Why is it called Ulysses when it’s about a day in Dublin? A lot of people have probably asked that question, and there’s a simple answer: Joyce never did anything simply. The novel is constructed on a framework of the Greek epic poem The Odyssey, which is of course about a long trip home from the Trojan War taken by the hero Ulysses as he returned to his island kingdom of Ithaca, encountering sorceresses, sirens, and storms along the way. Like Ulysses, Leopold Bloom takes a roundabout way home on June 16, and the chapters he wanders through have metaphorical ties to parts of The Odyssey.
The real question you are asking yourself right about now, however, is why the Enright CSA blog is pondering the details of a book that has an unfair reputation for being notoriously difficult to read. Well, that’s simple—it’s a book set in Ireland, and people always celebrate things Irish with the wearin’ o’ the green. It’s just one step farther to celebrate this Bloomsday with the bounty of our gardens—so be sure to participate in the eatin’ o’ the greens today.
And Happy Bloomsday!
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