The End

Well kids, I finished the thing last night. Proud of me. The final episode, Penelope, was great. Quintessential stream of consciousness. Molly Bloom ponders it all and every main theme and idea presented earlier in the book is reiterated perfectly. Joyce ends the book with a bang and if I ever reread any parts of this book (God forbid!), I’ll probably start with this episode.

I can’t believe I just mentioned “re-read.” I’m so ready to move on, but not before a few final thoughts:

1) This has easily been the most difficult and rewarding piece of fiction I have ever read and I won’t lie to you: many times I contemplated bailing out, or at least taking a break. I didn’t though and I am immensely glad of it.

2) Don Gifford’s book of Ulysses annotations was essential. Thanks Don! You made understanding this book possible.

3) To say James Joyce is a genius is an understatement. There should be a new word created, just for him, that means “beyond genius.” I can’t imagine being able to create something so complex: the depth of the characters and the exactness of their movements, the thematic development, the volume and scope of all the references, the prose itself and the different styles of writing, and on and on. This book is simply one of the most profound examples of human creativity that I have ever encountered.

4) Just a quick note on old Leopold Bloom (“Poldy” for those of you in the know). What a great anti-hero. I’m pretty sure I would never hang out with the guy - in some respects he’s pretty much just a strange, boring, and annoying dude with a proclivity towards a number of bizarre sexual perversions. A freak for sure. But I love the idea of the anti-hero and this book does it right. It has got to be one of the best examples of this in all of literature.

5) Reading is, by its very nature, a solitary and isolationist thing. Reading Ulysses is even more so; it is by far the loneliest book I have ever read. It is not possible to talk in detail with anyone about the book while reading it because no one else is reading it. So, in this respect, this blog was immensely helpful, even if it was for the most part just a conversation with myself. This blog forced me to think about the book, after putting it down, which enabled me to connect with it, outside of the actual process of consuming it. This was a very good thing.

So there it is. I guess this blog is done, unless I have some sort of great epiphany or idea related to the book that drives me to post further (unlikely). Besides, like I already mentioned, I’m ready to move on. I can’t imagine my all-but-nonexistent audience will mind. So bon voyage and junk! Proud of me, proud of you, and especially proud of James Joyce.