tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post8044897080981617918..comments2023-10-09T11:20:24.101-04:00Comments on The Literate Man, a Book Blog for Men: Ulysses at the Halfway Point, or Who's Buying the Next Round of Guinness? (No Seriously, Who?)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-28589555113113334542010-10-22T20:40:28.643-04:002010-10-22T20:40:28.643-04:00Hi! I'm stopping by from the hop to check out ...Hi! I'm stopping by from the hop to check out your blog. I'm a new follower. Happy Reading!<br /><br /><a href="http://lagbookreviews.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Ramblings of a (Future) Librarian</a>Laura Masseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17771279160365775084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-34494720249404629332010-10-22T17:28:54.940-04:002010-10-22T17:28:54.940-04:00@Amy - I'd be interested in your paper (seriou...@Amy - I'd be interested in your paper (seriously). And I agree with you completely - the more I study Ulysses the more enjoyment I'm getting out of it. It's like peeling back an onion to find successive layers of fruit beneath. Great post on Blood Meridian, BTW. My respect for that book grows the further I get from actually having read it.<br /><br />@mel u - Thanks for stopping by and for following. I loved "The Dead" when I read it in Dubliners earlier this year. I'm headed over to your blog now to check out the review.<br /><br />@bookaddict - Me too. The only problem with explication is ... who has the time? But I guess that's everyone's lame excuse for not reading in teh first place. Fortunately for you, it's payday ... I'll meet you at the Ormond Hotel.<br /><br />@Blue - Thanks for following! I've been reading and enjoying your blog for a while now. While we're a male-centric blog, we're definitely not the He Man Woman Haters Club. That said, we do need a bit more balance ... I keep meaning to put up a review of Anne Enright's The Gathering, which was awesome.Patrick (at The Literate Man)https://www.blogger.com/profile/05126952182728811711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-35276134464049413352010-10-22T09:33:33.581-04:002010-10-22T09:33:33.581-04:00Stopping by from the hop -- new follower! Though w...Stopping by from the hop -- new follower! Though we are not male reviewers, we still can (and do) appreciate books written by men.<br /><br />http://www.thebluebookcase.blogspot.comThe Blue Bookcasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08853833049967217266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-54028376317642318512010-10-22T09:23:45.664-04:002010-10-22T09:23:45.664-04:00I agree with Christopher's comment.Great Liter...I agree with Christopher's comment.Great Literature sometimes require explication (sometimes) Sorry I can't buy the next round.bookaddict4realhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12534665130992029124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-12475058874862930922010-10-22T08:18:50.848-04:002010-10-22T08:18:50.848-04:00Hi-I found your blog via the hop-to me explication...Hi-I found your blog via the hop-to me explication is of value when it leads to a revelation of some sort-by coincidence I recently read and posted on Joyce's masterful short story, "The Dead" and am now into Elizabeth Bowen-I am now a follower of your blog<br /><br />rereadinglives.blogspot.com<br /><br />Mel uMel uhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714473754458914681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-28053812542277666852010-10-21T15:39:29.367-04:002010-10-21T15:39:29.367-04:00Ulysses is quite a task, one I am not ready to ful...Ulysses is quite a task, one I am not ready to fully engage in because I do think it requires outside reading and in-depth analysis. I wrote about just one tiny concept (the way the use and description of clothes reveals something about the characters) in only two of its chapters and discovered I could do a full-blown, in-depth study on it. Ulysses is dense, no doubt about it.<br /><br />Everything in Ulysses seems to have significance, and Joyce's brilliance in putting it all together is undeniable. Yet in answer to your question, I think that perhaps a great book ought to be able to be read on both a superficial and an analytical level. I would argue that Ulysses cannot be appreciated unless you study it while you read. The very best books (in my humble opinion) are the ones that anyone can appreciate on the superficial level, but if you take the time to dig into them, you discover an enormous amount of depth and insight. I have experienced this many times over, when research and concentration have revealed to me symbols and underlying messages I missed in my initial reading.<br /><br />On another note, I want you to know that I finally reviewed Blood Meridian if you're interested. And I hope you don't mind, but I included a link to your review. I really enjoy hearing your perspective!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18137397971666050120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-5928002052887878982010-10-12T22:15:04.185-04:002010-10-12T22:15:04.185-04:00@ Chris - Thanks for the kind words. I generally ...@ Chris - Thanks for the kind words. I generally consider Sometimes a Great Notion to be my favorite novel of all time. While I read it without any outside explanation, I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I later read several critical reviews of the work. Until recently, I had never considered that the deeper understanding that comes with such in-depth study might have affected my long-term view of it. Now I'm wondering if it wasn't precisely because I read those works that I have such a deep understanding and appreciation of it. I suspect it had some significant effect. <br /><br />That said, Ulysses aside, I'm generally with you on the stream-of-consciousness writing. I tend to think that if I don't at least understand the flow of the action, the writer is not doing his or her job. Thanks again, and slainte!<br /><br />@ Erin - Thanks for the comments. Of course you're right that appreciation is ultimately an individual valuation and no two readers will come to the same appreciation on any work. And I'm usually the one to put a book down if it doesn't really grab me within a hundred pages or so. I'm glad I was drawn back to this one. <br /><br />Thanks for the great idea for the "Donate" button - I think we might have to do something like that!Patrick (at The Literate Man)https://www.blogger.com/profile/05126952182728811711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-61910369460421989672010-10-12T19:50:10.720-04:002010-10-12T19:50:10.720-04:00That is a lot to go through for a book! I'm qu...That is a lot to go through for a book! I'm quite impressed by your dedication. I think seeking background information, etc., from outside sources is a completely legitimate practice.<br /><br />To me the value of a work is a very individual decision. Where one person is willing to devote many hours of study to fully understanding a single work of literature, another might say "Screw this, I have better things to do" or write the same piece of literature off as crap. I'm not usually interested in investing so much time and energy in one book. If a novel is so dense I have to turn to multiple outside sources, I'll usually set it aside, if I've even picked it up to begin with. Usually. Not always. This doesn't affect its standing as a great (or not great) work for me.<br /><br />That being said, I do think there's value in studying a work from multiple angles like you're doing. I hope to someday choose one of those massive, intimidating tomes that appeals to me (NOT Joyce!) and dive in.<br /><br />Perhaps, where the Guinness is concerned, you should set up one of those "Donate!" buttons?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-58043722200761426712010-10-12T16:05:46.223-04:002010-10-12T16:05:46.223-04:00Depending upon the book, requiring explication can...Depending upon the book, requiring explication can certainly be a sign of a great work of literature. Generally, I am of the opinion that <i>most</i> great literature requires at least some. You can't build a house without a solid foundation, eh?<br /><br />Having said that though, I admire your desire to delve into <i>Ulysses</i>. Having tried to read <i>Ulysses</i> too many times over the course of my life, that road will remain less traveled from this point forward, at least by me. And don't even talk to me about <i>Finnegan's Wake</i>. Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that I detest stream-of-consciousness writing. For me, there is just too much really good literature out there that I've not read yet to have to do battle for months-on-end with Pynchon, Joyce, or writers of their ilk.<br /><br />I must say though, that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your overall generally positive experience with Joyce, and 'good on you!' Happy reading and writing, my friend! Oh, and go have a beer! Cheers!Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00428150254760548485noreply@blogger.com