Greetings from Dixieland!

Ross Harris · Getting comfortable Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 5 Gender:

Where do you live?
Born and raised about thirty minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Currently attending Georgia State University (in the heart of the city) in hopes that I can erase my miserable high school record and spend my last two years at Emerson College in Boston.

How old are you?
Twenty.

Are you a male or female?
Male.

How did you find BookTalk?
Google? I can't really remember. I was doing a search on Chomskyian linguistics and you guys were holding a discussion on his latest collection of essays. I meant to sign up then, but finals were around the corner and it slipped my mind.

What type of books do you enjoy the most?
Fiction, mainly. Joyce, Faulkner, David Foster Wallace, Conrad, Dostoevsky, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, just to name a few. I always incorporate some non-fiction in there, but fiction enriches my life in a more profound way.

Ophelia · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:36 pm Post subject:

Welcome, Ross Harris!

I hope to hear from you soon on our discussions, or maybe one you'll start yourself.

Mr. Pessimistic · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:54 pm Post subject:

Welcome!! Nice Avatar.

Mr. P.

irishrose · Freshman Joined: 22 Sep 2007 Posts: 215 Gender:

Welcome, Ross. Glad you found us, even if it was through Chomsky. (That's a joke--you don't know me yet)

I have a question for you, as a guy that lists Joyce as a favorite author, can I assume that you've read Ulysses? The thing is, I like Joyce well enough. Though, if I had my druthers I'd read Wolf. I really enjoyed A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. And Dubliners is always a good time. But I can't get through Ulysses for some reason. I keep thinking that the sheer size of it psyches me out, and dooms me to failure from the start. But I've read comparably long books in the past. Any tips on how to summit Mt. Ulysses?

Just to give you a head’s up, in the meantime. We’re working on scheduling a chat, possibly on the 27th, if you’re interested in getting to know some of the people on the forum. Here’s a link to the thread where we’re discussing possible dates and times. Let us know if you’re interested, and what your availability is.

Hope to see you around a bit.

Ross Harris · Getting comfortable Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 5 Gender:

Ulysses can be tricky. I've found that there are four groups of readers when it comes to the novel:

A) You read it in class and discussions of the book (the professor's assistance in some cases doesn't hurt either) will keep up your interest in some parts that will some seem extremely convoluted to those who aren't obsessed with author's works.

B) You have a friend that knows, and loves, Joyce and has read the book before. I've found this is the most used vehicle for making it all the way through without stopping out of frustration, boredom, etc.

C) You dedicate an entire season to the study of Ulysses. I did this after my senior year of high school, after unsuccessfully tackling the novel two or three times before, and it worked wonders for me. Everything I read was related to the novel or Joyce and it's become the most personal book on my shelf. If you have the time, and patience, I give this my highest recommendation.

D) You try and try and try and try, but you just can't make it all the way through Ulysses. If you find yourself here, that's fine. Many great minds I've met along the way have tried to tackle this monster and couldn't quite make it to the finish line. It isn't for everyone, but if you can make it, it's well worth the ride.

Hope this is of some assistance.

EDIT:

I got so excited about Joyce, I forgot to respond to the other posters.

Thanks for the welcome aboard, Ophelia. It's going to be impossible to see your name and not think of Dylan's "Desolation Row", not that that's a bad thing. I will be joining the discussions on Pinker's The Stuff of Thought and Wicked when you guys get them rolling. Looking forward to it!

Thanks, Mister! I'm confused about the avatar? That's just a picture of me staring outside the window of my ex-girlfriend's apartment window. If you like it, cool! I didn't know I was such an attractive guy! Laughing

Ophelia · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 1:09 am Post subject:

Well, I'm one of the D- people about Ulysses, I'm afraid I didn't get past the first few pages.

My closest involvement with James Joyce was a literary guided tour of Dublin a few years ago, with references to Dubliners. That was lovely.

I've checked the lyrics of Dylan's "Desolation Row"-- interesting, but I'll keep to my refererence from Hamlet.

Please feel free to join any posting that attracts your attention.

Have you read [u]A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hossein?

MadArchitect · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 2:17 am Post subject:

Heh, when I see Ophelia's new name, all I can think of is "Hamlet". I kinda wish she'da stuck with Evelyne. But oh well. Welcome aboard, Ross. I figure, if you like David Foster Wallace enough to plow all the way through "Infinite Jest", "Ulysses" is probably beach reading material for you.

Ross Harris · Getting comfortable Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 5 Gender:

Ophelia · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:02 am Post subject:

Hi again,

Ross Harris · Getting comfortable Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 5 Gender:


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