Ulysses by James Joyce: Great Books Explained

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  • Опубліковано 12 жов 2023
  • Please consider supporting this channel on Patreon, thanks! www.patreon.com/user?u=53686503
    or if you prefer a one-off donation - www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...
    This video is dedicated to my great friends, and Joyce aficionado's Jean and Derry O'Sullivan.
    Even before James Joyce’s Ulysses was published it was causing trouble. Short excerpts appeared in a review magazine, and the US postal service claiming it was pornography refused to deliver the magazines and then burnt all the copies.
    Any publisher that thought about publishing Ulysses had to weigh up the possibility of being prosecuted for obscenity against the potential of bringing a masterpiece into the world. Most publishers wouldn’t touch it, but Sylvia Beach, owner of the Shakespeare and Co. bookshop in Paris, decided the risk was worth taking, and in 1922 Ulysses was published in Paris.
    It is famously hard to read, and many never finish it, but the novel would go on to triumph over the criticism and censorship, to become one of the most highly regarded works of art in the 20th century.
    Nothing much happens in Ulysses, two men wander around Dublin, and a woman lies in bed thinking, that’s it! But it is the story telling, the language and the humour that makes it a work of genius.
    Subscribe and click the bell icon to be notified! ua-cam.com/channels/ePD.html...
    I would like to thank all my Patreon supporters, in particular Adriana Nemet, Alan Stewart, Alexander Velser, Alyssa Phillips, Anja Zeutschel, Bria Nicole Art, David Asabreu, Christa Sawyer, Eric Mann, Erique K, Griffin Evans, Hugo Moita, Jemma Theivendran, Julio Cardenas, Karim Hopper, Kibibi Shaw, Louise Tait, Monte St Johns, New Curiosity, Paul Ark, Paul Waterman, Pavel Juszczyk, Sean Welgemoed, Stephen Beresford, Tanya Moore, Theresa Garfink, Toni Ko, Tyler Wittreich and Will Dew's-Power.
    "What a brilliant series this is" - Stephen Fry on Twitter
    SUBTITLES
    I input the English subtitles myself but I rely on volunteers to do subtitles for other languages and I really appreciate it - just contact me at jamespayne33@hotmail.com
    Spanish Subtitles by Alma Perdomo (gracias!)
    CREDITS
    Opening Animation and Title Sequence by Brian Adsit (instagram brian_vfx?... and Behance www.behance.com/badsit88)
    Sound Mix by Oscar Sidoff Rydelius (Thank you!)
    ACTORS
    Aonghus Weber @cityactors
    Helen Sheehan
    "Theme" music: JS Bach “Sonata for violin solo No.1 in G Minor”
    Other - Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
    All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel do not claim any right over them.
    Clip of Dublin: Dermot O'Brien
    Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,3 тис.

  • @charlawillson5654
    @charlawillson5654 2 місяці тому +17

    My father, a WWII surgeon, a genius in his own right, memorized this. Unbelievable.

  • @andreselectrico
    @andreselectrico 7 місяців тому +65

    I read the book when I was very young. Now, as a still-young but already seasoned middle-aged person :), I think I have to read it again. It must be a different experience when you read this work at this stage of your life, a point when you have already abandoned any hope for immortality, have a long relationship behind you, have children to take care of, and know that having them means, at the same time, happiness and entering the world of those who have a lot to lose. You also know, for certain, that you will have to make concessions, that you won't be a hero, and that you have nothing under control. I have to read this great work again.
    This is a great channel. Please do more content like this. The world needs it.

    • @javelinpix
      @javelinpix 3 місяці тому +3

      So true and thoughtful. I'm 72 and can vouch.

    • @Uluc-cg4tm
      @Uluc-cg4tm 3 місяці тому +2

      All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream...

  • @greatbooksexplained371
    @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +120

    It is important for a new channel that you please leave a comment (what book are you reading now? What is your favourite book etc), as it helps promote the channel! I REALLY appreciate your continued support - and WECOME to Great Books Explained!

    • @landontalkington230
      @landontalkington230 8 місяців тому +4

      Reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for the first time.

    • @GreatArtExplained
      @GreatArtExplained 8 місяців тому +7

      @@landontalkington230 Frankenstein is being researched now!

    • @stevej9058
      @stevej9058 8 місяців тому +2

      The Great Gatsby. In my opinion, it is the most beautifully written work of literature. Like Joyce said, it is isn't what was written, but how.

    • @kjcs_1896
      @kjcs_1896 8 місяців тому +7

      Try some Dostoevsky. Or Kafka.
      Maybe do The Little Prince.
      Either way, I will be following this channel.

    • @SooKim119
      @SooKim119 8 місяців тому +4

      As a lover of books and art history I am so hyped!
      Books id love to see a video on: (just a whole list of my favourites 😭 classics and non-classics)
      Never let me go - by Kazuo Ishiguro
      Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
      The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
      The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
      The Heart’s Invisible Furies - John Boyne
      The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
      Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
      The Odyssey - Homer
      Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin
      The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
      Dune - Frank Herbert
      I’m currently slaving through Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre.

  • @bigredlittlered2476
    @bigredlittlered2476 8 місяців тому +209

    This was the hardest to read book I ever picked up. The changing writing styles was difficult to adjust to. Thank you James for making the book more understandable.

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +9

      Glad it was helpful!

    • @stretmediq
      @stretmediq 7 місяців тому +8

      Reading Absolam Absolam by William Faulkner prior made Ulysses easier for me but it was still challenging

    • @geargeekpdx3566
      @geargeekpdx3566 6 місяців тому +4

      Infinite Jest is harder

    • @danielg.w5733
      @danielg.w5733 6 місяців тому +4

      Try Finnegans Wake

    • @1chicaa.
      @1chicaa. 6 місяців тому +3

      Please please do crime and punishment by Dostyoesky

  • @MichaelJoseph-id2lc
    @MichaelJoseph-id2lc 6 місяців тому +3

    "And yes" Beautiful

  • @seriouslywhatever1031
    @seriouslywhatever1031 8 місяців тому +143

    This is a book I thought I would never want to read but now I do. Your channels are so life enriching.

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +10

      Thanks!

    • @vanjaw1146
      @vanjaw1146 8 місяців тому +4

      for me it is the opposite, I was planning to read it but now I realize that this book is overrated

    • @zlatan_2197
      @zlatan_2197 8 місяців тому +7

      @@vanjaw1146 You need to read it to experience it.

    • @reinerdesouza9438
      @reinerdesouza9438 5 місяців тому

      I doubt you will finish it. I will be surprised if you go past the half way mark.

    • @jiggersotoole7823
      @jiggersotoole7823 7 днів тому

      I read it twice

  • @817exo
    @817exo 8 місяців тому +88

    I'm really into art and literature so these two channels are just perfect! Will try to support you in the future! ❤

  • @nikkivenable73
    @nikkivenable73 8 місяців тому +72

    You have no idea how much i loved this. I am an avid reader and have been my whole life and listening to smart people discuss the classics, well, is there anything better?

    • @dgarzaart2000
      @dgarzaart2000 6 місяців тому +4

      The only thing better than reading a classic is rereading a classic. You may quote me.

    • @doncahooti
      @doncahooti 6 місяців тому +1

      better to live a classic

    • @nikkivenable73
      @nikkivenable73 6 місяців тому +2

      @@dgarzaart2000 oooh, I love this!!!!

  • @Mrpallekuling
    @Mrpallekuling 3 місяці тому +24

    I read this book every 10 years. I've read it five times so far, and I hope to accomplish at least one more before it's time to say goodbye

    • @nicholacousins8563
      @nicholacousins8563 29 днів тому +2

      I make my children read Animal farm an 1984 every 5 years 😅

    • @Mrpallekuling
      @Mrpallekuling 29 днів тому

      @@nicholacousins8563 That sounds good!

    • @annwright1858
      @annwright1858 16 днів тому

      Why?

    • @Mrpallekuling
      @Mrpallekuling 16 днів тому

      @@annwright1858 Because each time I read it, I interpret the story a bit differently because my life experience is different. I read it first when I was 18 and lived with my parents. At 28, I had an education and started to work. At 38, I was married and had a daughter. At 48, I worked in France. At 58, I was in Switzerland, and now I'm back in Denmark, retired. So, my perspective has changed.

    • @annwright1858
      @annwright1858 14 днів тому

      Thank you for your reply and I can understand where you are coming from. For me, there are so many books out there, I want to try and read as many of them as possible and haven’t got time for repeats! I am in my seventies, thankfully still healthy. We are forever changing though so I take your point.

  • @BrandonBurrell-lr6yy
    @BrandonBurrell-lr6yy 6 місяців тому +17

    I'm reading Ulysses right now. Strange book. This talk is bringing clarity. Thank you.

  • @kurtissluss2010
    @kurtissluss2010 8 місяців тому +69

    Thanks for all your hard work. I’ve adored the topics and evolution of this channel. It’s exactly what the world needs.

    • @chevgr
      @chevgr 8 місяців тому +3

      💗

  • @user-iy3jh8wf1s
    @user-iy3jh8wf1s 6 місяців тому +40

    It's a difficult book to read, but it's a terrific book to listen to. It really is musical. For anyone interested, try the BBC's James Joyce collection.

    • @bobikdylan
      @bobikdylan 6 місяців тому +1

      Naxos has it on 22 CDs. I bought it about twenty years ago and listen to it on my daily commute once a year. It is complete, unabridged, and very good.

    • @Fibsboro
      @Fibsboro 5 місяців тому +2

      The Irish national TV network did a superb version that is available for free

    • @NancyWaugh-dj3yv
      @NancyWaugh-dj3yv 5 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for the suggestion about listening to it. It’s worth a shot!

    • @jimsherman6262
      @jimsherman6262 20 днів тому

      Agreed . Listen first to fall in love and read annotated version to better understand. John Lee's performance on the audiobook is masterful

  • @puffin51
    @puffin51 7 місяців тому +416

    I really do wish that I could see what you and many others see in "Ulysses". I read it in ten days of hard graft as an undergrad, because I had to, and hated it. Twenty years later I tried again, and it was the same. The strongest impressions I received were of the author's freezing contempt for his characters, and for humanity generally, combined with his overpowering need to congratulate himself on his cleverness, knowledge and sensibilities. I must be wrong about that. Many good judges tell me so. The antipathy seems to be visceral - there are parts of "Ulysses" that make me physically nauseous. But whatever the cause is, I won't open a work by Joyce, ever again. It's no use telling me that "Dubliners", or "Portrait" is much easier. After my experience, all I'd like to do with Joyce is to get my hands around his neck - which, given that he's been dead these eighty years, is foolish or worse. Still, there it is.

    • @Mr.SLovesTheSacredHeartofJesus
      @Mr.SLovesTheSacredHeartofJesus 6 місяців тому +41

      I fully agree.

    • @davesblasting7457
      @davesblasting7457 6 місяців тому +13

      What about Samuel Beckett ? Would you try him?

    • @puffin51
      @puffin51 6 місяців тому

      @@davesblasting7457 I have tried him. I am glad to say that, not having been born over a grave, I am unqualified to appreciate the glories of Beckett's works, despite the satisfaction and peace that they brought him, which is so evident in his face.

    • @merrim7765
      @merrim7765 6 місяців тому +58

      In my experience, it's a "thing" that some (mostly snobs) academics think they need to find appealing to find approval of their colleagues and that they "get it". Joyce was probably a narcissist, mentally ill, and had a disgusting habit of "undressing," manipulating for his own writing exercise, and criticizing everyone from his perch on the Director's chair. His daughter was committed and no wonder. The biography, Nora, was good and explains a great deal.

    • @puffin51
      @puffin51 6 місяців тому +41

      @@merrim7765 I don't hold his daughter's schizophrenia against him, absent real evidence that he caused it, of which there is none. I do decry the conscious artifice and self-congratulation that I find in "Ulysses". In chapter 14, "The Oxen of the Sun", the language recapitulates the development of English prose, starting before Chaucer and moving through Spencerian and Shakespearian forms to approach modern English. Why? What purpose is served? It only foregrounds the prose itself, which is to say, the writer, his delight in what he takes to be his own cleverness, his reading, his scholarship. It's nothing but egotism, and I can't for the life of me see why anybody would commend it.

  • @user-KG71
    @user-KG71 8 місяців тому +19

    I am excited for this new series! I read Ulysses for the first time in High School, and hated it. But my English teacher told me to please reread it later on. I’m So glad that I have ❤ I found that once I had a truly open mind that this masterpiece became much more enjoyable.
    I also have written notes each time (over 30 years), and go back occasionally to see my growth as a reader- and as a Human.

  • @gradient-hj
    @gradient-hj 8 місяців тому +136

    So happy you decided to create this channel on top of the great art channel. Can’t wait to watch it!

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +6

      Join us for the live! ua-cam.com/video/0EblOaE1wNU/v-deo.htmlsi=o8H1AbMj8KzIlD_O

    • @Freemouse159
      @Freemouse159 6 місяців тому

      Excellent 👌 more!!!!!!!

  • @markberman6708
    @markberman6708 6 місяців тому +15

    I'm saddened by having read so many books and forgotten so much until a title or comment comes up. Too much life and possibly a bit too much bumping around has disorganized the library in my head. Helps a lot to see so many great works come up and remember them and fit them back on the shelves of the mind.

  • @pameladaley955
    @pameladaley955 7 місяців тому +11

    Thank you so much for this! James Joyce: the master monster of English literature! Every word a treasure - and you have made Ulysses understandable. I can't wait to see what you do next - and this a perfect mate to your other channel.

  • @fancynancymacy
    @fancynancymacy 6 місяців тому +17

    I love the way, James Joyce, writes I love the stream of consciousness. I loved it in high school. I love it today.

    • @vincentzevecke4578
      @vincentzevecke4578 Місяць тому +2

      William Faulkner is also a stream of consciousness writer too

  • @ianlipton
    @ianlipton 6 місяців тому +12

    You've done it again, James. Opened my eyes to more wonderful things.

  • @greatbooksexplained371
    @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +5

    What is a book YOU would like me to consider for Great Books Explained?

    • @lolobolly
      @lolobolly 8 місяців тому +2

      Madam Bovary

    • @heociel
      @heociel 8 місяців тому +2

      Le Petit Prince

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +2

      One of my favourite books of ALL time! @@heociel

    • @kushmon9992
      @kushmon9992 8 місяців тому +3

      I know many people will pick older, legendary books and authors. But the Shining would be my pick. Maybe the most terrifying work of art ever.

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +1

      Shining is on my list! @@kushmon9992

  • @christianmasters5374
    @christianmasters5374 8 місяців тому +56

    Using the rite of spring periodically was a genius move! In terms of its critical reception, it's almost like the ballet/symphony version of Ulysses. Both works were lambasted when they first appeared and were the subjects of massive public outcry but a small few groups of people then and many more now were and are able to see them for the innovative masterpieces they are. Great work!

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +19

      Thanks for noticing - I spend a lot of time getting appropriate music!

    • @wilhelmina8843
      @wilhelmina8843 8 місяців тому +7

      @christanmaster5374: I’m glad you were able to point out how thoughtful the music choice is.

    • @davol2449
      @davol2449 5 місяців тому +1

      big difference is "The Rite of Spring"" was never censored. you couldn't own a copy in the US until almost ten years after it was published.

    • @bradenoberson
      @bradenoberson Місяць тому

      Great use of music indeed. What is the last musical peice? With the choir? It's very nice.

  • @Jack_Callcott_AU
    @Jack_Callcott_AU 7 місяців тому +10

    The soliloquy of Molly Bloom impressed me greatly. I have never read the whole book from beginning to end, but you said that one could "wander through Ulysses" maybe I have done that.
    I read " A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" when I was a teenager, and I enjoyed it like hell. The book gave me the idea that I should be writer. "Dubliners" is also a great collection of stories. 📚🍀

  • @mainstreamintoxicated6021
    @mainstreamintoxicated6021 8 місяців тому +17

    I love Joyce, a true master. Took language to such a level that all that was left was Beckett. Joyce’s successor and Void.

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +2

      Great comment thanks 🙏

    • @lesleyjohnson8488
      @lesleyjohnson8488 7 місяців тому +1

      Absolutely agree! Fantastic appraisal. I felt that Melville was his ancestor in this regard, as was the fertile mind of the Bard himself …

    • @georgewilkie3580
      @georgewilkie3580 6 місяців тому

      LOL!... AGAIN, LOL!

    • @reinerdesouza9438
      @reinerdesouza9438 5 місяців тому +2

      What is language if not communication? Ulysses does not communicate ...... just a diarrhea of words.

    • @RuminatingWizard
      @RuminatingWizard 3 місяці тому +1

      Steinbeck was twice the writer with 1/50th the words.

  • @yonathanasefaw9001
    @yonathanasefaw9001 8 місяців тому +3

    I learned something today.

  • @malwinatritt2499
    @malwinatritt2499 8 місяців тому +8

    OMG, I can't wait. I think this might be the best channel on youtube! ❤️

  • @wain609
    @wain609 8 місяців тому +5

    Fixing drywall here in Jersey... Tuned in and taking notes!!

  • @jenniferw392
    @jenniferw392 8 місяців тому +2

    I am ecstatic that you have expanded. I am a casual appreciator of art and literature, and you have shared so much knowledge and joy with me through your videos. I look forward to more to come!

  • @gustavofreitas7410
    @gustavofreitas7410 8 місяців тому +4

    We all have to thank you for your amazing, spectacular work of spreading knowledge in a so captivating and riveting way. I barely can imagine how search and readings you do in order to create such insightful videos. Seriously, thank you so much, you've made me a better person and I think the world should have more humans like you!

  • @aranoguera8945
    @aranoguera8945 8 місяців тому +17

    I read Dubliners last year. I'm looking forward to reading Ulysses.

    • @SPRVLN27
      @SPRVLN27 4 місяці тому

      I will let you know, they're quite different.

  • @amandahaynes2194
    @amandahaynes2194 8 місяців тому +9

    This gave me such a better understanding of an overwhelming work. Thank you!

  • @jwillington6625
    @jwillington6625 8 місяців тому +2

    Love your expansion to exploring books! Making artworks accessible, and divulging their secrets through your own brand of storytelling, research and editing is valuable work. Big thanks!

    • @fancynancymacy
      @fancynancymacy 6 місяців тому

      Lifelong learner here now I’m 83 but still learning

  • @mariwittenbreer6865
    @mariwittenbreer6865 5 місяців тому +1

    So impressive how you distill much of this heavy tome's most important tropes and Joyce's life in such a short space. Thank you so much.

  • @saluki601
    @saluki601 8 місяців тому +13

    Trying to get myself to read crime and punishment at the moment. Super excited for the new channel!

    • @apollonia6656
      @apollonia6656 2 місяці тому

      @saluki,
      I read all of Dostoyevsky 's novels bar one: "The Idiot", but it is on my TBR so looking forward to it.
      Here is a question (sorry for digressing): for those who have read The Brothers Karamasov.; why do you think Zosima's body leaves such an awful smell ? As a medic, I understand putrifaction/heat etc , but a lot is made of stench. Do you think there is a hint regarding his "saintly character vs his actual one ? Well, the Devil leaves a stench wherever he goes so..... 🤔

  • @ColtDouglasMusic
    @ColtDouglasMusic 8 місяців тому +21

    I am so ready for this!

  • @evachocolounge2302
    @evachocolounge2302 8 місяців тому +5

    Congratulations, James! I'm following your journey almost since your first video with @greatartexplained. Keep it coming- I'm so excited about it!

  • @chilpabarajasivaneduardo841
    @chilpabarajasivaneduardo841 8 місяців тому +19

    Your content is a delight! Thank you for the dedication you put into it 💚

  • @jodiehunter4505
    @jodiehunter4505 8 місяців тому +9

    Brilliant! Thanks for bringing great literature back to life!

  • @kristina7296
    @kristina7296 8 місяців тому +6

    Yessss!! It really is the best channel on UA-cam

  • @adamgharmonica4659
    @adamgharmonica4659 6 місяців тому +1

    Outstanding clear engaging introduction to this seminal novel …inspiring me to go and reread Ulysses again after more than 4 decades… many many thanks.
    PS Praise also to the editor who assembled the wonderfully apt sequences of visuals of real content and quality

  • @Mindywright27
    @Mindywright27 8 місяців тому +8

    Fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and am excited to return for more! Congratulations 🎉🍾

  • @followthatstargirl824
    @followthatstargirl824 8 місяців тому +4

    Great one, James! Congratulations on your new channel! 😊

  • @cbsproperty
    @cbsproperty 8 місяців тому +1

    What a way to start another SUPERB channel!!!, mighty Ulisses . . . and the production! as with Great Art Explained, you are impeccably perfect in your analysis and synthesis. Humble thanks, another way of delivering your absolute talent for teaching and communication. Sincerely, Esperanza, a mexican in Canada

  • @shienshienshien
    @shienshienshien 8 місяців тому +1

    Thank you so much for creating this channel, on top of your art-analysis one! Truly appreciate your hard work James!

  • @riggers1977
    @riggers1977 8 місяців тому +3

    The greatest novel of the 20th century & my personal favourite of all time. Until I tripped over Joyce & Ulysses I never realised that people could do such beautiful & profound things with language. The wandering, the poetry & the commentary all tightened up into a perfect package of ordinary nothingness. It’s just humanity laid bare & it’s fucking amazing. Ulysses is the only book I own which is a genuine first edition & I treasure it. Thank you so much for making this video James!👏👏

  • @nuritardif563
    @nuritardif563 8 місяців тому +17

    Thank you so much for this video. In a wonderful synchronicity I just finished reading this book about a week ago and absolutely loved it's Can't wait for your next video! Maybe you can do one on Moby-Dick, my all time favorite book.

  • @lifeandnostalgia
    @lifeandnostalgia 8 місяців тому +1

    Was thrilled when you announced the channel and this was a brilliant first entry. Thank you for everything you do, as always!
    (Can't wait to read Ulysses now, currently reading, Bulgakov's 'The Master and Margarita.' would love a video on that book too!)

  • @juniorjames7076
    @juniorjames7076 8 місяців тому

    First time I ever subscribed to a new channel, sight unseen, without even listening to a minute. If its associated with Great Arts Explained, that's more than enough for me.

  • @andohlea
    @andohlea 8 місяців тому +6

    Not sure if it’s a preview but excited about the books you focused on in the intro! Great work yet again! 🙏

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +2

      Alice is next!

    • @andohlea
      @andohlea 8 місяців тому +1

      @@greatbooksexplained371 yoooohoooo! 🐇😵‍💫🫖🐭🤪🎩😸🐛🌹♥️…in no particular order 😄

  • @jmcg6189
    @jmcg6189 7 місяців тому +4

    Good job! I read it probably 15 years ago with a group from the local library. Someone from Northwestern University (local school) gave an introductory lecture. And I had a friend from the office do it with me. That way, whenever either one of us flagged and was ready to drop out, the other was there to encourage them. Possibly one of the few books that can benefit from having a reading buddy. It was a great book.

  • @karenmills5084
    @karenmills5084 22 дні тому +1

    So many years ago I was supposed to read this for a college lit course, and I tried. I tried skimming here and there and failed again. In my 30s I tried again. It still gave me a headache, so I decided that having read “Portait…” and The Dead, I didn’t need to try any more James Joyce. There are many Irish writers I enjoy reading so I do not miss this one.

  • @margotscheltema2870
    @margotscheltema2870 2 місяці тому

    What a wonderful introduction to a book - with music, images and narration all combined to deepen the experience. Thank you for this brilliant multimedia synopsis.

  • @loganfinn4056
    @loganfinn4056 8 місяців тому +19

    So excited for the new channel! I’d love to see a video on Oscar Wilde eventually

  • @MariaVosa
    @MariaVosa 8 місяців тому +6

    Wonderful to see you branch out into literature as well. Great topic for the first video, and great companion piece to your recent video on Magritte!

  • @marthasolomon7997
    @marthasolomon7997 8 місяців тому

    I had never been into art but your channel enriched my life and knowledge more than o could ever think of ..and now you are doing books aka my life source. ..paint me obsessed!

  • @nathnieloleary502
    @nathnieloleary502 8 місяців тому

    Thank you for starting this channel. That was a very informative and digestible way to present such a complex book.🤩

  • @lukodaian
    @lukodaian 8 місяців тому +3

    Thank you ❤🎉

  • @adamfleischman8080
    @adamfleischman8080 8 місяців тому +5

    I love Frankenstein, Candide, a Christmas Carol and The Trial.

  • @khalidaftab3716
    @khalidaftab3716 2 місяці тому +1

    Amazingly interesting production. It left a deep imprint on my mind.

  • @nekonesto5601
    @nekonesto5601 8 місяців тому +2

    Yay! First video on the channel! I look forward to all the future ones and wish you a lot of success!

  • @Lo_1988
    @Lo_1988 8 місяців тому +5

    This is my favorite channel 🤓

  • @streetlegal008
    @streetlegal008 6 місяців тому +47

    Joyce started experimenting with 'magic mushrooms' just before he began to write Ulysses. I think this explains a lot. A similar thing happened to The Beatles in the mid 1960s.

    • @apollonia6656
      @apollonia6656 6 місяців тому +2

      Well,well,well ! That does explain a !it 😅
      Sad that it is considered as literature by many ! 🤔

    • @streetlegal008
      @streetlegal008 6 місяців тому +3

      It is merely a conjecture of course, but something must have happened to Joyce that changed his whole approach to literature. Whatever we may think of Ulysses today, back in the 1920s it truly broke new ground and was a game-changer. Before the First World War such a book could never have been published - but after european society was wide-open to new thinking, as all the old 'certainties' had been blown away. We might also look at The Wasteland by TS Elliott in the same light. So had both men been out on the hillside, grazing on magic mushrooms? Well it is at least a comical motif😂.

    • @dead70
      @dead70 6 місяців тому +3

      @@streetlegal008 Personally as someone who uses psychedelics a lot, I could see it in Joyce’s “stream of consciousness” style and his increased ability to completely shift perspective to another. But I just can’t imagine paranoid, conservative Eliot ever tried them, and The Wasteland doesn’t exactly carry much love for his fellow man

    • @streetlegal008
      @streetlegal008 6 місяців тому +1

      The Wasteland has similarities with Ulysses in that both offer a shift in perception that was radical at the time (1920s). To consider how radical The Wasteland was it is useful to compare it with Rudyard Kipling's pre-war
      writings. The difference in perception is as night and day.

    • @sirapos6550
      @sirapos6550 5 місяців тому +1

      In those times opium was very popular too.

  • @deborahr2697
    @deborahr2697 8 місяців тому

    Thank you ever so much for your channels. I adore them both. Can't wait for what comes next!

  • @barbarabarbour6833
    @barbarabarbour6833 4 місяці тому +1

    What a gift to all of us this channel is!🙏👏🥰

  • @valiantabello
    @valiantabello 8 місяців тому +34

    I dislike Joyce's works very much but this video definitely taught me a lot. I am currently reading The Brothers Karamasov

    • @r.e.t.8656
      @r.e.t.8656 8 місяців тому +1

      Amazing! I’m thank you for all you do ❤

    • @redtobertshateshandles
      @redtobertshateshandles 7 місяців тому

      The BK. Worlds most boring book.

    • @benjaminroe311ify
      @benjaminroe311ify 7 місяців тому

      @@redtobertshateshandles well its a character study mostly and I find it quite interesting.

  • @50l12
    @50l12 8 місяців тому +4

    I've read and loved Dubliners though am fascinated by the mysterious Ulysses and Finnegans Wake while never cracking the surface. This has given me new inspiration to dive back in!

  • @juleepeppep9848
    @juleepeppep9848 7 місяців тому

    Fascinating to hear this breakdown of Ulysses. It was required readings in my English Lit class in college.
    I had a difficult time putting it all together, but now I am excited to read it all over again. Thank You

  • @treasurechest123
    @treasurechest123 7 місяців тому

    Wow! Beautifully done, thank you! Another great series you have hatched. Congratulations!

  • @janebishop5885
    @janebishop5885 7 місяців тому +3

    Well, thank you so much for this analysis. You have given me about eight inches of space on the top shelf of one of my six foot bookcases. Forty years ago I bought from the monthly book club, 3 of Joyce's novels and started Ulysses and read about five pages and then started working long hours, and had to stop. I always thought i would get back to Ulysses because back then the writing seemed very unique. But, now, your review has made me rethink that and I will not waste a minute on what sounds like an utter waste of time. ...thanks very much. Ugh.

  • @JoaoPedro-xy3lo
    @JoaoPedro-xy3lo 8 місяців тому +8

    Please make a video about Franz Kafka 's The Castle 😅❤

  • @nadfowler4171
    @nadfowler4171 3 місяці тому +1

    I’m so sad to just be discovering this channel as I’ve been a follower of your other art channel since you started. I used to be an avid reader, but busy mom life kind of stole that away from me. I’m currently reading Fifth Business, a Canadian classic alongside my son, who is studying it in his grade 12 English. I loved it the first time I read it but couldn’t recall at all what it was about so I decided to try it reading it again. I’m dedicating this year to go back to one of my first loves, reading.

  • @user-yq3sp2cq9s
    @user-yq3sp2cq9s 3 місяці тому +1

    Now, as a newly retired teacher (kindergarten), I have time to read. I am hoping this channel will help me make good decisions about what to read next.

  • @greatbooksexplained371
    @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +7

    Let's watch together - this Friday at 8.30pm (UK time - you'll have to figure out your local time) - I hope you can join in the chat.

    • @jeff__w
      @jeff__w 8 місяців тому +6

      “…you'll have to figure out your local time”
      Actually, you don't. UA-cam automatically displays your local time and date for you. It's pretty convenient.

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +5

      Good to know! @@jeff__w

  • @macreo111
    @macreo111 8 місяців тому +4

    Haven’t seen it yet and already know it’s going to be quality content. Keep it up!!!

  • @leonebritt4879
    @leonebritt4879 4 дні тому

    Oh I loved Ulysses. I didn't expect anything, I just went along for the ride, that rollicking, smorgasbord of language, poetry, and art.

  • @danilincks5809
    @danilincks5809 8 місяців тому +2

    I would have loved to join you James but that’s smack dab in the middle of my work day here in Texas 😢. Hopefully you’ll keep doing these lives and I can join you! Oh and I adore your GAE channel, what a gem that is!!!

  • @maryroberts9315
    @maryroberts9315 8 місяців тому +5

    Already 1k+ views! There are so many life-long learners who enjoy an intro to a challenging work. I just finished Joseph Conrad's "The Shadow Line". Any Conrad is a good discussion book. My favorite novel is "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner.

  • @berolinastrassmann
    @berolinastrassmann 7 місяців тому +4

    I have started and stopped Ulysses a few times. Hopefully after this I will give it another try! Thanks James for this wonderful video.

  • @isacj81
    @isacj81 8 місяців тому

    And I thought Great Art Explained was all I needed. Until James reinvented himself by creating this channel!
    Oh, by the way, funny that the most intelectual professor of mine has always commented well about this strange book. Only now I understood why. Definitely on my reading list now.
    Another masterpiece of work with this channel, James. I truly hope this takes off as much as the other channel.
    Anxiously looking forward to what coming up, both in Art and, now, in Books Explained!
    Cheers from Brazil!

  • @fancynancymacy
    @fancynancymacy 6 місяців тому +2

    So excellent thank you so much
    I myself seem to have a gift for stream of conscious talking
    I appreciate learning about James Joyce and his beautiful book extraordinary book Ulysses

  • @markusmanstroma3156
    @markusmanstroma3156 8 місяців тому +6

    I’m reading it at the moment and halfway through… it’s wonderful! Thank you for such a lovely piece on this amazing book!

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +2

      Wonderful!

    • @leannedraper4872
      @leannedraper4872 20 днів тому

      😅😅😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊⁸the u😊😊😊😊😊😊​@@greatbooksexplained371

  • @frasercattini3153
    @frasercattini3153 8 місяців тому +6

    This is the greatest book I have ever read. Probably the hardest but the most rewarding.

    • @feanorian21maglor38
      @feanorian21maglor38 4 місяці тому

      I'm reading it now. It's great to hear such positive experiences. Hard books can be so rewarding. I found Catch 22 very difficult to read, but it's one of the best things I have ever read, and one of the funniest.

  • @TheVitorReis7
    @TheVitorReis7 7 місяців тому

    Came here since I love your art channel, i like to think of myself as an active reader, however too focused on business books, I haven’t heard of Ulysses before, i was really impressed by the explanation that each chapter is written in a unique style, i really wanna read the book now, keep up the amazing work James

  • @-corvin
    @-corvin 7 місяців тому +1

    your approach to these videos is wonderful and carries a contagious enthusiasm that made me - and many others i assume - look at art again that was quickly dismissed at first glance. having the same for books now, is an early christmas gift! i look forward for the many books i would never think of reading if it was not for your videos.
    tl;dr: this video made me throw away my hated german copy of this book, and read an english one.

  • @Providence1017
    @Providence1017 8 місяців тому +7

    Ulysses is one of those books that just seems so daunting to pick up, but after this I might give it a shot! Currently reading Children of Ruin, book 2 in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time series. It's a great sci fi page turner!

  • @TaylorRyanKitterman
    @TaylorRyanKitterman 8 місяців тому +6

    Good stuff. Looking forward to more 📚

  • @mitosocabafoster3195
    @mitosocabafoster3195 8 місяців тому +2

    Because of this video i now want to read Ulysses. Subscribed too...

  • @dianecrepeault5423
    @dianecrepeault5423 7 місяців тому

    A great first video, a perfect choice to draw parallels with the visual arts going on at the time and between your two channels. I look forward to seeing more !

  • @zlatan_2197
    @zlatan_2197 8 місяців тому +11

    I've always felt that Joyce is painter with words. I still vividly remember first time I've red Dubliners. Ulysses stands by itself, absolute masterpiece.

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +3

      Dubliners is such a great book!

    • @henrylemelay5436
      @henrylemelay5436 4 місяці тому

      Nieuwe kleren van de keizer .
      Misschien te pruimen als je zelf paddo’s gebruikt.
      Dutch

  • @MartijnPennings
    @MartijnPennings 8 місяців тому +5

    As a non-native English speaker I often find it daunting reading "great" English novels. They're often so full of words, phrases, structures I've never come across and there's often this aura of importance around them. As if I'm about to have to understand something very profound. I've never read Ulysses, and to be honest, I probably won't. Of course I've often heard of the book, but I've never known what it's about and why it is deemed so important in English literature. So thank you so much for this explainer!

    • @glennday7802
      @glennday7802 21 день тому

      Trust your instincts. Ulysses is a pile of unreadable trash that appeals to fake intellectuals because they think it makes them sound educated and superior to others.

  • @elizabethfoster5435
    @elizabethfoster5435 8 місяців тому +2

    I love that you’re branching out to books! Love the Art channel 🤌🏼

  • @Ahmedkhan8802
    @Ahmedkhan8802 7 місяців тому

    I've had a copy of Ulysses for years and have read most of Joyce's other novels. I've always intended take this on but have always found excuses to keep putting it off. No more! This excellent video is the push I've needed. My thanks.

  • @Ira_Favorite
    @Ira_Favorite 8 місяців тому +4

    Great channel debut ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  • @nathanbarber8457
    @nathanbarber8457 8 місяців тому +7

    Thanks for explaining Ulysses! It was always one of those books that scared me with its length, importance, and, tbh, modernism as an on-and-off reader. My favorite book is the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.

    • @greatbooksexplained371
      @greatbooksexplained371  8 місяців тому +2

      That’s a great book - I love Bradbury!

    • @katherineg9396
      @katherineg9396 8 місяців тому

      It was a great book, I realized recently I don't have my old copy and I must get a new one. Isn't Elton John's sing "Rocket Man" based on one or two of his stories?

    • @apollonia6656
      @apollonia6656 2 місяці тому

      @nathanbarber,
      Have you read Rainbow's Gravity ?
      It has been said that it can be as awkward to read as Ulysses.
      Personally, this is not my type of book, but there is a Joycean touch.

  • @syd5393
    @syd5393 8 місяців тому +1

    I learn more about the arts here than in any of my classes !! Ty!!!

  • @S3_Fabrication
    @S3_Fabrication 7 місяців тому +1

    I’m super excited about this channel, thanks!

  • @MRMADDNES1328
    @MRMADDNES1328 8 місяців тому +5

    My favorite book! Thank you. Needed this at these hard times of war

  • @dylanmeyerhoeffer5281
    @dylanmeyerhoeffer5281 8 місяців тому +32

    This is a great book. I read it over the course of a few months and remember finishing it at a little tea shop in Littleton, CO and smiling like a fool. Yes. I said yes, this is a great book.

    • @silverstuff182
      @silverstuff182 7 місяців тому +2

      Why is Ulysses a great book?

    • @silverstuff182
      @silverstuff182 7 місяців тому +1

      Why is Ulysses a great book?

    • @tommytwogloves16
      @tommytwogloves16 6 місяців тому +1

      Typical pornographer. Catholic-hating Scribe.

    • @tommytwogloves16
      @tommytwogloves16 6 місяців тому

      @@silverstuff182It’s pure filth. If you criticize his garbage you are labeled and anti-Termite.

  • @BailelaVida
    @BailelaVida 6 місяців тому

    A beautiful rendering, my man. Thanks for that!

  • @ChrisPelletier73
    @ChrisPelletier73 8 місяців тому +2

    I would love to hear you speak on Miller’s Tropic of Capricorn.🙏
    I truly enjoy all of the content you produce. Having access to entertainment of this high calibre keeps me sane.

  • @jessicaheger1880
    @jessicaheger1880 6 місяців тому +4

    Thank you. There are so many great books to read, and not enough time for them all.