You know, I've never actually picked up either book (shocking, I suppose, since I received my degree in Literature). I've made the jokes about Joyce in the same way that I've made the jokes about War & Peace, without ever really skimming any of the works. *shrug* I think it has just become a conversational piece.
Would it be a far leap to compare it to The Patriot Act? Many people have opinions about it, but few have actually read it.
Well, War and Peace is just tedios to read - 3 bricks of a book. Ulysses is tedios and complicated. Not that I'm afraid of complicated books (having read MS Windows Media Format Description yesterday), but it's just more than I can take :)
I didn't really find it complicated, but agree on the "tedious" claim. There are sections I enjoyed, but the stylistic fun I found nicer as an idea than as something to actually read a thousand pages of.
I'm sure it is indeed easier than Finnegans Wake, though. So hoorah for that. Or, er, something.
Yes - it's so full of latin, greek, icelandic, gaelic - then the wall-to-wall puns, and cross-linguistic "echolalia ... if you don't start with english it would hardly make things more difficult than they are already...
Just thought I mention that my native is Russian :) I've tried it in translation - didn't help it much either.
BTW do you know that in Soviet Russia was a whole research institute full of PhD's in literature working on decyphering Ulysses references? As far as I remember they've succeeded.
I've read it four times, and each time I get further. Last foray 900pp+.
I'd say reading the Tokyo Phone Book, in japanese, is probably easier tha FW.
Btw/ I once worked with a lady editor who used to work with Lawrence Durrel at Faberx2. He was so impressed that he wrote her a letter of recommendation which she had framed in her office. Durrel said something like, "I must thank you for your help and great talent on the project... It's a pity you weren't around in the 1920s, we'd have had much less trouble with Finnegan's Wake..."
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malionette
no subject
Date: 2004-06-17 03:07 pm (UTC)Would it be a far leap to compare it to The Patriot Act? Many people have opinions about it, but few have actually read it.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-18 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-18 04:08 am (UTC)I'm sure it is indeed easier than Finnegans Wake, though. So hoorah for that. Or, er, something.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-18 08:34 am (UTC)Au contraire...
Date: 2004-06-20 11:45 pm (UTC)Re: Au contraire...
Date: 2004-06-21 04:18 am (UTC)Re: Au contraire...
Date: 2004-06-21 04:51 am (UTC)Re: Au contraire...
Date: 2004-06-21 05:04 am (UTC)BTW do you know that in Soviet Russia was a whole research institute full of PhD's in literature working on decyphering Ulysses references? As far as I remember they've succeeded.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-18 01:24 am (UTC)Love it...
Date: 2004-06-20 11:43 pm (UTC)I'd say reading the Tokyo Phone Book, in japanese, is probably easier tha FW.
Btw/ I once worked with a lady editor who used to work with Lawrence Durrel at Faberx2. He was so impressed that he wrote her a letter of recommendation which she had framed in her office. Durrel said something like, "I must thank you for your help and great talent on the project... It's a pity you weren't around in the 1920s, we'd have had much less trouble with Finnegan's Wake..."
I was impressed (evidently, so was Durrel).