Ulysses from Homer to Derek Walcott                                                     Keen

Reading "Telemachus": allusions and symbols

Just as a starting point, a curious reader wonders at least about the following:

Stephen's name: Dedalus
references to Jesuits/Aquinas/Loyola
Saxon
Thalatta!
omphalos
agenbite of inwit
Mother Grogan and Mary Ann
"Do I contradict myself?. . ."
Japhet in search of a father
ashplant/ferrule
Uebermensch
Hamlet/Elsinore/usurper

No first reading of Ulysses can attend to all of the allusions and symbols, but a number of guides exist which can help you find your way. The single best introduction to Ulysses for the first-time reader is in Anthony Burgess's book ReJoyce (pages 83-182).

I recommend using one or more of the following as reference books:

•Harry Blamires, The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide Through Ulysses, 3rd. ed., though the earlier editions will work.
•Don Gifford and Robert J. Seidman, Ulysses Annotated: Notes for James Joyce's Ulysses. Revised and expanded edition.
•Weldon Thornton, Allusions in Ulysses: an Annotated List.

Back to Ulysses syllabus.