Part of the exploration of styles leads invariably to the use of allusions and
quotations: literary, theatrical, musical, political, regional, historical,
religious and popular, to name a few. Ulysses is replete with allusions and quotations to such a degree that it has been
described as a cut and paste or collage novel, and Joyce has been accused of
having no original creative talent of his own. Don Gifford’s Ulysses Annotated is an excellent text devoted to the hundreds of quotes and allusions dropped in
the text (another recommended text), and both Penguin Books and Oxford
Publications have student annotated versions of the Ulysses. Though, to the best of my knowledge, neither are available in North America,
which is a shame because they are both very helpful for second and subsequent
readings (I own both and have found them indispensible). One of the major
obstacles for readers of Ulysses, for first readers in particular, is simply not knowing the origin or meaning
of particular allusions or quotes, and unless you are a walking encyclopedia – and a very thorough one at that – you will be out of the loop on most of what you read. This quite honestly is
the most frustrating part of deciphering the story since it is the amalgamation
of this global, epochal knowledge that lends meaning to the work. It is these
facts that are most in need of interpretation. But don’t let this near impossible task impede the progress of your journey thorough the
book, be patient and be content with what you already bring to the book. The
plus side of having such a breadth and depth of allusions and quotations is
that you are bound to know some of them. If you are lucky enough to share this
experience with other readers, they will know things that you don’t and will be able to shed light on some of your own ideas.
Lastly let’s tackle language. This is fast and easy. I can count off of the top of my head
seven languages used in Ulysses, and I know that I’m missing a few. If you happen to be supermultilingual, then this incorporation
of foreign languages will present little resistance to your efforts, but if you
are like the rest of us, prepare for more frustration. My recommendation is to
treat this obstacle the same as you treat allusions and quotations: by dealing
with what you know and grinding through what you don’t. With both unknown languages and unknown allusions, context will be very
helpful, but it will only take you so far. With these particular obstacles
simply do your best. Okay, that may not be super helpful but the alternative is
to recommend a few years of Berlitz and Rosetta Stone lessons, or to advise you
to give up before you start, and I didn’t write all of this crap for you not to read Ulysses. Suck it up.
In conclusion, intrepid one or two readers who have still not been frightened
off by the prospects of ascending the Mount Everest of literature, let me sum
up simply:
o Acclimate to the multiple points of narration – a true time and frustration saver.
o Read with an aim of uncovering the plot – you must find the meaning in the text or, in lieu of
this, create your own meaning.
o Acclimate to multiple writing styles – they are fun and instructive in the big picture, but don’t get
too caught up in what they might mean.
o Do your best to understand allusions, quotations, and foreign languages – what you know, you
\ know, and the rest can be figured out by context or be ignored for the time
being.
o And finally, if at all possible, find others to read the story with – sharing this experience will help
you decipher parts of the text you couldn’t figure out on your own, and you will find more
meaning in the text by sharing your thoughts on the text.
The last thing I want to say is that if you are a first time reader, resist the
temptation to read other texts about Ulysses or even of using some of the aids I have recommended such as annotated texts. I
strongly encourage these for second and subsequent readings as they will become
a crutch in a first reading and, in the case of interpretive texts such as
Stuart Gilbert’s Ulysses: A Study (another book I strongly recommend – for later!), you are less likely to form your own opinions of the book, instead
adopting those of the writers of these helpful texts. Save these for later.
However, if you must get some assistance to help you sustain momentum then go
with Gifford’s Ulysses Annotated as it only clarifies quotes, allusions and foreign language entries and does not
offer interpretations.
With that I say, go forth, stouthearted traveler with rudimentary tools and
provisions in hand, and conquer the beast trek called Ulysses!
