Why James Joyce's Ulysses Matters 100 Years Later | Dr. Sam Slote #43 

2022 marks the 100-year anniversary of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. Why is this text still so widely read? What makes it such a difficult novel to read? I was first introduced to Joyce as an undergraduate, and it was difficult to read through, but incredibly rewarding. You feel like you've accomplished something special when you get through a text like Ulysses or Finnigan's Wake. This week on the Neutral Ground Podcast, our guest is Dr. Sam Slote. Sam is an Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin. His area of specialty is James Joyce, so he's the perfect person to speak to about this topic. We talk about the difficulty in reading Ulysses; how Joyce used multiple genre's within the text; the important role that Shakespeare played in inspiring Joyce's work; why Joyce respected Dante's epic over all others, including the Odyssey; the Bloom's Day phenomenon; the philosophy of Stephen Dedalus; Nietzsche's influence on Joyce; and where Joyce studies are going today. If you appreciate the conversation, let me know by subscribing to the channel.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Slote's Works (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/3KA5Li2

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser clips

00:20 Theme

00:43 Introductory comments

02:44 Beginning of conversation

04:57 Joyce uses multiple genres in Ulysses can you talk about that process?

15:35 Shakespeare changes everything for Joyce, how so?

23:59 Why did Joyce respect Dante more than other authors of the epic tradition?

28:18 What was it about Catholicism that spoke to Joyce?

30:24 Let's talk about DB Murphy and the Eumaeus chapter

 34:37 Has someone collected the notes and notebooks of Joyce?

38:12 Joyce and Nietzsche--need I say more? Okay, how about awesome!

40:40 Was Joyce interested in Nietzsche's belief in the Truth of drives?

46:13 What areas of scholarship on Joyce are scholars still excited about today?

51:12 Is there a section of Ulysses that you just enjoy reading because it's beautiful?

52:57 Where can people learn more about you?

53:35 Thank you for being on the show with us

53:57 Closing thoughts

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