Ulysses

Outline

Ulysses (1922) follows ordinary people through a single day in Dublin, 16 June 1904, mainly the advertising salesman Leopold Bloom and the young writer Stephen Dedalus. James Joyce loosely models their journeys on Homer’s Odyssey and uses techniques such as stream of consciousness to capture their thoughts. Famous for its difficulty and inventiveness, the novel is considered one of the most important works of modern literature.

• The whole novel takes place on a single day in Dublin, 16 June 1904, which turns an ordinary day into the stuff of epic.
• The story centres on two men: the advertising salesman Leopold Bloom and the young writer Stephen Dedalus.
• Joyce loosely models their journeys on Homer's Odyssey, setting ancient myth beside everyday city life.
• Stream of consciousness is used to capture what characters think, so the reader follows the mind as well as the action.
• The book is known for being both difficult and inventive, and is considered one of the most important works of modern literature.

James Joyce (1882–1941) was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, and poet, and one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. Although he lived much of his life abroad, all his major works are set in Dublin. His other books include Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.