedelic images in my minds-pace. Favorite fiction book 100%. TY
That's awesome Thomas! Yeah, that was a really important thing for me to get past too. I think it can be tempting to think "AHH, I'M LOST, IT'S ALL POINTLESS, I SHOULD GIVE UP" a lot during this book but I found that, as long as you stick with it, it's not like everything moves too quickly so you do eventually get back on track again. There's a couple of guides to where the "episodes" start and end online which I think it's worth seeking out as it does help to know when you've finished one and started another. Glad you're enjoying it!
Finnegans Wake is his biggest masterpiece but definitely the most difficult because the entire book is a giant pun, made up of smaller puns. The puns are sometimes referencing multiple languages at once too. Paradoxically, as arcane as FW is, it actually has basically a coherent story. It is structured like a fractal though.
Trippy? Naked Lunch is “trippy” Finnegan’s Wake is literally impossible to read. It’s cool to pick up and read a page every now and then just for the pure stream of consciousness like poetry but it’s hardly coherent.
A good rapport and the way of engagement with the topic. I still have butterflies before embarking on the book. Wish they would spare me and lead me nicely through the book. Thanks
Hi all, thanks for watching! I hope this video is useful to anyone wanting to have a crack at reading Ulysses and, as I said in the video, any thoughts on the format would be much appreciated!
Ulysses in 15 minutes, Joyce himself said one particular sentence in the book took several days to compose. Nice summary though, people will be more prepared, thanks to you, than I was the first time around!
This is awesome, you really should do something similar for Mad Men. This video made me realise how much it references James Joyce in style and content. James Joyce inspired Lacan, Lacan inspired Mad Men
Excellent summary Tom. Although JJ did make that comment about keeping academics busy analyzing this work, at its core, Joyce’s writing is about finding signicance in the mundane. Cheers.
Hi Aditi! Definitely planning on it! I got a bit sidelined reading Infinite Jest but am planning on making a Pride and Prejudice next followed most probably by A Tale of Two Cities. Although I have been debating making a Catch 22 one to tie in with the current TV adaptation. Any suggestions as to what books you'd like me to cover though I'd really appreciate!!
Just finishing the book. As Czech I had to read it in English with the help of Czech translation. Completely in love with the book. It is so witty, funny, dirty (and sometimes braindamaging in a good way). I know I will return and read it again and again...
Dublin was a great place to grow up in the 60's and even the 70's. Characters abounded in every pub and hotel bar. Even the pubs had incredible character. People cared for each other. People were really interesting! Then tourism and demolition took over and destroyed it all. Homogenous. Joyce captures all of the interesting phase of Dublin's evolution (and subsequent demise) so beautifully and accurately. Long live Joyce! ☘💚
This book is certainly a challenge, and definitely not one you would read to wind-down with on a lazy Sunday afternoon. You really need to mentally prepare for. But most importantly, don’t be shy to read in very short stints. It took me almost 2 years to finish it.
Excellent eloquent really interesting presentation thought provoking and presented in a friendly self effacing way. Thanks very much. Encouraged me to persevere with the book. Well done. James
I'm about halfway through Ulysses and have been using the Sparknotes, but I think I would like to get the guide you mentioned also. I've read Dubliners, Portrait of the Artist, and Stephen Hero, but am haunted by how much I'm missing as I read through. Yes I will have finished the book after I'm at the last page, but it is frustrating to know that I'm missing a lot. I really liked how you cut in scenes from historical Dublin as well as scenes from the movie (I didn't realize there even was a movie). I was picturing Bloom and Molly much differently than they looked in the movie scenes. :) Anyway, I love classics and will be delving into your channel more now that I found it. I find most Booktubers are not into classics and that's where I need the most help when I'm reading, LOL!
Cool that you enjoyed it. I needed the Gifford annotations along with the audiobook to get thru it. The book is frustrating beyond words, and took it in college for a semester
I didn’t realize Ulysses was literally just the Roman name for Odysseus until I read the odyssey and saw that for the Roman translations. I listened to a Greek one though as it felt more fitting. I was thinking about reading Ulysses since I just finished the odyssey but I’ll probably give it some time and read Joyce’s other novels first.
I have finished your WTF format and now starting this one, I love it too! I suggest you change the name to OMG, cross the G and call it "Oh my Reading"! I hope you are going to make a video about Proust someday, but Celine, Artaud or Blanchot would also be pretty need
I think it helps if we approach this book knowing that the " density" of it comes very much from its style. One has to get used to how Joyce develops his stream of consciousness. In my case, when I got to chapter 3 I did not get most of it and then I read it again and it made much more sense. It is very important to know what to expect before reading it. That's when your vid comes at hand. Thanks for the amazing content you upload
I am a new reader where should I begin , I am cutrently reading the brothers karamazovs. I don't know where to go next and in what order(like which classics should I read before moving on to more complex one's) .
There isn't a particular order to read these books and I recommend you follow with whatever suits your fancy. If The Brothers Karamazovs impressed you, you may enjoy as well Dostoevsky's other work or other "realism" authors such as Balzac, Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Galdós, the list goes on. Jack London has sparked my interest as of late, Martin Eden, The Call of the Wild are great and reading them in their original form wasn't too complicated (English isn't my native language).
Great stuff, sir. I love that book, but some bits are so dense you have to skip 'em and rejoin the rollercoaster 5 pages on. I really liked where Dedalus closes his eyes on the beach to imagine what it would be like to be blind. Finnegan's Wake totally threw me tho'; I had to give up 28 pages in
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Hey all, thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this, you might like the follow-up episode of How To Read It in which I take a look at Joseph Heller's Catch-22 which you can find here: ruclips.net/video/T9jS5ka_fNo/видео.html
Hi Tom, really enjoy your channel. Though I tried to read this book twice, I found it so confusing that I couldn't get through it. Can you dumb it down for me in a few words? Thanks.
@@nedgilkeson4391 - try listening to it, it is a brilliant listen. also skip to Bloom and skim over Stephen's chapters, you can always come back to them. for a guide I recommend Declan Kiberd (lecturer in Joyce's old alma mater)
Absolutely love it. Your enthusiasm is infectious, so to add to the Ulysses apologia: What I hate about the conflation of "Ulysses is great" and "Ulysses is hard" is that it makes Joyce sound terribly pretentious, just trying to be clever and obscure, when Ulysses is a deeply sincere and intensely personal work. He spent seven years and sacrificed most of his eyesight writing out the manuscript of an 800 page novel longhand, and survived mostly because of Harriet Shaw Weaver's patronage. It was a colossal undertaking, and he approached it with both the determination of purpose in what he knew he was creating, and the joy of working on something that it's 100% clear that he loved.
Specifically, if you are a writer, you owe it to yourself to read Ulysses, both to engage with one of the undisputed masters of language, and to see how much inventive, creative fun he had with all of it.
I think everyone reading Ulysses should listen to the voice of Joyce reading it. I love Ireland. I lived in Dublin for most of the 70’s. There is something so quintessentially Dublin about Joyce. I love it. I must admit, I never got through Finnegan’s Wake, although I enjoyed listening to Joyce reading it.
I just finished reading Ulysses last week--it took almost a year! Throughout the book I learned how to be a better reader. My uncle lent me the book and made sure I had the annotations along with it. But soon I figured out I needed more of an overview of each chapter--not every single word or reference. So I started reading the sparknotes before each chapter and following along that way, which helped tremendously and I would love to check out that book you recommended next time I read Ulysses. Also, my Uncle recommended I should listen to the last episode, which was fantastic as well as it gave so much emotion to the words! Love your video, thanks for posting it!
Hope you enjoyed it! I found the same actually; line by line guides weren't massively helpful but that general overview just helped ground me in what was going on in the plot when I needed it. After spending so much time with my head in Ulysses, however, shorter books all seem a little thematically thin!
I attempted to read this book twice, & though being an English & Literature major, I could make no sense of it whatsoever & couldn't get through it. Can you clue me in with an over view? Thanks.
It only took me 2 months wtf
So lucky... when I started reading it my teacher thought I was insane... TT I’m still reading it and I don’t think I can either... BUT ILL GET THERE EVENTUALLY *insert anime opening*
I read Ulysses when I was at grad school in Dublin at UCD. It took me most of a year. It was worth it.
This video reminds me of why youtube is better than TV
Thank you very much for saying so!
This entire channel is why youtube is better than TV!
That's a pretty low bar
Finished Ulysses after watching this video. Took me three months, but it has been worth it. Ulysses captures so many aspects of life and the human experience, and how the wealth of complex emotions and circumstances culminate into how we live our lives. This video was super helpful! Thank you! I really understood the book because of this. For those who haven't read it, I'd recommend reading a quick plot summary of each chapter once you finish it, as it helps you make sure that you understood what occurred. It's challenging to read, but it is totally worth it!
Just ordered it today, can't wait to start it whilst in quarantine in Dublin lol. Nice history lesson on the book and man himself.
Did you?
Yes, I’ve read JJ’s Ulysses. Yes, it is hard to understand. But leaving ME behind and softly falling into JJ’s magic pages always makes thoughts and senses (some I never knew I had) light up and resonate with raw life. Did I enjoy your “How to Read It” - Yes. More? YES !
I was literally very skeptical about reading Ulysses, but this video made me really convinced that it can be rewarding. Thank you so much !
Did you read it? If so, how was it?
Thanks Tom. I'm ten pages in and enjoying the utter freshness of this language, even in 2023.
Wonderful entry point. Thank you.
I recommend audiobook first and then read. Joyce always meant his books to be read aloud.
Nicely done.
I'm on my 3rd attempt at this book, and this time I'm much further on than I've previously gotten (over halfway now) - I have to say I am enjoying it far more this time than previously and I think its videos like this that have helped.
I am appreciating it as a sedate, meandering and experimental look at everyday life in Dublin at that time. I appreciate the wit and levity its often written with. In short I think I'm so much further through and enjoying the read so much more because I'm not taking the novel quite so seriously as I did before.
I'm on my first read through and have finished the third chapter... I barely have the vaguest notion of what I just read lol the first and second chapter were clear enough, but now I feel lost.
Excellent! I have always avoided this book and you are the first person who actually made me want to give it a try!
I loved your way of explaining this great book....Hats off to you....
God man Mr. Nicholas!
This is my second attempt of the book (after 15 years break!) and your video made it bit easier to approach it and more encouraging to keep reading.
Best from 2021 Ireland 🇮🇪
This was absolutely wonderful and I’m so grateful you made this! I was an avid reader as a kid reading every day, loving books more than TV and video games, but I’m in my 30s now and have lost the love for it. I bought a copy of Ulysses after heading about it on a podcast but haven’t even opened it, because I was too fearful about feeling stupid or my fried attention span making it painful. Your wonderful video assuaged that fear completely and I’m totally stuck into it now. You are brilliant!
A remarkable novel appeared lately, titled No Land for Dead Men is a superb work and it has all the features of Ulysses but with a good story in it; a fantastic book.
I've never read the book. I have a copy and I've thumbed it over the years. Since watching this vid I've started turning pages. My first thought is, not that I should read this book.....but it may benefit me if I do. This vid, narrated expertly and knowledgeably , is an inspiration and the literal journey begins!
I read it into a tape recorder for about an hour a day and listened back while I was doing chores . I think it took about six weeks. There was no way I could have taken it in in one reading and even with the playback I probably didn't get half of it , but I enjoyed the writing and it made me realize that my vocabulary needed an upgrade . I kept a notebook of unfamiliar words to look up before I played back. The changes in literary styles in the book showed how different Weltanschauungen can inform a given subject.
It's defiantly a challenging book and one that you could spend a lifetime reading and re-reading to get a deeper understanding of!
As someone who took a Joyce class in college to read this book, I gotta say this was a good introduction. Also, it's so weird in retrospect how Ulysses is held up as so hard when Joyce's next book, Finnegan's wake, I found impossible to read.
Now I think I'm ready to read Ulysses, thank you! Cheers from Brazil 🇧🇷
Came across this video having decided to give Ulysses a try. Loved it! Your enthusiasm for and down-to-earth approach to the book is really helpful! Thank you!
the advice/context you gave here was more than enough to make reading Ulysses a very fun and immersive experience for me
This was my introduction to Tom Nicholas, what a charming and intelligent guy. Subsribed!
wow thank you so much Tom. I've just finished reading Portrait and want to start Ulysses. this was really interesting!
Having read Portrait is a really good set-up for reading Ulysses. Partly because it means that you've got that little bit of background on Steven but largely because Portrait just acclimatises you to Joyce's style that little bit (and gets you used to occasionally having to wade through something not entirely engaging, ahemthesermonahem.
@@Tom_Nicholas haha true
I stated enjoying Ulysses when I gave up trying to understand every sentence and just calmly take in the colorful language, images, and thoughts.
Thank you Tom for your invigorating overview of Ulysses- why I should have a crack at it.
Many years ago I attempted ‘Finnigans Wake’, I got through 278 pages by reading it aloud to myself in my best Irish accent (I’m Australian with no Irish experience) which helped to made the experience an existential joy especially - when reading it to my lover, ( perhaps more like a farce) however the virtual impenetrability of the txt & especially its narrative, has left me procrastinating on Ulysses ( I have read Homer’s original) but your introduction has reactivated my interest in the heroic undertaking.
Tom - your finely articulated enthusiasm is nothing short of infectious - all power to your adventures. Thank you. 🙏🎖👑
Gary. You absolutely must finish Finnegan's Wake and then read it again a year or two later, and then again a year or two after that. I know it sounds crazy but it's not. I have read the book at least a half dozen times and only the last time did I read it out loud. The first time I read it took a year. I could only read a couple of pages at night because I spent so much time rereading, trying to understand better or trying to misunderstand less. Anyway, with each read my reading time lessened but only slightly, still taking months. However, when I read it aloud, I finished cover to cover in a couple of weeks. I, too, read it in one of the worst Irish accents ever attempted buy a Floridian and laughed out loud more times than I had in all the previous readings. After reading FW a few times, I realized that my understanding of the text increased because my knowledge about many things mentioned in the book had increased. It is said that Joyce used more than 70 languages, in addition to his seemingly nonstop polyglot puns and portmanteau words, which means that if you learned a new language you would probably understand the book better. The same thing happens if you learn new words or old words that have gone out of usage. If I was a Catholic I would know more but I'm just a southern baptist so I don't understand all the references Joyce makes about Catholicism. I know almost no Latin but if I knew more the book would make more sense. What I'm saying is that your understanding of the novel increases with your life experiences. It's been probably a decade now since I last read it. So when I do finally read it again it will undoubtedly make more sense. So please do yourself a favor and read the rest of the novel, aloud, of course. Lastly, I recommend you buying a small book written by Joseph Campbell and someone else called A Skeleton Key To Finnegan's Wake. It's a great guide. Good Luck and Happy Reading
Well done,Tom, I tried many times, also testing people pretending to have read, while they obviously could just quote the first lines of chapter one, then I stopped even trying… YOU,Tom, make me want to start anew, thank you‼️
I most insightful extremely brief encounter with the uproarously funny Ulysses of James Joyce who surely must have been a genius. Total congrats on this!
I really learned something about literature that I didn't have to figure out for myself - and that's rare.
Ulysses as your first crack, ambitious.
It was fundamental in sharping the modernist era of literature.
Haha, thought I'd start with a tough one (in that, I basically had to leave out 90% of what I wanted to say about it!) so that everything else should then seem easy by comparison, right?
Tom Nicholas I thought you did a good job. It might have helped enrich the context by mentioning the characteristic of modernism in literature.
I’m a high school English lit teacher, and I must say your enthusiasm and engagement with the material is inspirational.
@@jamesroberts2282 Thanks James! Yes, I was keen to squeeze that in but didn't want to make it too long! I do have a video on Modernism more generally although it's not particularly focussed on literature.
Thanks you, I do try to get some of that enthusiasm across in my videos so I'm glad that's working!
@@Tom_Nicholas You can always say the other 90% in another piece or even break it up into segments . I'm positive anybody that watches it will thoroughly enjoy and appreciate it .
Really helpful. Meticulously collated. Thank you!
Hey man, you convinced me to read Ulysses, simply in the sense that you said it wasn't important to know exactly what's happening ALL the time... I actually didn't really understand anything until chapter 4 (let alone know I was past ch. 1 because the "episodes" aren't numbered in my edition). By the time I made it this far, I more or less understand Joyce's style insofar as I could start picking up on story structure, and once that happens, the words become surreal/psychic/psychedelic images in my minds-pace. Favorite fiction book 100%. TY
That's awesome Thomas! Yeah, that was a really important thing for me to get past too. I think it can be tempting to think "AHH, I'M LOST, IT'S ALL POINTLESS, I SHOULD GIVE UP" a lot during this book but I found that, as long as you stick with it, it's not like everything moves too quickly so you do eventually get back on track again.
There's a couple of guides to where the "episodes" start and end online which I think it's worth seeking out as it does help to know when you've finished one and started another.
Glad you're enjoying it!
Tom, you should have a crack at Finnegans Wake. It's even trippier :P
@@rhythmsteve that would certainly explain it. i got to 40 pages.
Finnegans Wake is his biggest masterpiece but definitely the most difficult because the entire book is a giant pun, made up of smaller puns.
The puns are sometimes referencing multiple languages at once too.
Paradoxically, as arcane as FW is, it actually has basically a coherent story. It is structured like a fractal though.
@@oceanmachine1906 Aggghhh. And every the references (in general) become slightly more obscure...
Trippy? Naked Lunch is “trippy” Finnegan’s Wake is literally impossible to read. It’s cool to pick up and read a page every now and then just for the pure stream of consciousness like poetry but it’s hardly coherent.
@@BigDaddyZakk420 Since when do things have to be coherent to be trippy?
Thanks for the video !
I’m on chapter 2 and was completely lost, thanks for this
Just came across your channel as I'm gonna start reading Ulysses. Great stuff you've got a new subscriber 😁
This man is brilliant
A good rapport and the way of engagement with the topic. I still have butterflies before embarking on the book. Wish they would spare me and lead me nicely through the book. Thanks
Our english teacher wants us to analyze your video rn :)
Thanks from Italy
Very useful and fun introduction, thank you!
Tom Nicholas, you are an incredibly likeable and engaging person! Fantastic video - thank you!
I'm a mexican trying to read this book. This vídeo is si helpful. Gracias !!
I've been addicted to Joyce ever since I heard the penultimate chapter being read on the radio. "Dad, what is this?"
Hi all, thanks for watching! I hope this video is useful to anyone wanting to have a crack at reading Ulysses and, as I said in the video, any thoughts on the format would be much appreciated!
Very helpful. Perhaps I will read it again.
Wonderful presentation. I loook forward to more, tom.
What wonderful enthusiasm really enjoyed the piece
Ulysses in 15 minutes, Joyce himself said one particular sentence in the book took several days to compose. Nice summary though, people will be more prepared, thanks to you, than I was the first time around!
excellent analysis/review/pre/whatever... - you've motivated me two read it read it!
This is awesome, you really should do something similar for Mad Men. This video made me realise how much it references James Joyce in style and content. James Joyce inspired Lacan, Lacan inspired Mad Men
You could easily be my favorite TA if I was majoring in literature
Haha, that's very kind of you to say!
Excellent summary Tom. Although JJ did make that comment about keeping academics busy analyzing this work, at its core, Joyce’s writing is about finding signicance in the mundane. Cheers.
Very good work sir. Thank you very much
Excellent (and motivational!) breakdown Tom! Many thanks ☘
It would be super cool if you did a deep dive into this book in the style of your newer videos. Still an excellent job, thank you.
Thank you for sharing
This has been my favorite book since i was 16
Great video, very helpful, thanks!
Wow, what an amazing video dude. Thanks for this!
Please continue with these videos.
Hi Aditi! Definitely planning on it! I got a bit sidelined reading Infinite Jest but am planning on making a Pride and Prejudice next followed most probably by A Tale of Two Cities. Although I have been debating making a Catch 22 one to tie in with the current TV adaptation. Any suggestions as to what books you'd like me to cover though I'd really appreciate!!
Just finishing the book. As Czech I had to read it in English with the help of Czech translation. Completely in love with the book. It is so witty, funny, dirty (and sometimes braindamaging in a good way). I know I will return and read it again and again...
This video was fantastic. Because of it, I finally feel I have both the the will and a very vested interest in reading Ulysses. Thanks, Tom!
Dublin was a great place to grow up in the 60's and even the 70's. Characters abounded in every pub and hotel bar. Even the pubs had incredible character. People cared for each other. People were really interesting! Then tourism and demolition took over and destroyed it all. Homogenous. Joyce captures all of the interesting phase of Dublin's evolution (and subsequent demise) so beautifully and accurately. Long live Joyce! ☘💚
Excellent introduction to Ulysses
This book is certainly a challenge, and definitely not one you would read to wind-down with on a lazy Sunday afternoon. You really need to mentally prepare for. But most importantly, don’t be shy to read in very short stints. It took me almost 2 years to finish it.
Excellent eloquent really interesting presentation thought provoking and presented in a friendly self effacing way. Thanks very much. Encouraged me to persevere with the book. Well done. James
I like the way you speak. you would make a great teacher!
this has been on my tbr list for a while.
Good stuff, my dude.
Cheers James, appreciate you saying so!
Bravo. 👏 this was so well done. Now I am putting Ulysses in my TBR pile. Thank you
I'm about halfway through Ulysses and have been using the Sparknotes, but I think I would like to get the guide you mentioned also. I've read Dubliners, Portrait of the Artist, and Stephen Hero, but am haunted by how much I'm missing as I read through. Yes I will have finished the book after I'm at the last page, but it is frustrating to know that I'm missing a lot. I really liked how you cut in scenes from historical Dublin as well as scenes from the movie (I didn't realize there even was a movie). I was picturing Bloom and Molly much differently than they looked in the movie scenes. :) Anyway, I love classics and will be delving into your channel more now that I found it. I find most Booktubers are not into classics and that's where I need the most help when I'm reading, LOL!
I'm glad I found this channel. Nice channel mate!
I'm glad you found it too! Cheers Ralph!
You should read Finnegans Wake, it's even more Joycey!
This video was very helpful and interesting, thank you!!
Cool that you enjoyed it. I needed the Gifford annotations along with the audiobook to get thru it. The book is frustrating beyond words, and took it in college for a semester
Still too daunting to try but this has me leaning in the right direction. G'man!
I didn’t realize Ulysses was literally just the Roman name for Odysseus until I read the odyssey and saw that for the Roman translations. I listened to a Greek one though as it felt more fitting. I was thinking about reading Ulysses since I just finished the odyssey but I’ll probably give it some time and read Joyce’s other novels first.
I have finished your WTF format and now starting this one, I love it too! I suggest you change the name to OMG, cross the G and call it "Oh my Reading"! I hope you are going to make a video about Proust someday, but Celine, Artaud or Blanchot would also be pretty need
thanks man for your great and concise analysis, of this master piece!
As a Dubliner myself, I will say that having Joyce become this highly analysed by posh Oxbridge educators is extremely funny
Yep - even here in Dublin it tends to be the wealthier South - side set that immerses themselves in the book.
I'm still proud of it and Joyce though.
Oxen of the Sun is a brutal episode to get through, love it though.
You're right there!
Thank you so much, Tom, I subbed and I love your content thus far.
Thank you! I feel ready to start
Thank you for this
Really lovely introduction, both to Ulysses and the potential How to Read in series! I especially appreciated the companion recommendation :)
Please do a video on Finnegan's Wake.
You are amazing. Kudos for your excellent videos.
Now you made me less scared in trying to read it!!!!
Your video was much more enjoyable than the book I remember reading. Lol
I think it helps if we approach this book knowing that the " density" of it comes very much from its style. One has to get used to how Joyce develops his stream of consciousness. In my case, when I got to chapter 3 I did not get most of it and then I read it again and it made much more sense. It is very important to know what to expect before reading it. That's when your vid comes at hand. Thanks for the amazing content you upload
The Bloomsday event, does that mean that many people in Dublin celebrate the Bloom character as a hero? Do they wear Bloom buttons on their clothes?
An acquaintance said my vlog style is similar to this book, i feel much better about that compliment now haha.
THANK YOU .
No worries Deiga! Hope you found the video helpful!
My copy of an annotated Ulysses should arrive to day ... your fellow RUclipsr Bookchemist picked up my interest.
Wonderful video
I always started reading with a tumbler of Bushmills. It took me one year and a liver to finish.
Nice vid man, suscribed
I am a new reader where should I begin , I am cutrently reading the brothers karamazovs.
I don't know where to go next and in what order(like which classics should I read before moving on to more complex one's) .
There isn't a particular order to read these books and I recommend you follow with whatever suits your fancy. If The Brothers Karamazovs impressed you, you may enjoy as well Dostoevsky's other work or other "realism" authors such as Balzac, Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Galdós, the list goes on. Jack London has sparked my interest as of late, Martin Eden, The Call of the Wild are great and reading them in their original form wasn't too complicated (English isn't my native language).
@@gastaprasta9596 thank you very much
Unabridged The Count of Monte Cristo
War and Peace
Anna Karenina
Try - 'The Man With the Golden Arm' by Nelson Algren.
if you liked the karamazovs, try goethes faust I - thats excactly how I started reading
Great stuff, sir. I love that book, but some bits are so dense you have to skip 'em and rejoin the rollercoaster 5 pages on. I really liked where Dedalus closes his eyes on the beach to imagine what it would be like to be blind. Finnegan's Wake totally threw me tho'; I had to give up 28 pages in