#ulysses — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ulysses, aggregated by home.social.
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Ich hab es mir angetan ... bin froh ihn gesehen zu haben.
Konnte den auch nur in Etappen mir ansehen.
Ergebnis:
Sowas als (Hör)Buch? Nein Danke!
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Ich hab es mir angetan ... bin froh ihn gesehen zu haben.
Konnte den auch nur in Etappen mir ansehen.
Ergebnis:
Sowas als (Hör)Buch? Nein Danke!
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Großer Tipp für alle, die mit #Ulysses arbeiten. Mit Command + . wird die gesamte UI ausgeblendet. War wahrscheinlich schon immer drin, aber ich kenne das erst seit einigen Tagen. Das ist wunderbar, wenn man nur den Text sehen will.
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Großer Tipp für alle, die mit #Ulysses arbeiten. Mit Command + . wird die gesamte UI ausgeblendet. War wahrscheinlich schon immer drin, aber ich kenne das erst seit einigen Tagen. Das ist wunderbar, wenn man nur den Text sehen will.
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I'm re-reading James Joyce's Ulysses. Sommer's World of Literature to go is an entertaining summary, telling the story and themes using Play-Mobil figures against a map of Dublin, plus other visual aids. A brisk canter through a 682 page book in 20 minutes, with the German accent and phrasing giving a flavour all its own.
Sommer does the same sort of thing with a lot other works of literature, and they're worth seeking out for their quirkiness.
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I'm re-reading James Joyce's Ulysses. Sommer's World of Literature to go is an entertaining summary, telling the story and themes using Play-Mobil figures against a map of Dublin, plus other visual aids. A brisk canter through a 682 page book in 20 minutes, with the German accent and phrasing giving a flavour all its own.
Sommer does the same sort of thing with a lot other works of literature, and they're worth seeking out for their quirkiness.
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New post: The Markdown Link no. 38
Among today’s links are markdown editors Ulysses, Markdown Mate, Bokuchi, Rook, Editxr and Marka.md
https://md-handbook.com/blog/markdown-link-no-38/
#markdown #markdowneditors #opensource #slides #Ulysses #MarkdownMate #Bokuchi #Rook #Editxr #Markamd #Collabora #Silverbullet
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Bookstores named for books, stories, characters, or poems
Listed below are existing bookstores (and one comic book store) around the globe whose name is based on or reflects a book title, a story, a character, or a poem. The names are based on personal knowledge, collected through a search of bookstores on google.com, as well as by utilizing gemini.google.ai.
Source: thriftbooks.com Source: en.wikipedia.orgAs can be seen by the list, the word “Raven” derived from Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem is the most commonly utilized name for bookstores in this category with 14 examples when including “Nevermore.” “Fahrenheit” from Fahrenheit 451 has five, which followed by “Ulysses” and variations of “Argonaut” which tied in third place with four examples each.
Every populated continent is represented on the list except Africa. As always, any additions, suggestions, or corrections are most welcome.
Peace…and Happy Father’s Day!
Argonaut Books – Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Argonaut Book Shop – San Francisco, CA
Argos Book Store – Grand Rapids, MI
Argosy Book Store – New York City, NY
BookXcess Fahrenheit – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Brave New Worlds – Philadelphia, PA
Casa Fahrenheit 451 Libreria Cafè – Barcelona, Spain
Copperfield‘s – Santa Rosa and nearby cities, CA
Fahrenheit‘s Books – Denver, CO
Fahrenheit 451 Books – Carlsbad, CA
Fahrenheit 451 Books – Rome, Italy
Gatsby‘s – Catania, Sicily, Italy
Lilliput Books – Chicago, IL
Man of La Mancha Books – Panama City, Panama
NeverMore Books – Beaufort, SC
Nevermore Bookstore – Newport, VT
NeverMore Used Book Store – Toledo, OH
Odyssey Books – South Hadley, MA
Poor Richard’s Bookstore – Colorado Springs, CO
Raven Books – Bryan, TX
Raven Book Haven – Fleetwood, PA
Raven Book Store – Dublin, Ireland
Raven Book Store – Lawrence, KS
Raven‘s Book Shoppe: Used and Rare – Twentynine Palms, CA
Raven‘s End Books – Winnipeg, Canada
Raven Used Books – Northampton/Shelburne Falls, MA
Robinson Crusoe 389 – Istanbul, Turkiye
Rosebud Bookshop – Porto, Portugal
The Iliad Bookshop – Los Angeles, CA
The Jumping Frog – Hartford, CT
The Mad Hatters Bookshop – Melbourne, Australia
The Raven‘s Heart Bookstore – Sayre, PA
The Raven‘s Nook – Waco, TX
The Raven‘s Perch – Modesto, CA
The Siren & The Sea Books – Rochester, NY
Treasure Island Comics – Fremont, CA
Ulises Libreria – Santiago, Chile
Ulysses Book Store- Trumansburg, NY
Ulysses Rare Books – Dublin, Ireland
Ulysses Srl Library Books – Bologna, Italy
Walden Books – London, England, UK
Walden Pond Books – Oakland, CA
Westside Stories – Buffalo, NY
White Raven Books – Ypsilanti, Michigan
White Whale [Moby Dick] Bookstore – Pittsburgh, PA
#Argonaut #books #Fahrenheit #Nevermore #poetry #Raven #Ulysses #writing -
Bookstores named for books, stories, characters, or poems
Listed below are existing bookstores (and one comic book store) around the globe whose name is based on or reflects a book title, a story, a character, or a poem. The names are based on personal knowledge, collected through a search of bookstores on google.com, as well as by utilizing gemini.google.ai.
Source: thriftbooks.com Source: en.wikipedia.orgAs can be seen by the list, the word “Raven” derived from Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem is the most commonly utilized name for bookstores in this category with 14 examples when including “Nevermore.” “Fahrenheit” from Fahrenheit 451 has five, which followed by “Ulysses” and variations of “Argonaut” which tied in third place with four examples each.
Every populated continent is represented on the list except Africa. As always, any additions, suggestions, or corrections are most welcome.
Peace…and Happy Father’s Day!
Argonaut Books – Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Argonaut Book Shop – San Francisco, CA
Argos Book Store – Grand Rapids, MI
Argosy Book Store – New York City, NY
BookXcess Fahrenheit – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Brave New Worlds – Philadelphia, PA
Casa Fahrenheit 451 Libreria Cafè – Barcelona, Spain
Copperfield‘s – Santa Rosa and nearby cities, CA
Fahrenheit‘s Books – Denver, CO
Fahrenheit 451 Books – Carlsbad, CA
Fahrenheit 451 Books – Rome, Italy
Gatsby‘s – Catania, Sicily, Italy
Lilliput Books – Chicago, IL
Man of La Mancha Books – Panama City, Panama
NeverMore Books – Beaufort, SC
Nevermore Bookstore – Newport, VT
NeverMore Used Book Store – Toledo, OH
Odyssey Books – South Hadley, MA
Poor Richard’s Bookstore – Colorado Springs, CO
Raven Books – Bryan, TX
Raven Book Haven – Fleetwood, PA
Raven Book Store – Dublin, Ireland
Raven Book Store – Lawrence, KS
Raven‘s Book Shoppe: Used and Rare – Twentynine Palms, CA
Raven‘s End Books – Winnipeg, Canada
Raven Used Books – Northampton/Shelburne Falls, MA
Robinson Crusoe 389 – Istanbul, Turkiye
Rosebud Bookshop – Porto, Portugal
The Iliad Bookshop – Los Angeles, CA
The Jumping Frog – Hartford, CT
The Mad Hatters Bookshop – Melbourne, Australia
The Raven‘s Heart Bookstore – Sayre, PA
The Raven‘s Nook – Waco, TX
The Raven‘s Perch – Modesto, CA
The Siren & The Sea Books – Rochester, NY
Treasure Island Comics – Fremont, CA
Ulises Libreria – Santiago, Chile
Ulysses Book Store- Trumansburg, NY
Ulysses Rare Books – Dublin, Ireland
Ulysses Srl Library Books – Bologna, Italy
Walden Books – London, England, UK
Walden Pond Books – Oakland, CA
Westside Stories – Buffalo, NY
White Raven Books – Ypsilanti, Michigan
White Whale [Moby Dick] Bookstore – Pittsburgh, PA
#Argonaut #books #Fahrenheit #Nevermore #poetry #Raven #Ulysses #writing -
Mit 'Ulysses' verhält es sich doch wie mit der 'Joseph Trilogie' und 'Auf der Suche nach der verlorenen Zeit'. Steht bildungsbürgerlich im Regal rum, aber wer hat es gelesen?
Na?! Fingerchen hoch! -
Happy #Bloomsday, for those who celebrate! #ulysses #joyce #dublin
https://jamesjoyce.ie/events/bloomsday-festival-2026/ -
Happy #Bloomsday, for those who celebrate! #ulysses #joyce #dublin
https://jamesjoyce.ie/events/bloomsday-festival-2026/ -
Happy Bloomsday, fedizens!
Here's a playlist for your peregrinations. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/624qUhQNDU1cPiiC8FQHbH?si=kbXepkLASxCvxiS7D-4wBQ
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I have to admit, though I wanted mightily to conquer #Ulysses, I remain defeated. I’ve drowned at least 4 times in its pages. Maybe it will give me some solace, and redemption, in purgatory. #Bloomsday #Joyce #Dublin #Mastodaoine RTÉ News: Celebrations taking place across Dublin for Bloomsday https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2026/0616/1578601-bloomsday-celebrations-dublin/
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A first edition. I touched it.
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A first edition. I touched it.
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"History, Stephen said, is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake"
Bloomsday, June 16th
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Bloomsday 2026
So it’s 16th June, a very special day in Ireland – especially Dublin – because 16th June 1904 is the date on which the story takes place of Ulysses by James Joyce. Bloomsday – named after the character Leopold Bloom – is an annual celebration not only of all things Joycean but also of Ireland’s wider cultural and literary heritage.
If you haven’t read Ulysses yet then you definitely should. It’s one of the great works of modern literature. And don’t let people put you off by telling you that it’s a difficult read. It’s a long read, that’s for sure -it’s over 900 pages – but the writing is full of colour and energy and it has a real sense of place. It’s a wonderful book. I’ve read it three times now, once as a teenager, once in my thirties, and again a few years ago when I’d reached sixty. Don’t worry if you don’t understand all of Ulysses. It’s like life: most of us never figure out what that’s all about, and it doesn’t really matter.
Joyce once said of Ulysses
I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant.
Well, he wasn’t wrong about that! They’re still arguing, The text is a kind of cultural celebration: references to Greeky mythology jostle with popular songs, lists, parodies, question-and-answer sections, and records of the characters innermost thoughts. The book is full of allusions and part of the fun is trying to follow them up. And anyone who likes puns will have a field day!
Anyway, here’s an excerpt. It’s from near the start of Chapter 4, where we meet Mr Leopold Bloom for the first time and discover that he’s fond of cats. He is making breakfast for his wife Molly, who is still in bed. I don’t know if Joyce ever had a cat, but he obviously knew a lot about them!
–o–
Another slice of bread and butter: three, four: right. She didn’t like her plate full. Right. He turned from the tray, lifted the kettle off the hob and set it sideways on the fire. It sat there, dull and squat, its spout stuck out. Cup of tea soon. Good. Mouth dry. The cat walked stiffly round a leg of the table with tail on high.
—Mkgnao!
—O, there you are, Mr Bloom said, turning from the fire.
The cat mewed in answer and stalked again stiffly round a leg of the table, mewing. Just how she stalks over my writingtable. Prr. Scratch my head. Prr.
Mr Bloom watched curiously, kindly the lithe black form. Clean to see: the gloss of her sleek hide, the white button under the butt of her tail, the green flashing eyes. He bent down to her, his hands on his knees.
—Milk for the pussens, he said.
—Mrkgnao! the cat cried.
They call them stupid. They understand what we say better than we understand them. She understands all she wants to. Vindictive too. Cruel. Her nature. Curious mice never squeal. Seem to like it. Wonder what I look like to her. Height of a tower? No, she can jump me.
—Afraid of the chickens she is, he said mockingly. Afraid of the chookchooks. I never saw such a stupid pussens as the pussens.
—Mrkrgnao! the cat said loudly.
She blinked up out of her avid shameclosing eyes, mewing plaintively and long, showing him her milkwhite teeth. He watched the dark eyeslits narrowing with greed till her eyes were green stones. Then he went to the dresser, took the jug Hanlon’s milkman had just filled for him, poured warmbubbled milk on a saucer and set it slowly on the floor.
—Gurrhr! she cried, running to lap.
He watched the bristles shining wirily in the weak light as she tipped three times and licked lightly. Wonder is it true if you clip them they can’t mouse after. Why? They shine in the dark, perhaps, the tips. Or kind of feelers in the dark, perhaps.I’ll also mention that if you have about 30 hours to spare you can listen to all of a radio broadcast of Ulysses from 1982.
#Bloomsday #cats #JamesJoyce #LeopoldBloom #Ulysses -
Bloomsday 2026
So it’s 16th June, a very special day in Ireland – especially Dublin – because 16th June 1904 is the date on which the story takes place of Ulysses by James Joyce. Bloomsday – named after the character Leopold Bloom – is an annual celebration not only of all things Joycean but also of Ireland’s wider cultural and literary heritage.
If you haven’t read Ulysses yet then you definitely should. It’s one of the great works of modern literature. And don’t let people put you off by telling you that it’s a difficult read. It’s a long read, that’s for sure -it’s over 900 pages – but the writing is full of colour and energy and it has a real sense of place. It’s a wonderful book. I’ve read it three times now, once as a teenager, once in my thirties, and again a few years ago when I’d reached sixty. Don’t worry if you don’t understand all of Ulysses. It’s like life: most of us never figure out what that’s all about, and it doesn’t really matter.
Joyce once said of Ulysses
I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant.
Well, he wasn’t wrong about that! They’re still arguing, The text is a kind of cultural celebration: references to Greeky mythology jostle with popular songs, lists, parodies, question-and-answer sections, and records of the characters innermost thoughts. The book is full of allusions and part of the fun is trying to follow them up. And anyone who likes puns will have a field day!
Anyway, here’s an excerpt. It’s from near the start of Chapter 4, where we meet Mr Leopold Bloom for the first time and discover that he’s fond of cats. He is making breakfast for his wife Molly, who is still in bed. I don’t know if Joyce ever had a cat, but he obviously knew a lot about them!
–o–
Another slice of bread and butter: three, four: right. She didn’t like her plate full. Right. He turned from the tray, lifted the kettle off the hob and set it sideways on the fire. It sat there, dull and squat, its spout stuck out. Cup of tea soon. Good. Mouth dry. The cat walked stiffly round a leg of the table with tail on high.
—Mkgnao!
—O, there you are, Mr Bloom said, turning from the fire.
The cat mewed in answer and stalked again stiffly round a leg of the table, mewing. Just how she stalks over my writingtable. Prr. Scratch my head. Prr.
Mr Bloom watched curiously, kindly the lithe black form. Clean to see: the gloss of her sleek hide, the white button under the butt of her tail, the green flashing eyes. He bent down to her, his hands on his knees.
—Milk for the pussens, he said.
—Mrkgnao! the cat cried.
They call them stupid. They understand what we say better than we understand them. She understands all she wants to. Vindictive too. Cruel. Her nature. Curious mice never squeal. Seem to like it. Wonder what I look like to her. Height of a tower? No, she can jump me.
—Afraid of the chickens she is, he said mockingly. Afraid of the chookchooks. I never saw such a stupid pussens as the pussens.
—Mrkrgnao! the cat said loudly.
She blinked up out of her avid shameclosing eyes, mewing plaintively and long, showing him her milkwhite teeth. He watched the dark eyeslits narrowing with greed till her eyes were green stones. Then he went to the dresser, took the jug Hanlon’s milkman had just filled for him, poured warmbubbled milk on a saucer and set it slowly on the floor.
—Gurrhr! she cried, running to lap.
He watched the bristles shining wirily in the weak light as she tipped three times and licked lightly. Wonder is it true if you clip them they can’t mouse after. Why? They shine in the dark, perhaps, the tips. Or kind of feelers in the dark, perhaps.I’ll also mention that if you have about 30 hours to spare you can listen to all of a radio broadcast of Ulysses from 1982.
#cats #Ulysses #JamesJoyce #Bloomsday #LeopoldBloom -
Happy Bloomsday to all who celebrate. It's important to start with a good breakfast. Sets you up for a full day of voyaging and exploration.
Mr Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick, giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liver slices fried with crust-crumbs, fried hencod's roes. Most of all he liked grilled mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine.
#Bloomsday #Joyce #Ulysses
https://www.bloomsdayfestival.ie/ -
Happy Bloomsday to all who celebrate. It's important to start with a good breakfast. Sets you up for a full day of voyaging and exploration.
Mr Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick, giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liver slices fried with crust-crumbs, fried hencod's roes. Most of all he liked grilled mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine.
#Bloomsday #Joyce #Ulysses
https://www.bloomsdayfestival.ie/ -
RE: https://piaille.fr/@sonneur/116758142445750797
En effet, nous sommes le 16 juin.
« Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. […] »
#Joyce #Ulysses // #Ulysse #Dublin #literature // #litterature – #littérature >> #Bloomsday
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RE: https://piaille.fr/@sonneur/116758142445750797
En effet, nous sommes le 16 juin.
« Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. […] »
#Joyce #Ulysses // #Ulysse #Dublin #literature // #litterature – #littérature >> #Bloomsday
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@fuzzix @ColmDonoghue @IanMoore3000 Okay, in fairness, I probably would pay to see these guys, @faduda's Trekkies, and the Joycean boater bores to all land in at the same spot for the same event that's actually something different in each of their minds.
#Ulysses #Joyce #StarTrek #Trekkies #BloomsDay #Dublin #MastoDaoine
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@fuzzix @ColmDonoghue @IanMoore3000 Okay, in fairness, I probably would pay to see these guys, @faduda's Trekkies, and the Joycean boater bores to all land in at the same spot for the same event that's actually something different in each of their minds.
#Ulysses #Joyce #StarTrek #Trekkies #BloomsDay #Dublin #MastoDaoine
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PSA: A warning for Dubliners - Tuesday is Bloomsday. Brace yourselves for pompous southside blow-hards in straw boaters, wittering on about the snot-green sea and grilled kidneys, or whatever.
Brace yourselves - maybe don't go outside, if possible.
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PSA: A warning for Dubliners - Tuesday is Bloomsday. Brace yourselves for pompous southside blow-hards in straw boaters, wittering on about the snot-green sea and grilled kidneys, or whatever.
Brace yourselves - maybe don't go outside, if possible.
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“Bloomsday na USP” vai discutir e cantar a obra de James Joyce
- cijnusp
https://jornal.usp.br/cultura/bloomsday-na-usp-vai-celebrar-e-discutir-a-obra-de-james-joyce/
#Cultura #BloomsdaynaUSP #JamesJoyce #Literatura #Ulysses -
“Bloomsday na USP” vai discutir e cantar a obra de James Joyce
- cijnusp
https://jornal.usp.br/cultura/bloomsday-na-usp-vai-celebrar-e-discutir-a-obra-de-james-joyce/
#Cultura #BloomsdaynaUSP #JamesJoyce #Literatura #Ulysses -
#UlyssesIn80 isn’t at all clear - it would be nice if they simply said the day’s reading was from line “Stately plump Buck” to line “fat out on the water”, say. https://www.ulyssesin80.com/daily-reading/day-2
#Ulysses #JamesJoyce -
#UlyssesIn80 isn’t at all clear - it would be nice if they simply said the day’s reading was from line “Stately plump Buck” to line “fat out on the water”, say. https://www.ulyssesin80.com/daily-reading/day-2
#Ulysses #JamesJoyce -
Die populäre Erweiterung #NotebookNavigator für #Obisidian ist seit heute in der dritten Version verfügbar und bringt in Anlehnung an Apss wie #Ulysses und #Scrivener viele praktische Funktionen für das Schreiben mit.
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1. Huomionhakuinen synttärikuva. 43 tulee tänään täyteen, kyllä. Ei ole ollut eikä tule olemaan mitään juhlien tapaisia. Tänään olen mm. työstänyt käsikirjoitusta ja harrastanut liikuntaa. Ensimmäisessä koin merkittävää edistystä, jälkimmäisessä noin medium-tasoista tappiota ajalle. Vakioleiskautukseni vanhenemisesta on ollut lonkan lähteminen paikoiltaan juostessa - tänään sain venäytettyä/reväytettyä lihaksen vasemmasta sellaisesta. Näin se spontaani tomuksi hajoaminen lähestyy. Ja mietin: hiusrajakin taitaa hiipiä karkuun tavalla, joka edellyttänee pian tukkamallin vaihtamista esim. totaalikynityksi. Se tullee olemaan kova paikka. Mietin nuorempana, miten epäoikeudenmukaista olisi, jos alkaisin kaljuuntua ilman parrankasvullista kompensaatiota. 39-vuotiaana sain ekan kerran kasvatettua hieman partaa (t: lääketieteellinen ihme), vaan ei se kevennä asiaa ihan hirveästi.
2. Lisäksi sain tänään viimein luettua loppuun James Joycen Ulysseksen (suomentanut Leevi Lehto). Aloitin alkuvuodesta ja 2 - 3 pitkähköä taukoa meinasivat hieman venyttää projektia/tätä mitä miellyttävintä vapaa-ajan vietettä. Etenkin 300 ekaa sivua olivat haastavia, kun yritin lukea teosta rentouttavana iltalukemisena. Teksti ei ole aina helpoimmasta päästä, mutta sitäkin enemmän vaikutti lukuisten alaviitteiden aikaansaama pomppiva kyyti, kun katse hyppi jatkuvasti ylös alas sivua. Kaikki alaviitteissä ei varmasti ollut hirmu olennaista lukukokemukselle, mutta tällaiselle tekniikkaintoilijalle esim. erään osion keino, jossa käytiin läpi jonkin klassisen listan kaikki retoriset keinot tms. oli ihan must seurattava. Ja paljon olisi muutenkin jäänyt hoksaamatta, jos olisi lukenut vain ns. kirjaa itseään. Lukeminen helpottui ja keveni huomattavasti, kun aloin lukea teosta päiväsaikaan ja usein kodin sijaan kirjastossa. Tuon myötä lukeminen muuttui myös ekan kerran aidosti nautittavaksi ja alaviitteissä pomppimiseenkin alkoi vähitellen hieman tottua. Toki eteneminen oli välillä silti melkoista suorittamista ja helpotusta koen, että pääsin viimein loppuun. Viimeinen osio, Mollyn monologi, olikin jo pelkkää laskettelua. Pääsääntöisesti ostan omaan hyllyyn lähinnä runoteoksia tai runoutta sivuavia hybridejä, mutta tällainen kielellinen runsaudensarvi olisi varmasti oiva omistettava.
Vaa nii, sitte ja näi. Tänä iltana vain kepeitä englanninkielisiä scifinovelleja.
#kirja #kirjallisuus #parrat #kaljut #jamesjoyce #ulysses #kirjamastodon
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Ulysses Jenkins, L.A.-born godfather of video art, dies at 79
https://misryoum.com/us/lifestyle/ulysses-jenkins-l-a-born-godfather-of-video/
Ulysses Jenkins, the pioneering Los Angeles-born video artist whose avant-garde compositions embodied Black experimentalism, has died. He was 79.Jenkins’ death was confirmed by his alma mater Otis College, where he studied under renowned painter and printmaker Charles White in...
#Ulysses #Jenkins #LAborn #godfather #video #art #dies #US_News_Hub #misryoum_com
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A one-man pandemic book club
The past six months have given me exponentially more time at home than I would have thought possible before this pandemic-afflicted year. Normal people would have occupied those hours by catching up on deferred household maintenance or learning a new language, but instead I’ve whiled away many of them by reading two of the denser novels written in English: James Joyce’s Ulysses and David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.
That was not a quick process. Both doorstop-thick tomes feature their authors free-styling their way through prose as they get lost in the inner worlds of a complex set of characters without any strict reference to time or place, which is a longwinded way of saying they can be intimidating to read.
I tackled Ulysses first, since I’ve had a vintage hardcover copy silently taunting me from a bookshelf for the past 20 years or so. There are deeply poetic moments in Joyce’s Dublin-steeped novel–“history is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake” resonates too well this year–and parts that suggest the author’s profound conviction that he would get paid by the word for every word. Also, I’m impressed that the censors of the 1920s made it all the way through to the really naughty bits towards the end.
After I tweeted out my victory over Joyce’s title and asked “What famously dense novel should I read next?”, one of the first replies suggested Infinite Jest. I finally accepted that logic and put myself on the Arlington library’s waiting list for an e-book copy, but before I could claim that I saw a paperback copy available for all of $2 at a library used-book sale. Buying in print instead of borrowing in pixels meant I’d have all the time I’d need to digest Wallace’s 1,079 words of prose, endnotes, and footnotes to said endnotes.
(Seriously: Wallace’s endnotes eat up almost 100 pages, and a couple count as chapter-length in their own right. I realized early on I’d need to keep two bookmarks in my copy, one to mark my progress in the text itself and the other to preserve my place in the bits at the end–then saw that this book may be best read with three bookmarks. This may be the most hypertext thing I’ve ever read in print.)
Infinite Jest is even more of an atom-smasher of plotlines than Ulysses–it touches on growing up, tennis, drugs, Boston, digital media, addiction, people’s capacity for needless cruelty, crime, more drugs, pop culture, cinematography, Québeçois separatism, and even a smidgen of tech and media policy. And it does so without the standard narrative scaffolding of chapters. I kept having to flip forward to see when the next break in the story might happen, solely to know how late I’d have to stay up before putting the book down at a point that would not leave me too confused the next morning.
I could not help reading Wallace’s tales of Boston types battling depression and inner demons of various kinds without considering how Wallace himself succumbed to his own, because depression lies. Which made me think also of my late, literary-minded friend Mike Musgrove, who I’m sure read this book a long time ago and would have offered some smart or at least smart-aleck commentary about it.
#bookClub #Boston #DavidFosterWallace #Dublin #InfiniteJest #JamesJoyce #literature #novels #Ulysses -
A one-man pandemic book club
The past six months have given me exponentially more time at home than I would have thought possible before this pandemic-afflicted year. Normal people would have occupied those hours by catching up on deferred household maintenance or learning a new language, but instead I’ve whiled away many of them by reading two of the denser novels written in English: James Joyce’s Ulysses and David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.
That was not a quick process. Both doorstop-thick tomes feature their authors free-styling their way through prose as they get lost in the inner worlds of a complex set of characters without any strict reference to time or place, which is a longwinded way of saying they can be intimidating to read.
I tackled Ulysses first, since I’ve had a vintage hardcover copy silently taunting me from a bookshelf for the past 20 years or so. There are deeply poetic moments in Joyce’s Dublin-steeped novel–“history is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake” resonates too well this year–and parts that suggest the author’s profound conviction that he would get paid by the word for every word. Also, I’m impressed that the censors of the 1920s made it all the way through to the really naughty bits towards the end.
After I tweeted out my victory over Joyce’s title and asked “What famously dense novel should I read next?”, one of the first replies suggested Infinite Jest. I finally accepted that logic and put myself on the Arlington library’s waiting list for an e-book copy, but before I could claim that I saw a paperback copy available for all of $2 at a library used-book sale. Buying in print instead of borrowing in pixels meant I’d have all the time I’d need to digest Wallace’s 1,079 words of prose, endnotes, and footnotes to said endnotes.
(Seriously: Wallace’s endnotes eat up almost 100 pages, and a couple count as chapter-length in their own right. I realized early on I’d need to keep two bookmarks in my copy, one to mark my progress in the text itself and the other to preserve my place in the bits at the end–then saw that this book may be best read with three bookmarks. This may be the most hypertext thing I’ve ever read in print.)
Infinite Jest is even more of an atom-smasher of plotlines than Ulysses–it touches on growing up, tennis, drugs, Boston, digital media, addiction, people’s capacity for needless cruelty, crime, more drugs, pop culture, cinematography, Québeçois separatism, and even a smidgen of tech and media policy. And it does so without the standard narrative scaffolding of chapters. I kept having to flip forward to see when the next break in the story might happen, solely to know how late I’d have to stay up before putting the book down at a point that would not leave me too confused the next morning.
I could not help reading Wallace’s tales of Boston types battling depression and inner demons of various kinds without considering how Wallace himself succumbed to his own, because depression lies. Which made me think also of my late, literary-minded friend Mike Musgrove, who I’m sure read this book a long time ago and would have offered some smart or at least smart-aleck commentary about it.
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