Ulysses, genealogy

[aminotluni]

Two and a half years ago I started reading Joyce's Ulysses. I read a good part of it, but never did make it through the whole book. Now I have started reading it again. This time it was prompted by coming across a weekly podcast by one Frank Delaney (well-known writer, journalist, commentator in Ireland) called 'Re:Joyce', in which he it going

Comments

[silly_monkey]

That was one of the first of the list of books I was determined to read that I did not finish because I was just so frustrated. Really needed at least a degree in Greek mythology and a few other tidbits! I love now that I was clearly not alone!

[aminotluni]

It might help a little to have read Homer's Odessey, which, by the way, is not at all difficult reading, and quite interesting to boot. I actually read it to the kids at dinner back when they were young. I don't know if they remember any of it now, but at the time it kept their interest. I think it is quite possible to read Ulysses without worrying about all the allusions, and just skip the bits that don't make any sense or are boring, and still get something out of it.

Homer

[silly_monkey]

I have heard that too about the Odyssey. I think I also remember Annie talking about you reading that at dinner. You guys were so good at enriching your children's minds! It is inspiring .

[baggyk]

I haven't been able to stand Joyce since I re-read "Portrait of the Artist" in my late 30s and realised it should have been titled: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Asshole.

[aminotluni]

I have just been re-reading it myself to see if I could understand your comment about Portrait... I'm only a little over halfway, but so far I have a lot of sympathy for the Daedalus character. I was never catholic, but I was quite religious for a time, and I was reminded of the anguish of trying to maintain my beliefs in the presence of my doubts. Joyce gets it exactly right, as he does the feelings of a boy who is an outsider at school. I can't remember reading another book in which the author is so very open about his personal shortcomings, even those that no one else might even know about. I think we all might look like assholes if we were as frank about our interior lives.

[forioscribe]

I'd strongly recommend "James Joyce Ulysses" by Stuart Gilbert.

http://amzn.to/xjeCQj

He was the first to intuit Joyce's scheme as he was translating the novel into French. He and Joyce worked together, and Joyce acknowledged Gilbert had figured out exactly how the entire novel corresponds to the original ancient Ulysses.

[aminotluni]

Thanks for the suggestion. I know about the book, but decided that I might never finish Ulysses if I let myself get bogged down with all the details there, helpful as they might be. Obviously I'm no Joyce scholar, but I have got the impression from the little I have read that the scheme was actually prepared by Joyce in about 1920 as an aid to other friends, and when Gilbert enquired, Joyce gave it to him in slightly altered form. I believe that a version from about 1922 is in a collection of Joyce's papers as being by Joyce.

[forioscribe]

In Gilbert's preface he speaks of his working with Joyce, and perhaps leaves the impression that he was the first to discern the scheme! Verrrrry interesting.

[wonderfroggy]

Do you mean that the Moorcrofts came over in 1873?

[aminotluni]

Yes, After his wife died in Ireland (Belfast), Your great-great grandfather, Robert Moorcroft came to Canada in 1873 with two daughters and four sons: Alex, Agnes (Aggie), Robert (your great grandfather), Thomas, Arthur, and Margaret (Maggie). Alex went to Winnipeg, but the rest stayed in Ontario, mostly in or near Toronto. All of them married. More later, in another form, I think.