Fionnuala’s Reviews > Ulysses > Status Update
Fionnuala
is on page 703 of 933
Reached the end of the Nighttown section (phew!), a drama with phantasmogorical stage directions, in which Bloom confronts his deepest, most unspoken desires and his greatest and most nightmarish fears via a series of alternately comic and horrific metamorphoses, cheered on by an ever increasing cast of characters who heap ridicule on peace-loving Bloom as well as on all messiahs and prophets, kings and emperors.
— Aug 14, 2012 08:31AM
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Fionnuala’s Previous Updates
Fionnuala
is finished
And so, yes, finally we get to hear Molly Bloom's own thoughts on men, women, sex, politics, birth and death, and yes they are thoughts that throw new light on many aspects of the story we've heard so far, and yes, they give us a slightly different view of Bloom, perhaps finally a true picture, yes, I think so indeed, yes.
— Aug 17, 2012 10:46AM
Fionnuala
is on page 871 of 933
In this section, as if Joyce had anticipated his readers' confusion in the face of the complexities of the material, he presents the scenes in question and answer format, the questions being phrased as on a maths or science exam paper, the answers adhering strictly to the principles of logic and brevity, even when they are long, the whole enabling the reader to gain further and deeper insights into the Bloom weknow.
— Aug 17, 2012 01:42AM
Fionnuala
is on page 776 of 933
So far, the reader has been listening at length to Bloom's very interesting interior monologues but hasn't heard his voice very much, just the odd sentence in response to other characters' much longer turns. As a result, a certain picture of Bloom has emerged which Joyce overturns completely in this section, by means of a monologue, in which we discover that the Bloom people hear is quite different to theBloomweknow.
— Aug 16, 2012 06:01AM
Fionnuala
is on page 639 of 933
There were a few nearly incomprehensible pages around the 500 mark (pm?) that had me wishing my edition had footnotes but I'm enjoying the challenge of working things out. There was a lot of 'metempsychosis', Bloom's favourite word, around that day, I reckon, and the cast of characters increases as the hours go by. Themes debated get more universal: futility of war; intolerance; birth; right to life; the afterlife.
— Aug 13, 2012 06:25AM
Fionnuala
is on page 488 of 933
In this section Joyce has targeted some sacred cows: Irish nationalism; the Irish language, celtic mythology; tourist kitsch; the Roman catholic church; the innocence of young girls' romantic dreams. He's also put paid to any notion that the Irish weren't as antisemitic as other European nations - there were just fewer Jews in Ireland in the early 1900's so it wasn't very noticeable. It's all done with such style.
— Aug 11, 2012 11:06AM
Fionnuala
is on page 351 of 933
I don't usually bother with status updates - why waste good reading time typing? However, if there is one book that cries out for a status update, it is this one. I should have started updating earlier because the experience of reading this changes from section to section. Right now I'm imagining the book as a map with characters moving about, intersecting with each other at pivotal points in time and space.
— Aug 10, 2012 02:38AM
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Aug 14, 2012 10:57AM
I'm enjoying your updates, Fionnuala, and you are inspiring me to pick up this book again.
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I realize I'm summarising which I usually avoid doing, not wanting to spoil the reading experience for anyone else but summarising such a book is impossible anyway, especially with thelimited amount of characters they provide in status updates so I don't think I've any chance of giving away much in the way of plot.
Fionnuala wrote: "I realize I'm summarising which I usually avoid doing, not wanting to spoil the reading experience for anyone else but summarising such a book is impossible anyway, especially with thelimited amoun..."You're doing just fine. And with this book esp, plot (which I know some of anyway) is far from why one reads it.
Are you only reading Ulysses or do you dip in and out?
I find it so compelling that I just want to pick it up every chance I get, so no, I'm not reading anything else at the moment. It's difficult to explain how it has lured me to this extent, especially as the reading presents unusual challenges at times. I think I've just become seduced by the task of deciphering Joyce's intentions but the motivation also comes from the characters, the plot, the setting, the themes, basically the whole mind stretching experience.
