Got the book for Christmas, been watching your videos as I read. Great stuff mate really helpful, feel like I should be paying you or something haha, peace
I caught the contrast of Bloom pondering what it is like to be blind at the end of this episode when he sees a blind man walking down the street. Compared to Stephen in Proteus, Bloom seems much more empathetic. For Stephen, it is all about him, erudite introspection. Bloom is sprouting outward, engaging the world.
My favorite chapter to read thus far. Incredible stuff going on. Joyce’s genius is overbrimming here. Just this one line when Bloom is thinking about women in childbirth - “Life with hard labour” - is a masterpiece. The whole chapter just blew me away repeatedly, and I know I was just scratching the surface even so. Magnificent.
Michael Goldenberg we have very similar taste. I too love that line. There are hundreds of puns like that in the book. I like "don't put on tomorrow what you can wear today" His mind just loved language play. Really good that you are along for this Odyssey!
just a thought about the pigeons picking people out - that draws comparison with the Lestrygonians chucking rocks down on the ships (i.m.o.). I also liked the pun in the restaurant - "Do ptake some ptarmigan" Enjoying the book so far Chris - bought my copy a week ago today. Richard
I am so glad that you are giving it go! Yes, the pigeons picking out people is another parallel. Wonderful book, isn't it?! I really liked your previous comments. I got an email notice that you posted but the comment was gone. Thank you for commenting! Your thoughts add to eveyone's enjoymwnt and understanding.
Thanks this is so enjoyable. I’am off to Davey Byrne’s for a glass of wine and a cheese sandwich and a read of this chapter. I hope I’am devoured by cannibals on the way. 🍷🥪
Thank you so much! I wish I could enjoy that with you! Congratulations on your progress! And thank you very much for commenting. It means a lot to hear from people like you. Take care and read on!
Regarding Bloom's physical appearance. I think my vision of him was set early on after I saw a sketch of him by Joyce. He reminds me of Poirot as played by actor David Suchet. I sometimes wonder what other people imagine him to look like.
I live your synopses. I met a couple people on a Facebook site and we decided to read Ulysses together. We meet on Zoom once a week. It is so much fun. I highly recommend reading with other people, they can really help you. I usually listen to your synopses, read the chapter, then I listen to the Chapter. This is working for me. I never thought I would be able to read this book.
Thank you so much! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to post on the chapter where you have a question. The key is to take your time and enjoy the exploration of this great book. Unlike other novels, it's not as much about the story as it is all of the thoughts about life that Joyce puts out there for us to consider. For example, he wants us to see how easy it is to get caught up in the things of life and miss following our dreams. While the Dubliners are drinking and wasting time---Bloom is thinking about his wife and the fondness that their relationship is built on. Stephen is resisting (somewhat) the pull of drink, stagnation, and other stuff that could keep him from writing. Sláinte to you too! (And thanks for bringing that word to my attention)
Thanks so much for posting this! Watching this prompted quite a bit of re-reading of this chapter and just made it so much more enjoyable! It hadn’t occurred to me until you mentioned it that I have a very solid image of Bloom and Stephen in my mind that doesn’t really stem from any explicit description. It was a bit of an “aha” moment when you explained it :) Blooms devotion to Molly is really moving. Despite their situation, he thinks of her all the time! It leaves me feeling extremely conflicted. Is it too much? I don’t know if it’s extremely classically “romantic” or just honest.
Great comments. I am glad you are thinking about the book and exploring the themes. It can be a hard book until you get to a place where you can enjoy the many layers without worrying about getting everything. Here's something to consider---divorce wasn't legal in Ireland until 1996. Yup, you read that right. It just wasn't part of the thinking at that time---Bloom also knows (understands) that he is part of the problem with Molly but he doesn'tknow what to do about it. Or, at least he isn't equipped just yet. You're doing great! I appreciate hearing from you very much and know that you are inspiring others. Take care...
You are much too kind! I only want to help others enjoy a great book. Thank you so much for your kind comments. Are you joining us for your own odyssey?
You have my full permission and gratitude. Use anything that helps you. The citation is greatly appreciated. My goal is to stimulate interest in the humanities starting with this book. Thank you again.
Hi Chris, I going to read this episode in few minutes, but before reading it, I just wanted to say something in Bloom's defense. I like your synecdoche of picturing Boylan as a strawman starting from a strawhat. Maybe Bloom should not be afraid of him, but after all another name for strawman is scarecrow, which, is supposed to scare you away. The scarecrow is one of our most favourite Halloween characters. If you are not scared about a scarecrow, whom would you be afraid of then?
I particularly like this comment for a reason you may not suspect. There is an emotional investment! You are feeling for the characters. It's so easy to get lost in the complexity and to lose touch with what Joyce is giving us: a very deep and touching expression of the human experience from birth, to loss, to sex, to death. When you can feel this book, you'll know you're in territory that most never reach.
Hello youtube, these are some thoughts I'd like to share with the community: 1) at the beginning it was just a feeling, but now I noticed that in every episode there are references to China. Words like China or Chinese come up regularly. In fact you read more times "China" than British or England. I have always thought that Joyce could have studied some oriental philosophy, but I had no evidences until I run into this book, in which my theory is clearly stated. A constant search for the counterpart (yin yang), so frequent mentions to water or flowing, compassion for animals and meditation (monologues are something close to it after all) are indeed clear hints leading to oriental religions/ philosophy. As for vegetarianism, however, Bloom would never state that one way is better than another. He would just consider as many possibilities he can think about. books.google.it/books?id=bENACwAAQBAJ&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&dq=shem+and+shaun+joyce+yin+yang&source=bl&ots=P_tBCZ6-ej&sig=GwrkyYAJzC-eHtRFMX0l7NsY8Cg&hl=it&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-z8Ks0OPeAhVBUBoKHR6AAT4Q6AEwB3oECAcQAQ#v=snippet&q=yinyang&f=false 2) I bet that enyone should read "met him pikehoses" as metempsychosis. Bloom says. "Parallax. I never understood. There is a priest Could ask him. Par is Greek: parallel, parallax. Met him pikehoses she (Molly) called it till I told her about transmigration". Bloom may either show himself very humble to the reader or being unaware of knowing more than he would admit (reference to Greek culture is often a parallel to Socrates &/or Plato), but I believe that there is no way for a prude priest to know what parallax/metempsychosis means. First because a priest can only see things from the point of view related to his religion; second catholicism does not consider metempsychosis. 3) Speaking about the "hose" in "met him pikehoses". A hose is a tube linking point A to pint B and it is used to carry WATER. Very handy. Since "you can't bring back time. Like holding water in your hand". Maybe a hose (very common tool) is what we need! 4) Last but not least, it may be a crazy interpratation, but the sentence "What's parallax? Show this gentelman the door" makes me think about a fresco painted by an Italian reinassance artist (Perugino) called delivery of the keys (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delivery_of_the_Keys_(Perugino)). This fresco shows Jesus handing the keys of the paradise to St. Peter. The keys happen to be at the very center of the picture, so you can ideally link them to the entrence of the church in the background. This told, like it or not, at that time the Catholic Church was the only way for a man to recieve any sort of education, so the keys of knowledge/ the keys of the heaven show this gentleman (you/ the watcher of this fresco) the door.
You are certainly diving deep! I commend you for all the thought you put into each episode. Joyce gives us layer upon layer to unpeel and you are peeling them away. He has a great sense of humor too so be careful not to run down a dead end. Joyce wanted us to be entertained on many levels. He gives us a rare book that opens new thoughts every time we read it. Most books fade as we know 'how it ends'. but not Ulysses. Joyce did explore the Chinese ideas you mention but never strayed too far from Catholicism. His thoughts on the 'wheel' come from Vico who wrote on the endless repetitive cycle of history. That becomes his central theme in the Wake. My only question for you is, "are you enjoying the book?"
Yes, I am enjoying the book (and i wouldn't whitout your help), but I am really slow in reading. Thanks for asking. This is not like reading any contemporary novel. Every step I move forward I need to go four backwards, understanding less than 30% of what Joyce might have planned to express. I am also completely lost in the maze of characters and places I have never heard before (even though I must say I rather like the name of All Hallows for the church). Basically I am following your suggestion to get only what i can, scratching on the surface. I will still have time to go over it in the future. First I will try to read it up and close the cycle. I bet that the last episode may be linked to both the beginning of Finnegans Wake and the first episode of Ulysses. Thanks for your encouragement. PS I noticed you also posted a video about Virginia Woolf and I would love to clean the dust off my copies of all her works under your guidance. It may be rather challenging, but I really believe that with these lectures you left a impact on our society way deeper than most politicians did.
Hi Chris, really enjoying your commentary. Wondered if you thought there was any connection between Bloom throwing his rolled up paper flyer at the seagulls below and the cannibals in The Odyssey throwing rocks?
Great video, thanks again. Just one thing: there is no "humane" way to rape, murder, slaughter or kill a sentient animal that wants to live. Would you say it is possible to kill a human being humanely? Of course not. The same goes for all sentient beings. Bloom is intelligent, kind, compassionate, peaceful and has empathy. I'm pretty sure the Bloom of the 21st century would be vegan! I am reading the book for the second time and your videos are helping a lot. I am very intrigued at how Bloom will finally emerge victorious because I didn't understand his "victory" at the end of the book the first time I read it. I look forward to your analyses.
Furthermore, in contrast to what you said in the video, obtaining cows milk to make cheese is indeed invasive. A cow must be forcibly impregnated (rape) and its offspring are killed upon birth if male and taken away if female. A cow's natural lifespan is more than 20 years but in factory farming its body is exhausted after 5-7 years and it is executed.
I appreciate all points of view that add to the conversation. Thank you for all you're adding to the discussion. I love the idea of pondering what Bloom would be like today. Great thinking!
As I said....I appreciate your comments very much. Thank you for adding to the conversation. What we are both saying is that it's pretty hard to put Bloom in a box. He is more compassionate than others, but he does have his foibles.
I just find it strange that Bloom now abhorrs the slobbish munching of meat and eats with reverence his cheese butty and wine. Yet when we're first introduced to him, were painted a picture of a man with pretty disgusting eating habits himself ( innards of animals ect ) . I know Joyce was highly intelligent, but could this aspect of Bloom that he created early on in the book have slipped his mind ?....
Thank you for watching! I would enjoy your comments.
Just letting you know that 6 years after you posted these videos somebody is still learning from them en enjoying them! Me!
Got the book for Christmas, been watching your videos as I read. Great stuff mate really helpful, feel like I should be paying you or something haha, peace
Taking the time to comment is pay enough! Thank you. I will get the next video up in the next day or two.
Scylla and Charybdis is being uploaded now. Hope you like it!
I caught the contrast of Bloom pondering what it is like to be blind at the end of this episode when he sees a blind man walking down the street. Compared to Stephen in Proteus, Bloom seems much more empathetic. For Stephen, it is all about him, erudite introspection. Bloom is sprouting outward, engaging the world.
EXCELLENT observation! Great thinking.
My favorite chapter to read thus far. Incredible stuff going on. Joyce’s genius is overbrimming here. Just this one line when Bloom is thinking about women in childbirth - “Life with hard labour” - is a masterpiece. The whole chapter just blew me away repeatedly, and I know I was just scratching the surface even so. Magnificent.
Michael Goldenberg we have very similar taste. I too love that line. There are hundreds of puns like that in the book. I like "don't put on tomorrow what you can wear today" His mind just loved language play. Really good that you are along for this Odyssey!
Wonderful. Your affection for the work is obvious and contagious. God bless and keep up the good work.
Mark DArcy Thank you! That means a lot to me!
just a thought about the pigeons picking people out - that draws comparison with the Lestrygonians chucking rocks down on the ships (i.m.o.). I also liked the pun in the restaurant - "Do ptake some ptarmigan"
Enjoying the book so far Chris - bought my copy a week ago today. Richard
I am so glad that you are giving it go! Yes, the pigeons picking out people is another parallel. Wonderful book, isn't it?! I really liked your previous comments. I got an email notice that you posted but the comment was gone. Thank you for commenting! Your thoughts add to eveyone's enjoymwnt and understanding.
Thanks this is so enjoyable. I’am off to Davey Byrne’s for a glass of wine and a cheese sandwich and a read of this chapter. I hope I’am devoured by cannibals on the way. 🍷🥪
Thank you so much! I wish I could enjoy that with you! Congratulations on your progress! And thank you very much for commenting. It means a lot to hear from people like you. Take care and read on!
Regarding Bloom's physical appearance. I think my vision of him was set early on after I saw a sketch of him by Joyce. He reminds me of Poirot as played by actor David Suchet. I sometimes wonder what other people imagine him to look like.
I live your synopses. I met a couple people on a Facebook site and we decided to read Ulysses together. We meet on Zoom once a week. It is so much fun. I highly recommend reading with other people, they can really help you. I usually listen to your synopses, read the chapter, then I listen to the Chapter. This is working for me. I never thought I would be able to read this book.
The scenes with the gulls are terrific. Definitely a master of description, is Joyce. And thank you once again for the help along the way.
Eating, eating, eating! Amazing isn't it? Don't go so fast that you can't enjoy the journey! Thank you, as always, for your great comments!
Thank you! Very helpful for me as a first time reader of Ulysess. Love the drink at the end as well 😂 Sláinte 🥃🥃
Thank you so much! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to post on the chapter where you have a question. The key is to take your time and enjoy the exploration of this great book. Unlike other novels, it's not as much about the story as it is all of the thoughts about life that Joyce puts out there for us to consider. For example, he wants us to see how easy it is to get caught up in the things of life and miss following our dreams. While the Dubliners are drinking and wasting time---Bloom is thinking about his wife and the fondness that their relationship is built on. Stephen is resisting (somewhat) the pull of drink, stagnation, and other stuff that could keep him from writing. Sláinte to you too! (And thanks for bringing that word to my attention)
Reading Ulysses aloud. That’s insane.
Really enjoying this read along. Thank you Chris
Thank you for commenting! Your participation means a lot to me! Stay well, Chris
I am a english language student and was not able to understand ulysses thank you for this video series chris understood a bit
Thanks so much for posting this! Watching this prompted quite a bit of re-reading of this chapter and just made it so much more enjoyable! It hadn’t occurred to me until you mentioned it that I have a very solid image of Bloom and Stephen in my mind that doesn’t really stem from any explicit description. It was a bit of an “aha” moment when you explained it :)
Blooms devotion to Molly is really moving. Despite their situation, he thinks of her all the time! It leaves me feeling extremely conflicted. Is it too much? I don’t know if it’s extremely classically “romantic” or just honest.
Great comments. I am glad you are thinking about the book and exploring the themes. It can be a hard book until you get to a place where you can enjoy the many layers without worrying about getting everything. Here's something to consider---divorce wasn't legal in Ireland until 1996. Yup, you read that right. It just wasn't part of the thinking at that time---Bloom also knows (understands) that he is part of the problem with Molly but he doesn'tknow what to do about it. Or, at least he isn't equipped just yet. You're doing great! I appreciate hearing from you very much and know that you are inspiring others. Take care...
Thanks for putting this up!
Thank you!
You're one remarkable scholar!
You are much too kind! I only want to help others enjoy a great book. Thank you so much for your kind comments. Are you joining us for your own odyssey?
You have my full permission and gratitude. Use anything that helps you. The citation is greatly appreciated. My goal is to stimulate interest in the humanities starting with this book. Thank you again.
Hi Chris, I going to read this episode in few minutes, but before reading it, I just wanted to say something in Bloom's defense. I like your synecdoche of picturing Boylan as a strawman starting from a strawhat. Maybe Bloom should not be afraid of him, but after all another name for strawman is scarecrow, which, is supposed to scare you away. The scarecrow is one of our most favourite Halloween characters. If you are not scared about a scarecrow, whom would you be afraid of then?
I particularly like this comment for a reason you may not suspect. There is an emotional investment! You are feeling for the characters. It's so easy to get lost in the complexity and to lose touch with what Joyce is giving us: a very deep and touching expression of the human experience from birth, to loss, to sex, to death. When you can feel this book, you'll know you're in territory that most never reach.
Great stuff! Tysm!
I shall try again to approach the Formidable Ulysses.....Thanks.
I am sorry I did not see this until today. Please do try the book again. There is a video for each chapter. You will make it!
Hello youtube, these are some thoughts I'd like to share with the community:
1) at the beginning it was just a feeling, but now I noticed that in every episode there are references to China. Words like China or Chinese come up regularly. In fact you read more times "China" than British or England. I have always thought that Joyce could have studied some oriental philosophy, but I had no evidences until I run into this book, in which my theory is clearly stated. A constant search for the counterpart (yin yang), so frequent mentions to water or flowing, compassion for animals and meditation (monologues are something close to it after all) are indeed clear hints leading to oriental religions/ philosophy. As for vegetarianism, however, Bloom would never state that one way is better than another. He would just consider as many possibilities he can think about.
books.google.it/books?id=bENACwAAQBAJ&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&dq=shem+and+shaun+joyce+yin+yang&source=bl&ots=P_tBCZ6-ej&sig=GwrkyYAJzC-eHtRFMX0l7NsY8Cg&hl=it&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-z8Ks0OPeAhVBUBoKHR6AAT4Q6AEwB3oECAcQAQ#v=snippet&q=yinyang&f=false
2) I bet that enyone should read "met him pikehoses" as metempsychosis. Bloom says. "Parallax. I never understood. There is a priest Could ask him. Par is Greek: parallel, parallax. Met him pikehoses she (Molly) called it till I told her about transmigration". Bloom may either show himself very humble to the reader or being unaware of knowing more than he would admit (reference to Greek culture is often a parallel to Socrates &/or Plato), but I believe that there is no way for a prude priest to know what parallax/metempsychosis means. First because a priest can only see things from the point of view related to his religion; second catholicism does not consider metempsychosis.
3) Speaking about the "hose" in "met him pikehoses". A hose is a tube linking point A to pint B and it is used to carry WATER. Very handy. Since "you can't bring back time. Like holding water in your hand". Maybe a hose (very common tool) is what we need!
4) Last but not least, it may be a crazy interpratation, but the sentence "What's parallax? Show this gentelman the door" makes me think about a fresco painted by an Italian reinassance artist (Perugino) called delivery of the keys (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delivery_of_the_Keys_(Perugino)). This fresco shows Jesus handing the keys of the paradise to St. Peter. The keys happen to be at the very center of the picture, so you can ideally link them to the entrence of the church in the background. This told, like it or not, at that time the Catholic Church was the only way for a man to recieve any sort of education, so the keys of knowledge/ the keys of the heaven show this gentleman (you/ the watcher of this fresco) the door.
You are certainly diving deep! I commend you for all the thought you put into each episode. Joyce gives us layer upon layer to unpeel and you are peeling them away. He has a great sense of humor too so be careful not to run down a dead end.
Joyce wanted us to be entertained on many levels. He gives us a rare book that opens new thoughts every time we read it. Most books fade as we know 'how it ends'. but not Ulysses.
Joyce did explore the Chinese ideas you mention but never strayed too far from Catholicism. His thoughts on the 'wheel' come from Vico who wrote on the endless repetitive cycle of history. That becomes his central theme in the Wake.
My only question for you is, "are you enjoying the book?"
Yes, I am enjoying the book (and i wouldn't whitout your help), but I am really slow in reading. Thanks for asking. This is not like reading any contemporary novel. Every step I move forward I need to go four backwards, understanding less than 30% of what Joyce might have planned to express. I am also completely lost in the maze of characters and places I have never heard before (even though I must say I rather like the name of All Hallows for the church). Basically I am following your suggestion to get only what i can, scratching on the surface. I will still have time to go over it in the future. First I will try to read it up and close the cycle. I bet that the last episode may be linked to both the beginning of Finnegans Wake and the first episode of Ulysses. Thanks for your encouragement. PS I noticed you also posted a video about Virginia Woolf and I would love to clean the dust off my copies of all her works under your guidance. It may be rather challenging, but I really believe that with these lectures you left a impact on our society way deeper than most politicians did.
Hi Chris, really enjoying your commentary. Wondered if you thought there was any connection between Bloom throwing his rolled up paper flyer at the seagulls below and the cannibals in The Odyssey throwing rocks?
There very well could be! As complex as Joyce as the writing is, it is entirely possible. Great observation!
Great video, thanks again. Just one thing: there is no "humane" way to rape, murder, slaughter or kill a sentient animal that wants to live. Would you say it is possible to kill a human being humanely? Of course not. The same goes for all sentient beings. Bloom is intelligent, kind, compassionate, peaceful and has empathy. I'm pretty sure the Bloom of the 21st century would be vegan!
I am reading the book for the second time and your videos are helping a lot. I am very intrigued at how Bloom will finally emerge victorious because I didn't understand his "victory" at the end of the book the first time I read it. I look forward to your analyses.
Furthermore, in contrast to what you said in the video, obtaining cows milk to make cheese is indeed invasive. A cow must be forcibly impregnated (rape) and its offspring are killed upon birth if male and taken away if female. A cow's natural lifespan is more than 20 years but in factory farming its body is exhausted after 5-7 years and it is executed.
I appreciate all points of view that add to the conversation. Thank you for all you're adding to the discussion. I love the idea of pondering what Bloom would be like today. Great thinking!
As I said....I appreciate your comments very much. Thank you for adding to the conversation. What we are both saying is that it's pretty hard to put Bloom in a box. He is more compassionate than others, but he does have his foibles.
8:27
SSC second
Are you referring to exams? Can I help you? Take care...
I just find it strange that Bloom now abhorrs the slobbish munching of meat and eats with reverence his cheese butty and wine. Yet when we're first introduced to him, were painted a picture of a man with pretty disgusting eating habits himself ( innards of animals ect ) . I know Joyce was highly intelligent, but could this aspect of Bloom that he created early on in the book have slipped his mind ?....