Reading Joyce's Ulysses
Schwarz's sensible, conservative reading of Ulysses emphasizes that "Joyce always returns from his fascination with stylistic innovation to focus on his characters." Though his approach is traditional, Schwarz does justice throughout to the novel's radical ambiguity and to contemporary critical theory. Chapters on how Joyce's fiction "signifies," Joyce's concept of the hero, and the role of the reader are followed by a substantial episode-by-episode reader's guide. The Iliad , Wilde, Yeats, Dante, Milton, Tennyson, Swift, and Blake figure prominently, and Schwarz argues strikingly for the central importance of the "Scylla and Charybdis" chapter. Though not a radical departure from earlier readings, this is a thoughtful interpretation that serious students of Ulysses will welcome. Keith Cushman, English Dept., Univ. of North Carolina, GreensboroCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.