"James Joyce is a genius. Let's all say it together, loud and proud. Maybe he is so much of a genius that he has created in a novel, Ulysses, a work that is so far above anyone's heads that since the majority of the reading public doesn't understand, well then, by God, it must be supernova brilliant. Was it just me? Did my intellectual shortcomings not allow me to truly enjoy this work that makes everyone's top 10 books of the century list?"
YES
"i am convinced that people just say they enjoyed it so they can seem smart and cultured."
NO
"I think Joyce is just f'ing with everybody."
NO
"I didn't understand it. Maybe I'm stupid," YES "but I think the fact that Joyce repeatedly breaks into long stretches of French and Latin and his own made-up words--none of which I understand--has something to do with it" YES "...maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm too ignorant to comprehend the genius. But I doubt it."
NO
"Of course, some non-indoctrinated people could object and say: this book portrays well Dubliner 'middle' society from ITS OWN perspective (not from a critical eye). However, I don't think this was author's intent. His intent was just 'getting rebelious': being 'new', unbounded by (older) rules and responsibility."
NOPE
"As I see it, there are two possible explanations for this. 1) It really is the best book ever, and I'm just not bright enough to comprehend its brilliance. 2) This is some grand inside joke by literary types, to put the rest of us through agony and make themselves look smarter. I'm inclined to believe the latter, myself."
I'M AFRAID NOT
"This is one of those books that 'smart' people like to 'read.' Well if being smart means liking this, count me out!"
DONE
"What an awful book this is?
When an English/American writer try to explain his/her ideas about life(I mention ideas about meaning,purpose and philosophy of life)and when he/she try to do this with complicated ideas and long sentences(or like very short ones especially in this particular book);what his/her work become to is:A tremendous nonsense!!!
When you see a book like that I mentioned above(and I also warn you against it),all you need to do is:RUN,RUN, RUN AWAY!!!"
WHAT
"Reading all the other reviews, I felt like I must have missed something. But then I thought back over the book. No plot, no structure, no character development, no free-flowing story. I do not see how any of these things makes this book an 'astonishing masterpiece'. Because in my opinion it is not."
I
WHAT
"Apparently it's 'full of puns, parodies, and allusions, as well as its rich characterisations and broad humor.' I'd be thrilled if someone could explain any one of those, because as it is, I think the whole book is Joyce's joke at the expense of the reader."
DID ANY OF YOU PEOPLE READ THE BOOK
"Last night I had an epiphany. It occurred to me that Ulysses is the greatest hoax of the century, ranking with Conan Doyle's Piltdown Man. Surely, Joyce must have realized that Ulysses was the inevitable & fitting conclusion to the Romantic Age. Art, cut loose from the mooring of God, had steadily drifted away from the universal & towards the personal."
BECAUSE YOU SEEM TO BE JUST
SAYING ALL THESE WORDS THAT DON'T MAKE ANY SENSE
"Gobbygook whatchamacallit thisiscrap!Gobbygook whatchamacallit thisiscrap!
Gobbygook whatchamacallit thisiscrap!Gobbygook whatchamacallit thisiscrap!
'I can't understand it--so it must be deep!'"
OR BEAR ANY RELATION TO WHAT YOU IMAGINE YOURSELF TO BE TALKING ABOUT
"I am giving the stars for the Irish readers. No way would I ever want to READ this book!"
WAIT I DON'T UNDERSTAND
"I performed a search for the 100 greatest novels and checked Ulysses out at the library. I'm sorry, but thank God for western 'Progress' and the 'New' English. '...To tell you the God's truth, I think [I'm] right.' If you're going to read this book, that's one thing. But, if you're going to understand it.. at all, you might want to have Ozzie Osbourne or The Naked Chef on hand who actually speak in this unintelligible, out-dated, even obsolete, Olde English archaic style. Trust me. '...You couldn't manage it under three pints [by yourself]' Better yet, consult one of the 'experts' who voted this 'thing' number one, and who must have about two inches of dust between their ears, or Great Granny's Cyclops glasses on. I'm convinced if J.J. were alive today, he would be just another 'obscene' English rock star speaking the 'Ulysses' dialect '...Lal the ral the ra The rocky road to Dublin.' Say... what? Aye Mate .. Ha Ha.. It don't mattaw. '...Riddle me, riddle me, randy ro.' Yeah Baby! I suffered through part of this extremely borish book and I'll probably suffer through to the end; and then, not the 'experts' Howard's End, after that. Personally, I most enjoy the books that clearly communicate, that clearly speak something, and that make me want to turn to the next page. There are classics like that, but this ain't one of them old chap. '...Stephen raised the sheets in his hand. Well sir, he began. I forsee ... that you will not remain here very long at this work.' Exactly Stephen.. Where's Ozzie? '...Houyhnhnm, horsenostrilled. The oval equine faces.' Oh, thanks Bro. Now it makes sense."
SERIOUSLY. WHAT IS HAPPENING
"I’ve tried to read it twice. Both times I got to page 50 before ultimately giving up. I use to think that this was due to some intellectual failing on my part. Perhaps I lacked some visceral quality that the literati (who have twiterpated over it for damn near a century) had, but I was sadly born without.
Then it hit me one day while flipping through the book that Joyce was just putting one over on all the culture vultures out there."
HELP
"i say to those who say they enjoyed it and understood most of it, 'i don t believe you.'"
STOP
PLEASE
"I only give two stars out of respect for the millions of others who have lied and said they've actually finished Ulysses."
PLEASE
THIS IS EMBARRASSING
"Anyone who tells you they've read this so-called book all the way through is probably lying through their teeth."
IT'S LIKE
IT'S LIKE YOU'RE ALL FUCKING IDIOTS OR SOMETHING
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