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Infinite Ulysses

infiniteulysses.com

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Re: Infinite Ulysses

#21

Post by cafard »

wjnc wrote: post #17
anonymousDan wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With regard to your point about the meaning or use of English words changing, after trying but failing to read Ulysses a few years ago I asked my Grandfather whether he had ever read it (he was born in 1914 and grew up in Dublin). He said he had read it a few times and didn't find it difficult to understand at all since most of the phrases and slang were things people said when he was growing up.

I have the same experience in trying to read the classic English philosophers. The language feels the same, but isn't. Funny thing is that you can find 'the Greeks / Germans / ..' in a side by side translation to modern English with notes, but that it doesn't exist for many of the classics. It's easier to get to understand Biggie than Thomas More (which I own in an ancient English translation of the Latin original, k…

"Sure I am that the signification of words in all languages, depending very much on the thoughts, notions, and ideas of him that uses them, must unavoidably be of great uncertainty to men of the same language and country. This is so evident in the Greek authors, that he that shall peruse their writings will find in almost every one of them, a distinct language, though the same words."

John Locke, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Book II (On Words), Ch. IX, section 22

Re: Infinite Ulysses

#23

Post by cafard »

leephillips wrote: post #20

This looks like a fun project about one of my half-dozen favorite novels of all time. Unfortunately, there is probably more garbage (explication, criticism) written about this book than any other, outside of Shakespeare. If you're hesitant to just dive in, I recommend Nabokov's Lectures on Literature (all the lectures are great; the one on Ulysses shows you the hidden machinery turning under the surface of the novel)…

When I first read it, years ago, I noticed Haynes's dictum that "Shakespeare is the happy hunting ground of minds that have lost their balance.", and thought that perhaps it was Joyce's ambition to supplant Shakespeare in that role.

Re: Infinite Ulysses

#25

Post by calebm »

I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Jim Norton. Ulysses has a lot of difficult-to-parse writing (such as the last chapter having no punctuation); the audiobook removes that parsing difficulty. It's also a great performance!

Re: Infinite Ulysses

#26

Post by hackcasual »

calebm wrote: post #25

I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Jim Norton. Ulysses has a lot of difficult-to-parse writing (such as the last chapter having no punctuation); the audiobook removes that parsing difficulty. It's also a great performance!

Wow, apparently there are 2 Jim Norton's in the world. Would pay good money to listen to this one narrate Ulysses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5DI0nD24U

Re: Infinite Ulysses

#27

Post by dannnn »

slashnull wrote: post #24

I initially thought the "infinite" in the title referred to Infinite Jest. That would have been really wild...

It may be a reference to Infinite Summer, which was a (more traditional) online book club a few years back reading Infinite Jest.

Re: Infinite Ulysses

#29

Post by jamesdelaneyie »

rmc wrote: post #14
ganeumann wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're saying the only way to walk across Dublin without passing a pub is to walk past the Guinness brewery? :)

You can't walk in there and have a pint! So it's OK IMO :)

You can at the Gravity Bar [0] but with this route you don't pass the entrance so it's all good :)

[0] http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/Index.aspx

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