James Joyce's Ulysses is the most admired novel of the twentieth century in English. In this course, we try to see why that is true by reading the book closely, chapter by chapter, looking at how Joyce made one story on one day in Dublin the universal story of how humane men and women prevail over the violence bent on destroying them. We pay special attention to how Joyce elaborately combined detailed realistic story lines and characters with symbolism, allusion, references, and off-kilter comparisons, such as the book's title, which names an obscure and peaceful man after a notoriously sly and vindictive one, Ulysses.
