Ulysses and Us, By Declan Kiberd
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Kiberd's lively but eccentric study aims to rescue Joyce's masterpiece from academia and "reconnect [it] to the everyday lives of real people". We learn that an advert glimpsed by Leopold Bloom ("What is a home without Plumtree's Potted Meat? Incomplete") evokes "his incomplete sexual acts at home with Molly"), while the gorgonzola sandwich Bloom nibbles in Davy Byrne's pub prompts the thought that "matters of peace and war may depend on someone's digestion".
Kiberd agrees with Roddy Doyle that "many passages [of Ulysses] stand in dire need of an editor". Some may feel the same applies to this exegesis. Sharing the master's fondness for circularity of thought, Kiberd has a curious obsession with Bloom's feminine tendencies.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments