ULYSSES BY JAMES JOYCE

“You should approach Joyce’s Ulysses as the illiterate Baptist preacher approaches the Old Testament: with faith.”
—William Faulkner

First published on 2 February 1922 – James Joyce’s 40th birthday – UIysses was immediately controversial, described by one Irish critic as “The most infamously obscene book in ancient or modern literature”.

We are offering an opportunity to join in a ‘Slow Read’ of one of the greatest novels of all time in the company of others. The ‘Slow Read’ approach has proved popular within the Salon as our approach is not driven by completion of the text within a defined timescale, rather we focus on full enjoyment of the material.

Every time I run a study of Ulysses, there is SO much we do not get to consider – I know we may still not get to everything, but this will be an opportunity to go deeper and wider in this amazing work than ever before in Salon studies. I propose we start with 5-8 pages a week, then check in and see if, as a group, we want to slow down, speed up or just wallow. I expect we will find our rhythm at about five pages per week, but I am open to possibilities.

The ‘Slow Read’ will be available in tranches of ten two-hour sessions. As long as there is continued interest, I will keep offering this study until we reach the final notes on the text.

If you have not previously read Ulysses and are interested in this study, please contact us to discuss using the enquiry form below. Please also contact us if you are interested in the study but the timing does not work for you as we are considering a later meeting schedule if there is sufficient interest. 

The good news: reading Ulysses is fun. And I don’t mean in a frustrating, overly-analytical see-how-much-you-know-way. The language is amazing – even when I don’t understand it. Perhaps, especially when I don’t understand it, because meaning sneaks in through more than my critical faculty. Meaning slides in through sound, through the lushness of the language, through the filmy and substantial images, and suddenly I find myself transported from a walk on a beach to a contemplation of the origins of man – thanks, James Joyce.

Any time spent studying Joyce leaves one a better reader – a broader thinker – even if all the references, repetitions, epiphanies and allusions are not immediately understood.

“Joining the Ulysses salon was one of the best things I have ever done. This was a book I had wanted to read for years but never got past the first section. I had no idea what the salon would be like and was very apprehensive about joining up. But Toby so skilfully guided us through it, her knowledge of the text seemingly inexhaustible, that with her warmth and generosity and sensitivity she got everyone involved and the satisfaction of participating in the salon and in getting an understanding of this marvellous work was immense.”

Ulysses Salon participant

I will offer many resources for reading around, but also welcome contributions and independent research from participants. This study is particularly opportune given the abundance of new resources available thanks to the Ulysses centenary, including the offerings of the newly published Cambridge Centenary Ulysses, the brainchild of Catherine Flynn. 

Toby Brothers, Director, London Literary Salon

SALON DETAILS

• The first tranche of ten sessions of the ‘Slow Read’ Ulysses, led by Toby Brothers, will start on 11 October 2022, from 2.30-4.30pm.
• The total cost for each tranche, with all notes and resources materials, is £275, we expect to read between 50 and 100 pages over ten weeks.
• Please purchase these editions in preparation for our study:
  • Ulysses, by James Joyce, Annotated Students’ Edition; Penguin Modern Classics 2011, ISBN: 9780141197418. There are many editions of Ulysses — I find this edition is most coherent and the notes and introduction by Declan Kieberd very helpful; as we will constantly be referencing particular passages, having the same edition will be extremely useful.
  • The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide Through Ulysses, by Harry Blamires, ISBN-10: 0415138582