Ulysses by James Joyce artwork

Ulysses by James Joyce

39 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★ - 12 ratings

Banned in the United States and United Kingdom throughout the 1920s, Ulysses turned conventional ideas of the novel inside out with its bold new form, style and theme. Deeply rooted in the Greek myth of the hero of the Trojan War, Joyce bases his novel on Ulysses or Odysseus, who is doomed to voyage for ten years before returning home to Ithaca. Joyce had been deeply influenced by the Iliad and the Odyssey, which he had read from Charles Lamb's adaptations as a child. In fact, he considered him the epitome of the heroic ideal and constantly thought of giving the myth a new dimension in modern literature.

However, the reader must be cautioned that it is not an easy book to read. It was also burdened by a strange and complicated publication history. Joyce's original handwritten manuscript was typed by a number of less than competent typists who made a series of grammatical and spelling errors, leading to great confusion. It went through 18 different versions, each of which was full of more and more mistakes. Attempts to “correct” the text were being made as late as 2010 but the appeal of the book lies in its overall theme and in its rich symbolism.

Ulysses is divided into 18 chapters, or episodes, each one referring to a Homeric character or episode in the Greek myth. Though Joyce did not originally title the chapters, he did refer to them by such names in private letters to his friends. He also gave them obscure titles from his researches in French translations of the Homeric sagas.

Joyce himself understood the significance of his work. He is reputed to have remarked to the effect that he had stuffed the book with so many enigmas and puzzles that it would keep academicians buzzing for centuries! The names of each character are rooted in the deep symbolism and every episode sets the reader harking back to the Homeric myths. Apart from Greek legend, Joyce also used aspects of Celtic traditions of storytelling.

Essentially, the plot deals with many ideas that have found echoes throughout human history. Paternity, the idea of the everyday hero, regret and personal conscience, the paradox of individual perspectives all conveyed through a plethora of symbols and motifs makes Ulysses a compelling if difficult read.

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Episodes

01: stately, plump Buck …

January 02, 2024 00:00 - 40 seconds - 27.7 MB

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02: you, cochrane, what city sent …

January 01, 2024 00:00 - 34 minutes - 15.3 MB

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03: ineluctable modality of the visible …

December 31, 2023 00:00 - 47 minutes - 21 MB

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04: mr. leopold bloom ate with relish …

December 30, 2023 00:00 - 43 minutes - 19.1 MB

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05: by lorries along sir john…

December 29, 2023 00:00 - 50 minutes - 22.9 MB

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06: martin cunningham, first, poked …

December 28, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 37.2 MB

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07: in the heart of the hibernian …

December 27, 2023 00:00 - 57 minutes - 25.7 MB

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08a: pineapple rock, lemon platt …

December 26, 2023 00:00 - 46 minutes - 21 MB

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08b: grafton street gay with …

December 25, 2023 00:00 - 43 minutes - 19.1 MB

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09a: urbane, to confort them …

December 24, 2023 00:00 - 50 minutes - 22.9 MB

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09b: buck Mulligan rapped…

December 23, 2023 00:00 - 42 minutes - 19.1 MB

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10a: the superior, very reverend …

December 22, 2023 00:00 - 45 minutes - 20 MB

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10b: the lacquey by the door …

December 21, 2023 00:00 - 45 minutes - 20 MB

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11a: bronze by gold heard …

December 20, 2023 00:00 - 44 minutes - 20 MB

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11b: never would richie …

December 19, 2023 00:00 - 55 minutes - 24.8 MB

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12a: I was just passing the time …

December 18, 2023 00:00 - 9 minutes - 31.5 MB

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12b: here says joe …

December 17, 2023 00:00 - 37 minutes - 43.9 MB

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13a: the summer evening had …

December 16, 2023 00:00 - 20 minutes - 8.58 MB

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13b: edy boardman asked …

December 15, 2023 00:00 - 34 minutes - 15.3 MB

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13c: canon ohanlon put …

December 14, 2023 00:00 - 27 minutes - 12.4 MB

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13d: wonder how is she

December 13, 2023 00:00 - 26 minutes - 11.4 MB

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14a: deshil holles eamus …

December 12, 2023 00:00 - 19 seconds - 26.7 MB

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14b: to revert to mr. bloom …

December 11, 2023 00:00 - 55 minutes - 24.8 MB

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15a: the mabbot street entrance…

December 10, 2023 00:00 - 54 minutes - 24.8 MB

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15b: GEORGE FOTTRELL: (Clerk of the crown…

December 09, 2023 00:00 - 51 minutes - 22.9 MB

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15c: bloom explains to those near him…

December 08, 2023 00:00 - 34 minutes - 15.3 MB

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15d: ELIJAH: No yapping…

December 07, 2023 00:00 - 41 minutes - 19.1 MB

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15e: RICHIE GOULDING: (Bagweighted…

December 06, 2023 00:00 - 30 minutes - 13.4 MB

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15f: BLOOM: (Pigeonbreasted…

December 05, 2023 00:00 - 52 minutes - 22.9 MB

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15g: SIMON: Think of your mother…

December 04, 2023 00:00 - 55 minutes - 24.8 MB

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16a: preparatory to anything …

December 03, 2023 00:00 - 48 minutes - 21.9 MB

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16b: there ensued a somewhat …

December 02, 2023 00:00 - 55 minutes - 24.8 MB

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16c: this morning hynes …

December 01, 2023 00:00 - 57 minutes - 25.7 MB

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17a: what parallel courses did…

November 30, 2023 00:00 - 50 minutes - 22.9 MB

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17b: what two temperaments

November 29, 2023 00:00 - 57 minutes - 25.7 MB

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17c: how did the centripetal …

November 28, 2023 00:00 - 52 minutes - 23.8 MB

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17d: what did the 2nd …

November 27, 2023 00:00 - 43 minutes - 20 MB

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18a: yes because he never did …

November 26, 2023 00:00 - 1 minute - 27.7 MB

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18b: he was looking at me …

November 25, 2023 00:00 - 8 minutes - 30.5 MB

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