Classical Pursuits in the Spring
Reading James Joyce's Ulysses -
with Michael Groden
Six Sunday afternoons, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Metro Central YMCA,
20 Grosvenor St.
(2 blocks north of College St., between Bay St. & Yonge St.)
3rd Floor, Room 2A (Elevator Access)
James Joyce's Ulysses , named the "novel of the 20th century," is also what one critic calls an "unread masterpiece." Many people start it but put it down; others finish it with little understanding of what they have read; still others remain too intimidated to pick it up at all. These people miss a wonderful experience. Set on one day in June 1904 in Dublin, Ulysses gives a picture of modern city life that remains astonishingly up-to-date and presents one of the most detailed depictions of the way people think that anyone has ever attempted. It offers a realistic and unblushing look at love, marriage, and human sexuality in all their complexity. In places it is one of the funniest books ever written.
"Reading James Joyce's Ulysses " is designed for anyone who wants to read and discuss Ulysses with the assistance of an experienced teacher and Joyce scholar. In six weeks, we will work though Joyce's novel chapter by chapter, using the text edited by Hans Walter Gabler. All registrants will be provided with a copy of this edition, which is not easily available in Canada.
Michael Groden (Ph.D., Princeton University) has been teaching award-winning courses on Ulysses for over 30 years at the University of Western Ontario, and for the last 10 years he has also taught Ulysses to interested and grateful adults at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Now a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Western Ontario, he is the author of the book "Ulysses" in Progress , the general editor of the 63-volume James Joyce Archive (which reproduces Joyce's manuscripts in facsimile), a recipient of an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He considers it one of his missions in life to guide as many people as he can through Joyce's astonishing novel.
Week 1, March 2: Episodes 1-3: "Telemachus," "Nestor," "Proteus" (pp. 3-42)
Week 2, March 9: Episodes 4-6: "Calypso," "Lotus Eaters," "Hades" (pp. 45-95)
Week 3, March 16: Episodes 7-9: "Aeolus," "Lestrygonians," "Scylla and Charybdis" (pp. 96-179)
Week 4, March 30: Episodes 10-14: "Wandering Rocks," "Sirens," "Cyclops," "Nausicaa," "Oxen of the Sun" (pp. 180-349)
Week 5, April 13: Episode 15: "Circe" (pp. 350-497)
Week 6, April 27: Episodes 16-18: "Eumaeus," "Ithaca," "Penelope" (pp. 501-644)
These reading assignments are wildly uneven in length, but it takes much longer to talk about the shorter early episodes than the longer ones in the middle. All page numbers refer to the Gabler edition.
Cost: $325, includes preferred version of Ulysses edited by Hans Walter Gabler, which is not available in Canada.
For more information or to register, call 416-892-3580.
