“And he that had erst challenged to be so doughty waxed pale as they might all mark and shrank together and his pitch that was before so haught uplift was now of a sudden quite plucked down and his heart shook within the cage of his breast as he tasted the rumor of that storm.”
A magnificent experience. The ways in which the book depicts life are entirely unique and absolutely compelling. I felt like I was able to really connect with the book and feel what Joyce was doing. A supernova of creativity. The most richly imaginative, linguistically exuberant, deftly connection-weaving, endlessly fresh, luminously illuminating pyrotechnic prose I’ve ever read. I look forward to my second reading, and to my first Bloomsday.
Brief thoughts on each episode follow:
Telemachus
The interaction between Stephen and Mulligan, and later Haines, was really well-drawn. The technique of putting Stephen’s thoughts on the page was very enjoyable, and will be continued marvelously in subsequent chapters.
Nestor
Incredible writing. Everything is limned vividly and with subtlety. Ends with a line that has been stuck in my head ever since I first read it:
“On his wise shoulders through the checkerwork of leaves the sun flung spangles, dancing coins.”
Proteus
Lots of esoteric lines, but the beauty of the language predominates. Unforgettable.
“a seachange this: brown eyes saltblue.”
Calypso
Bloom stream of consciousness in the morning. A lot of lovely moments, and some dull ones too.
Lotus Eaters
Stylistically very similar to Calypso, but Bloom’s thoughts here are more compelling. Nice final image.
Hades
Perfectly written. The first really outstanding Bloom chapter. The last line is incredible, another permanent resident of my mind.
Aeolus
Chaotic and very windy. Had its moments, but overall one of my least favorites.
Lestrygonians
Bloom stream of consciousness at zenith quality. One of my favorite chapters and perhaps the most fun to read (along with Cyclops).
Scylla and Charybdis
Getting back into Stephen’s head was a delight. Some of the most memorable lines in the book come from here. The Shakespeare discussion was hard to follow, but Mulligan came in to chop it up soon enough.
Wandering Rocks
Very effective use of the vignette form. Panoramic, lots of memorable moments.
Sirens
The musical aspects were interesting, but the execution felt less potent than it could have been.
Cyclops
Absurdly good. Possibly the most entertaining thing ever written. A beautifully composed series of scenes periodically lit to ultra-neon by an absolute lunatic lightshow. Wonderful.
Nausicaa
The contrast between the first and second halves of this episode was striking. Very effective way to represent Bloom’s headspace.
Oxen of the Sun
A tough chapter, but the beauty of what Joyce is doing with the prosestyle more than makes up for the mind/sentence friction. Has some truly fantastic passages. (Also, Joyce prefigured modern texting slang?! ex: “2 night”)
Circe
ME: …umm…
JOYCE: (popping out of a trapdoor) Fine drop of spectacle in your headmug, eh?
ME: (nodding in tripletime) Non sunt verba melius.
Eumaeus
A muddled denouement. Joyce goes into disguise as a circumlocutory, cliche-fraught penman, but the resultant humor is weakly played. Only a few redeeming moments. Off with the cloak.
Ithica
A beautiful conclusion to Bloom’s day. Filled with brilliant passages. The cosmic and the quotidian share the stage.
“He rests. He has traveled.”
Penelope
A torrential cadenza. The absence of punctuation can be tough at first, but when one gets into the groove of the rapidflowing thoughts, it makes for a very unique and enjoyable reading experience. Sprinkled with gemlike lines and beautiful evocations. The final stretch is lovely and exultant. Yes.
Banner image:
“Long Room Interior, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland” by Diliff is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. View a copy of this license here.
