Having my way with Ulysses

Continue. Lie. Hold me. Caress.

It seems that you can see, if I hear rightly, beforehand that which time brings with it, but in the present you have another view. "We see, like those who have bad vision, those things," he said, "which are far remote; the Highest Lord shines on us just so much. When they draw near, or are, all our intellect is in vain; if no one brings it to us, we would know nothing of your human state."12:46 am

Let me see your hand. Come on then, hand it over. You worried I’ll see something you don’t want me to know? Oh sweetheart, we all wear our interiors on our surfaces. Honey it’s the same damn thing. Just look at what you show with your eyes.  I see your fate there. You’ll meet with a, well, I’d better not say.  Would do more harm than good perhaps.  But I see it in your eye; I see it in the corner of your eye.  Go look in the mirror honey, you’ll see it too. Don’t you want to? Go look.  Look at your eyes like you are seeing somebody else.  Stare hard.  Look until all you see is eyes and the rest slips away. You’ll see what you are.  You’ll see what I see, baby, you worried? You should be. Now go.

5 Responses to Continue. Lie. Hold me. Caress.

  1. Tell me, is reading Ulysess what it is cracked up to be. I mean I’ve read Moby Dick, The Confidence Man, Pierre or the ambiguities, as well as all of Ian GFleming’s books, expevcially what for me then were the dirty parts–will I gain in girth what I lack if syrupy mirth by reading such a book. Or is it a club to beat my hewad in with? I mean should I do it before I die, like on my way to the hospital? KB

      • Well I have been doing much writing and pinterest of late-more writing and very little reading and have two umberto eco books as well as a cormac mccarhty book (2) I guess one more in the quay woudl’t over load it. I take it ytou might answer any dispositions I find need annotating, within reason of course. I don’t expect of even think you would explain it to me-isn’t that what you are doing -explaining it to yourself in a round about way? I’ll let you know when I get a copy-I’m sure a Norton annotated edition would be helpful-yes? KB

        • It does help to use annotations, particularly for period music references and the sorts of things a contemporary reader from Dublin would recognize but we might not. I’m happy to answer questions as you go. As for my purposes, I’ve read it many times, written about it many times, I taught it at the University of Washington, and I feature it in a chapter of my dissertation. I have an interest in infinite texts and I wondered what Ulysses would be if I stretched it into a year. Daily, I analyze a small piece of it, research it, work with it, then with all that in my head I write something. I have been doing this every day since last December and I will end it on New Years Eve. Not to explain it to myself, but to get closer. See what else is there. See what this kind of dedication to a project would do for me as a writer and artist. And the answer is so much more than I ever knew. This is my experience with it and I am astonished daily to find so many people who have come along for the ride. My next project will be different, but likely will use the web as a medium. I won’t write every day for a year next year. Well, I probably will, but I won’t publish every day for a year. Do I recommend Ulysses? I’m not the one to ask, I’m too close. But yes. I’ve never seen why not. Read Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist first. Ulysses continues after Stephen returns from Paris.

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