A review in the Economist of Ulysses by James Joyce said: “There are two kinds of people. Those that have read "Ulysses" and those that haven't.” Both sides have extreme viewpoints and plenty of passion to fuel their position. The extreme of one side might remember and celebrate June 16th, the day in which the story of "Ulysses" takes place in Dublin in 1904. Others criticize the book, saying it is pornographic, too long or, too dense, or both.
Much like Shakespeare, it appeals to both the highbrow and lowbrow with an ongoing study of what it is to be human. The language, which might be called a feast of words, also becomes almost noise and patter but still resonates as poetry. The sheer length of the book is daunting, but it allows for ongoing diversities of experiences within the overall story.
The three main characters are Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and his wife, Molly. The characters and events of the novel loosely parallel those in Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan War.
The book is about a single day and begins at 8:00 AM when Stephen prepares for the day and heads out. He teaches at a boy’s school, receives his pay and a letter from Deasy, and then walks on the beach.
Bloom serves his wife Molly breakfast in bed, brings her the mail, and goes to the post office to pick up a letter. At 11:00 AM, Bloom attends the funeral of Paddy Dignam with Simon Dedalus, Martin Cunningham, and Jack Power.
Bloom wants to publish an advertisement and goes to a newspaper office. Stephen arrives with Deasy’s letter, and the editor agrees to publish it. Bloom walks through Dublin for a while, chatting with Mrs. Breen.
In the National Library, Stephen stops and discusses his theories about Shakespeare and Hamlet with a poet. Bloom arrives, looking for a copy of an advertisement he had placed, and Buck shows up. Stephen and Buck leave to go to a pub as Bloom also departs.
Several meet Simon in the Ormond Hotel bar, and Boylan arrives later. Bloom had seen Boylan’s car earlier and followed it to the hotel where he dines. Boylan leaves on his way to his affair with Molly.
Bloom leaves the beach and finds Stephen and several friends drunk. He joins them, and when the bar closes, Stephen and a friend head to a brothel. Bloom later finds Stephen there getting into trouble, and he takes him with him. Later, they take a cab and head for Bloom’s home, where Stephen is invited to stay, but he declines and leaves. Bloom goes to bed with Molly and tells her of the day.
Quotes
“Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.”
“Love loves to love love.”
“A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”
“Shakespeare is the happy hunting ground of all minds that have lost their balance.”
“The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring.”
“I fear those big words, Stephen said, which make us so unhappy.”
“Every life is in many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love, but always meeting ourselves.”
