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tales of brave Ulysses
By briantologist | June 14, 2008
Oh, persons. It’s a bit of a slog here these days. The thick black tar of truly deep depression remains at bay due to the miracle of modern overpriced pharmaceuticals, but said looming specter is doing a truly half-assed job of hiding itself. Picture it hiding behind, say, a two-year-old sapling, and you’ll have a fine indicator of the line I’m walking here.
Hope springs eternal, though. Wait, that’s not hope. That’s gas. But Erin’s mom is coming here Monday, and she’s lots of fun, so that’s something. Add to that the fact that when she heads back to scenic Oklahoma City next Wednesday, Grandma S. will have with her a certain 2.9-year-old who’ll be going on his VERY FIRST EXTENDED TRIP OMG SERIOUSLY HE IS SO MATURE AND SHIT, leaving his mother and me to putter about the house and (in my case) confirm my mounting suspicion that my life has become increasingly meaningless without the boy to give me some semblance of purpose.
Ha! Just some mild humor there. Sort of. But! I am pleased to report that a combination of my mounting sense of purposelessness and the thudding approach of Bloomsday (this coming Monday, if you’re keeping track, also known as our 7th anniversary) has prompted me to commit to reading Ulysses for the first time ever, with the help of my bosom chums Natrone and Sarahbrown, both of whom are also Actual English Literature Majors who have never read what was, I believe, voted the greatest literary work of the entire goddamn 20th Century. We’ve had tentative collective plans to do this for about the last five years now, to the point where I actually bought a physical copy of this book in ’02 or so, but I’ll be damned if this man’s search for meaning wasn’t enough to push him hurtling over the literary cliffs this year, taking two of his best peeps with him. Exciting times!
I must say, as of page 22, I’m really excited about the book. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t read much of anything for the past several months, but that trademark dense Joyceian prose is getting me pretty riled. In a good way, even! I don’t even think it was entirely the hooch talking, though I did find myself reading passages aloud to myself in what seemed to me at the time to be a one hundred percent plausible Irish accent, in a way that perhaps the completely sober do not.
But whatever. I’m clearly going to need a new bottle of Tullamore Dew for this one.
Topics: Baffled Mutterings, Exciting, Possibly | 6 Comments »
June 14th, 2008 at 9:24 am
You know, I’ve always intended to read that thing also. Can I join in, late though I am?
June 14th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I encourage you to. Monday is the deadline for section I.
Though technically I’ll have no way of holding you to this.
June 15th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Well, seeing as how it’s Sunday now, and I didn’t make it to the library yesterday, I’ll just have to be behind for a while. I’ll do my best to catch up, though. I am looking forward to it — I like group projects.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
As another Actual English Literature Major, I’ll explain my experience with Ulysses by quoting one of the greatest minds of the 20th Century, Mr. Turtle: “I never made it without biting.”
I think I tried it three times, and each time I didn’t make it much past the part about the kidney, which I think is the first scene.
Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about giving Anna Karinena a try. I’ve never read that either.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Most excellent description of feeling well…but not.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:36 am
http://www.flickr.com/groups/your_books/discuss/72157601536934497/
You may know of this group on flickr called Your Books, which I was invited to join and then almost forgot about quite a long time ago. But now I am reminded of a discussion question from the group which was, “What classic have you always meant to read but never have?” or something near that. If you enjoy reading the experiences and/or opinions of complete strangers, (which is more or less an actual definition of the word literature I guess) you could check it out. I suppose you can read it without being a member. If not, sorry for the interruption!