The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide Through Ulysses [Paperback]

Perhaps the best approach (my approach at least) is to read a chapter of Blamires followed by the same chapter in Ulysses (others, I'm sure, will recommend Ulysses first followed by Blamires). Certainly, this constitutes reading two books at once, but it'll be worth it in the end. Another good source to begin with is Heffernan's Joyce's Ulysses, a four DVD set that can't, apparently, be purchased through Amazon. It is, however, available through The Teaching Company (a quick Google search will find the location, and no, this isn't a plug).

Now, both of the above sources focus on plot and character with virtually no emphasis given over to style (yeah, Yeats called Ulysses a book without style, but that's not really what he meant), and the provided analyses are at a very basic level. Interestingly enough, while Blamires shies away from the often raw sexuality of Ulysses, Heffernan positively laps it up. Further, given that Blamires provides us with an updated 1996 edition of his book, it's a little odd that he seems to miss certain elements of Ulysses that modern Joyce scholars have picked up on. For instance, is Stephen masturbating at the end of the Proteus episode? There is evidence to suggest that he is, but Blamires is silent. It is generally acknowledged that a fight ensues between Stephen and Buck Mulligan in the intervening period between the Oxen of the Sun episode and the Circe episode. Again, Blamires is silent.

Ah, but perhaps I'm treating Blamires unfairly because I did write above that his book was a quick and easy way into Ulysses. Besides, when explicating Ulysses, you don't want to give everything away (and even if you did, it would certainly take more pages than what could be found in a single volume). And so Blamires's book is deserving of its four stars because it is very good at what it purports to do (Heffernan is, I think, a little better).

Now that I've thoroughly offended you with my condescending and didactic prose, I shall in all likelihood offend you even more. Once you've read Ulysses, you'll want to read it again. During your first reading (along with Blamires of course), read it quickly, and don't worry too much if you can't understand the foreign languages or various biblical and mythical allusions.

There are three versions (well, editions really) of Ulysses: the original 1922 edition (Oxford), the 1961 revised edition (Penguin or Everyman), and the 1984 Gabler edition. I'd suggest starting the with 1961 revised edition as this is probably the cleanest (the Gabler edition has since become mired in controversy).

For your second reading, choose another edition and read it more slowly with a companion piece such as Thornton's Allusions in Ulysses, Gifford's Ulysses Annotated, or Gilbert's James Joyce's Ulysses - now you can take a closer look at those obcure allusions (but don't feel that you must look up every single one).

For your third reading, choose the edition you haven't yet read. At this point, you're ready to let Joyce's magnificent prose wash over you without the help of secondary sources. However, you're also prepared to approach the more scholarly literature if you wish. A journal like the James Joyce Quarterly can be a good place to start.

Of course, all of this begs the question: should Ulysses be read in conjunction with secondary sources in the first place? Ideally, no; realistically, yes. Ulysses constitutes a serious challenge for most readers, so secondary sources such as Blamires will certainly be helpful. By the same token, however, secondary sources can never replace the primary text.

N.B.: Since I believe in Karma, I'm sure I'll get my comeuppance for my oozing condescension in this review.

The New Bloomsday Book follows Ulysses chapter by chapter (note that Ulysses doesn't actually have chapter headings so just this information by itself would be wonderful). At the beginning of each chapter Blamires relates the forthcoming pages to the equivalent works from Homer. Then we have the pertinent points mentioned, with discussion about important issues as they arise. Cross-references to other important parts of the text are given which is particularly useful when, as often happens, Joyce mentions something in passing that takes on greater signficance a hundred pages further on.

The level of detail is about right. We don't get commentary on every single allusion or phrase but we do get the highlights - enough for us to keep our footing on this journey and get pleasure out of the trip. If I tackle Ulysses again - and it will be a while! - I may want a more detailed reference such as Gilberts, but for a first read, The New Bloomsday book is the essential choice.

The book has page references to the Gabler edition, the Penguin edition and occasional references to the Oxford edition. I read this with the Penguin edition and didn't notice any discrepencies.

There are a number of guides out there; but I think this one is the best to start with. Ulysses is so inaccessable that even some of the guides are overwhelming. I agree with the last reviewer who said this guide has just enough information to be effective. What I would add is it has just enought information to get you through your FIRST reading.

For most people, one reading of Ulysses is enough. But if you want to go deeper into it and still require more assistance after a second reading, then use one of the more thorough guides. Stuart Gilbert's"James Joyce's Ulysses" is a good choice.