Ulysses (Supreme Version)

Author: James Joyce
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-09-02
Features: Is the Dublin society depicted in Ulysses realistic? The best witness is undoubtedly Shaw, who is nearly thirty years older than Joyce and was also raised in Dublin and shared the same fervor for social reform. He confirmed on several occasions in correspondence the realism and necessity of Ulysses: "I am interested in it [Ulysses], because I also lived in Dublin when I was young. This book is hailed as the masterpiece that launched the stream-of-consciousness novel. Joyce broke with traditional writing methods, employing highly eccentric techniques to portray various events that unfold in Dublin over eighteen hours, with each hour forming a chapter. The final chapter describes the protagonist's sexual psychology, written with only two punctuation marks at the beginning and end, truly a literary marvel. Furthermore, the book sparked debates over whether it constitutes obscene literature and was taken to court twice in the West. After its ban was lifted, its influence only grew. In 2000, several important media outlets in the UK and the US consistently ranked it as one of the most influential novels of the 20th century.