Me, I just wanna know who's the "arguably the 20th century's true literary genius" you're referring to. I'm just a literary luddite, me. I like stories with likeable characters, plot, and resolution, ignorant peasant that I am, so I know not, by inference, of whom you speak.
Not a hell of a lot of people have, and boy oh boy is there a reason for that. I suggest you have a go at his short story collection Dubliners, which is by far his most accessible work. Particularly the final story in the book, "The Dead", which is an utter jewel. There's a Creative Commons licensed version on line here: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/j/joyce/james/j8d/
As for his other works... well, people can and have dedicated their entire lives to interpreting -- you can even call it decrypting -- any single one of his novels, so I'm not even going to start in talking about it here.
That's why I was so gobsmacked by this fic writer. It's like comparing yourself to Jackson Pollock because you're an amateur artist who dripped some paint on a dropcloth.
I really enjoyed Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I do plan to read Ulysses at some point because it's so influential, but not right now.
As for Finnegans Wake - I'm not sure JOYCE knew what was going on with that. And I am not particularly scared of dense imagery in poetry or fiction, given that one of my all-time favorites is Rilke's Duino Elegies.
Ulysses is stunning, of course. It blew my mind, but I have "issues" with it. There isn't enough room to fully talk about them here (duh), but let's just say I get ticked off when an author deliberately makes a book so nebulous and full of obscure references that you need a cheat sheet. He is actually quoted as saying, “I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant.”
And Finnegans Wake is just too much for me to stand. I got sick and tired of him preening over his own brilliance.
However, I am and shall always be in full unadulterated carnal passion for Nora Barnacle.
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http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/j/joyce/james/j8d/
As for his other works... well, people can and have dedicated their entire lives to interpreting -- you can even call it decrypting -- any single one of his novels, so I'm not even going to start in talking about it here.
That's why I was so gobsmacked by this fic writer. It's like comparing yourself to Jackson Pollock because you're an amateur artist who dripped some paint on a dropcloth.
Reply
As for Finnegans Wake - I'm not sure JOYCE knew what was going on with that. And I am not particularly scared of dense imagery in poetry or fiction, given that one of my all-time favorites is Rilke's Duino Elegies.
Reply
And Finnegans Wake is just too much for me to stand. I got sick and tired of him preening over his own brilliance.
However, I am and shall always be in full unadulterated carnal passion for Nora Barnacle.
Reply
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