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Matt Thrower ♦
Matt Thrower ♦
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I'm about halfway through Ulysses. What's sustained me through this famously difficult novel is the quality of the prose and characterisation. However, I was struck by the thought that what makes it "difficult" is the sheet volume of internal, stream of consciousness, monologue.

These passages chop and change in subject with great rapidity, making them difficult to follow. The manner in which they chop and change with the actual narrative of the plot - often at great length - in turn makes that difficult to follow.

Now, I'm quite aware that Joyce was deploying these novel techniques to bring a new degree of character and realism to his writing. And I would agree it was successful: these confused narratives ring true as an attempt to describe a thought process.

I'm left wondering, though, why he felt the need to deploy them in such a huge novel. Arguably they would have been more successful in short stories such as the Dubliners collection where, indeed, he first trialed these ideas. There does seem to be a body of serious critical though on UlyssesUlysses which does regard it as bloated and self-indulgent. So, do we know why Joyce chose to experiment with stream of consciousness at quite such extreme lengths?

I'm about halfway through Ulysses. What's sustained me through this famously difficult novel is the quality of the prose and characterisation. However, I was struck by the thought that what makes it "difficult" is the sheet volume of internal, stream of consciousness, monologue.

These passages chop and change in subject with great rapidity, making them difficult to follow. The manner in which they chop and change the actual narrative of the plot - often at great length - in turn makes that difficult to follow.

Now, I'm quite aware that Joyce was deploying these novel techniques to bring a new degree of character and realism to his writing. And I would agree it was successful: these confused narratives ring true as an attempt to describe a thought process.

I'm left wondering, though, why he felt the need to deploy them in such a huge novel. Arguably they would have been more successful in short stories such as the Dubliners collection where, indeed, he first trialed these ideas. There does seem to be a body of serious critical though on Ulysses which does regard it as bloated and self-indulgent. So, do we know why Joyce chose to experiment with stream of consciousness at quite such extreme lengths?

I'm about halfway through Ulysses. What's sustained me through this famously difficult novel is the quality of the prose and characterisation. However, I was struck by the thought that what makes it "difficult" is the sheet volume of internal, stream of consciousness, monologue.

These passages chop and change in subject with great rapidity, making them difficult to follow. The manner in which they chop and change with the actual narrative of the plot - often at great length - in turn makes that difficult to follow.

Now, I'm quite aware that Joyce was deploying these novel techniques to bring a new degree of character and realism to his writing. And I would agree it was successful: these confused narratives ring true as an attempt to describe a thought process.

I'm left wondering, though, why he felt the need to deploy them in such a huge novel. Arguably they would have been more successful in short stories such as the Dubliners collection where, indeed, he first trialed these ideas. There does seem to be a body of serious critical though on Ulysses which does regard it as bloated and self-indulgent. So, do we know why Joyce chose to experiment with stream of consciousness at quite such extreme lengths?

Source Link
Matt Thrower ♦
Matt Thrower ♦
  • 23.6k
  • 5
  • 63
  • 145

Why is there so much stream of consciousness in Ulysses?

I'm about halfway through Ulysses. What's sustained me through this famously difficult novel is the quality of the prose and characterisation. However, I was struck by the thought that what makes it "difficult" is the sheet volume of internal, stream of consciousness, monologue.

These passages chop and change in subject with great rapidity, making them difficult to follow. The manner in which they chop and change the actual narrative of the plot - often at great length - in turn makes that difficult to follow.

Now, I'm quite aware that Joyce was deploying these novel techniques to bring a new degree of character and realism to his writing. And I would agree it was successful: these confused narratives ring true as an attempt to describe a thought process.

I'm left wondering, though, why he felt the need to deploy them in such a huge novel. Arguably they would have been more successful in short stories such as the Dubliners collection where, indeed, he first trialed these ideas. There does seem to be a body of serious critical though on Ulysses which does regard it as bloated and self-indulgent. So, do we know why Joyce chose to experiment with stream of consciousness at quite such extreme lengths?