new yorker article

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2012/07/02/120702crat_atlarge_menand

syllabus and schedule, fall 2012

NYU/SCPS ulyssesnyublog.blogspot.com Reading James Joyce’s Ulysses robert.maxim.frumkin@gmail.com Thursdays 7pm to 8:40pm Professor Robert Frumkin Description This class is designed to appeal to a wide range of students who would like to read James Joyce’s Ulysses. For those with little knowledge of James Joyce, I attempt to make the book accessible and less intimidating; for those who have read Dubliners and/or A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, I will often make connections to Joyce’s earlier writings; while for those who have already read Ulysses one or more times, I will offer topics to ponder and deepen a second, third, or twentieth reading of the novel. Organization This class will consists mostly of discussion. I will give a broad introduction to Joyce and his works in the beginning of the semester and will introduce each chapter before students attempt to read it, but class time will be spent mostly on hearing students reactions to each week’s readings. I encourage discussion and even disagreement about the book. We will discuss everything from trivia to small problems in interpretation to broader questions of character, style, meaning, and interpretation. Because of the themes of the Ulysses, some larger philosophical discussions will arise. Course Objectives The main objective of this course is to get students through the book. As students will discover, it is in some ways impossible to read Ulysses only once since it is a novel that needs to be re-read several times to be truly appreciated and understood. That said, we will attempt the impossible, using my extensive experience, as well as common sense and the range of abilities of the students in the class. Books and other resources As our main required text, we will use the edition of Ulysses edited by Hans Walter Gabler. It is published by Random House. Students need to get this edition and bring it to the first class. This edition has line numbers. We will jump around a lot in the book; you will not be able to follow if you have a different edition. For novice readers, Harry Blamires’ The Bloomsday Book provides helpful summaries of each chapter. It is also useful in pointing out to first-time readers details they will need to remember for later on in the novel. This book can be expensive and/or hard to find. Use the internet. Any edition is fine. For those nagging historical questions (e.g., who was Parnell?) and other trivia, Ulysses Annotated provides handy answers. It will not be possible during a first reading of Ulysses to “look everything up.” We will use common sense in deciding how much we need to know, for example, about turn-of-the-century Irish politics. There are myriad Joyce resources available on the internet, among them the Brazen Head website, that are useful and that give some idea of the scope of the Joyce “industry.” Richard Ellmann’s biography, with its excellent index, is a very useful resource for those interested in Joyce’s life. I will keep a blog during the semester. It will include my musings on the book, suggested additional reading, topics for reflection, etc. The blog is at ulyssesnyublog.blogspot.com. The blog will have the syllabus on it if you’re on the road or lose yours. Grading Most students take this class for pleasure, not credit. If you need a grade for this course, please let me know at the beginning of the semester. Attendance Since there are only ten classes, I expect students to attend every class meeting. If you must miss a meeting, please let me know in advance and I will keep you updated by email about what you missed and what to do for the next meeting. Rules of Conduct Please do not eat or drink in class. If you’ve read Ulysses before, please respect how difficult the novel is for first-time readers and give them space to struggle with the book. Tips for success If you have not read a novel in a while, be prepared for the need to concentrate for extended stretches of time. This may involve setting aside one morning a week for reading. This is not a book to pick up late in the evening before falling asleep. Do not try to be a hero. You will get more out of a first-time reading of Ulysses if you use The Bloomsday Book and other resources to assist you. Schedule for “Reading James Joyce’s Ulysses” Robert Frumkin, Ph.D. Fall 2012 194 Mercer Street Room 301 robert.maxim.frumkin@gmail.com ulyssesnyublog.blogspot.com 1 Oct. 4 Introduction; Chapter 1 “Telemachos” 2 Oct. 11: Chapter 2 “Nestor” Chapter 3 “Proteus” 3 Oct. 18: Chapter 4 “Calypso” Chapter 5 “Lotus-Eaters” Chapter 6 “Hades” 4 Oct. 25: Chapter 7 “Aeolus” Chapter 8 “Lestrygonians” 5 Nov. 1: Chapter 9 “Scylla and Charibdis” Chapter 10 “Wandering Rocks” Chapter 11 “Sirens” 6 Nov. 8 Chapter 12 “Cyclops” Chapter 13 “Nausicaa” 7 Nov. 15 Chapter 14 “Oxen of the Sun” Nov. 22: NO CLASS THANKSGIVING 8 Nov. 29: Chapter 15 “Circe” Chapter 16 “Eumaeus” 9 Dec. 6: Chapter 17 “Ithaca” 10 Dec. 13: Chapter 18 “Penelope”