ULYSSES Funmary #3: Proteus

By JERRY GRIT With “Proteus,” we come to the end of Ulysses‘ Part 1, its Telemachiad (the chapters focused on Dedalus-Telemachus). Although, it was a short chapter, it was long on confusing, headache-inducing obscurity.  Not very much happens in the chapter. Stephen walks on Sandymount Strand along the polluted Dublin Bay, thinks about a bunch [...]

ULYSSES pp. 41-51, “Proteus”

By JERRY GRIT No question. This reading, although short, was a slog. But it’s a worthwhile slog. And a slog that will be richly rewarded.  I went through and finished up the chapter, however it may raise an uproar about pacing. Dwelling on this chapter could drive us nuts. I thought it best for our [...]

Process Comment: Pacing

By ANDREW CASHMERE When you break it down to it’s most simple level, therapy is about change. A person is doing or feeling or something they don’t like and would like to change what they are doing or feeling. The different theoretical orientations (Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral, Humanistic) conceptualize how to bring about change differently, but all [...]

ULYSSES pp. 37-40, “Proteus”

By JERRY GRIT I only managed 4 pages tonight. I forgot how, although short, “Proteus” was one of the more difficult episodes in Ulysses and how it’s usually at this point most Ulysses readers become Ulysses readers no more.  If you take anything from this post, let it be simply this: don’t give up. Here’s the [...]

ULYSSES Funmary #2: Nestor

by BEN VORE Behold! I am about to reveal to you my amazing ability to perform a super secret Joycean mind meld which allows me to discern some of the thoughts and probing questions of a few Wandering Rocks regulars. Allow me to address those unspoken questions here: “Could you just give me a brief overview [...]

ULYSSES pp. 31-36, “Nestor”

by BEN VORE The pp. 31-36 tweets: p31. Greasy Deasy laughs at SD’s debts, calls him a fenian, then lectures him on The Potato Famine. This guy’s a royal prick. p32. Deasy asks SD to deliver a letter to the papers. He types, SD reminisces about the racetrack and playing hockey (“the joust of life”). [...]

ULYSSES pp. 24-30, “Nestor”

by BEN VORE I have attempted to replicate Jerry’s Eric’s exemplary twreading skills. (Emphasis on “attempted.”) Let’s revisit the tweets before launching into the analysis: p24. SD teaches remedial History. One student thinks Pyrrhus was a pier. Classmates chortle. p25. SD perplexes class with “a disappointed bridge.” Indulges in reverie about Aristotle, gets swarthy kid named [...]

ULYSSES Funmary #1: Telemachus

By JERRY GRIT First, an administrative matter. We need episodes adopted. “Proteus” doesn’t have anyone, and that could start as early as Tuesday. (It’s only 14 pages! It’s only a baby!). If you plan on reading Ulysses with us, please find it in your heart to call one of these episodes your own. You will [...]

A “Nestor” Preview, A Conversation Around Reading Methods, and Your Favorite Irish Slang Terms

by BEN VORE At the bookstore where I am employed, teenagers are beginning to trickle in to purchase their summer reading books. The other day one such student approached me at the information counter and showed me his list, which required him to select one of four titles. “We should have these in, so you can take your [...]

ULYSSES p. 14-23, “Telemachus”

By JERRY GRIT Seriously, these twreads are pretty awesome. I’m not missing a thing. You’re all suckers if you’re still reading the book. P14. BM patronizes milkmaid. SD’s sympathetic to her but resents her submissiveness. Haines (Brit) speaks Gaelic, but maid doesnt understand. P15. Haines guilts BM 2 pay milkmaid. BM underpays. Maid leaves. BM [...]

ULYSSES p. 4-13, “Telemachus”

By JERRY GRIT The Ulysses twreading (my* awesome neologism for “tweeting while reading”) is going pretty well, apart from the horseface fiasco (Buck has equine features, not Stephen…as I confused in my twreading on the first page). I read 10 pages for today, tweeting a summary after each page. Here’s how they went, all under [...]

ULYSSES p. 2-3, “Telemachus”

By JERRY GRIT I read the first page* of Ulysses today. Hopefully, you did too. I tweeted while I read it, which was not easy. Keeping “insights” to under 140 characters at a time is not conducive to literary analysis. It also took me less than 2 hours to read the page. I do not [...]

Odyssey Funmaries #18: Penelope (Book XXIII) **FINAL!**

By BROOKE JACKSON As the first lady to contribute to Wandering Rocks, it is of course appropriate that I be the one funmarizing about our hero’s first lady, Penelope. So as we know by now, back at the ranch, Penelope is on year 20 of same sh*t, different day. She has waited, weaved, unweaved, weaved [...]

Odyssey Funmaries #17: Ithaca (Books XVII-XX)

By MARK HOOBLER   For all of our 4 books to funmarized below, our hero, the wily Odysseus, Sacker of Cities & Goddesses, goes about incognito as a beggar. Why does he do this? Why not just run into his home, or castle, and shout that he is back? Why does he not run up [...]

Odyssey Funmaries #16: Eumaeus (Books XIII-XVI)

By TAD SMITH First of all, my apologies to the millions of followers who were anxiously waiting with bated breath on Saturday for OF #16.  As I mentioned to Jerry,  I ran into a bit of a perfect storm this weekend.  Octogenerians, my 5-week old nephew, a hot air balloon race, 2 hours of traffic, [...]

Introducing … ADOPT-AN-EPISODE!

By JERRY GRIT Odyssey Funmaries #16 is being delayed one day. Tad Smith is being overwhelmed by the Scylla of traveling and the Charybdis of family obligation. Don’t worry, we’ll make the 16th. But this is gives us all an opportunity to think to ourselves on the brink of the beginning, “Have I put my [...]

Odyssey Funmaries #15: Oxen of the Sun (Book XII.CCLXXXII-CDXCI)

By ANDREW CASHMERE What a shitty trip. Odysseus must be a distant relative of Clark Griswold. Let’s look at the parallels. Clark Griswold: Aunt Edna dies in her sleep. Clark and the family must drive their dead aunt to a relative’s house, earning bonus points for driving cross-country in the rain with a dead person [...]

New Ulysses Resources

By JERRY GRIT It’s been some time since I’ve read this book, and in that time a ton of new resources have come out that may actually make this thing much more of a breeze than anticipated.  In addition to the book of annotations I mentioned, I’ve come across a few other tools. I’ve posted [...]

Odyssey Funmaries #14: Wandering Rocks (Book XII.LXI-LXXX)

by BEN VORE Today’s Funmary takes us backward in chapter 12, to Circe’s speech to Odysseus after he has ascended from Hades but before he encounters the Sirens, Scylla & Charybdis and the Oxen of the Sun (coming tomorrow!). The text amounts to a mere 19 lines, and yet Jerry Grit has chosen these lines [...]

Odyssey Funmaries #13: Scylla & Charybdis (Book XII.CCLIX-CCCXXXVIII)

By TAD SMITH Just to recap our adventures with the Sirens……… Absolutely available on iTunes. Absolutely 5 star ratings. Wax-free and arguably hornier (at least based on the fine piece of artwork above), Odysseus & crew find themselves approaching Scylla & Charybdis, a duo rivaled by maybe one or two others in terms of utter [...]