Ulysses

James Joyce

February 11, 2019

Ulysses by James Joyce is considered one of the greatest novels of all time, and is a perfect illustration of modernist literature. Set in the Irish city of Dublin, it follows the journey of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus on a single day, 16 June 1904, known as ‘Bloomsday’. The novel alternates between streams of consciousness, conversations and internal monologues, to explore the permanent and transient moments of our everyday lives.The writing and structure of the book is unique and intricate, playing with literary devices and styles to explore a variety of themes; everything from mundane topics such as boredom, to more complex themes such as death, love and the spiritual. Composed of eighteen "episodes", the novel effectively slips between various narrative styles and asks the reader to focus on specific moments in each character's life, showcasing their anxieties and desires.Ulysses is a monumental achievement of literature, praised by W.B. Yeats as 'a book to which we are all indebted and from which none of us can escape'. Taking readers on a journey through the conscious and unconscious minds of both the characters and the reader makes this novel one of the most challenging and thought-provoking works of fiction available. It is a must-read for any fans of modernist literature.