to ask you about 'Ulysses'?

[willisurvive2under2]

If I say 'Ulysses', does it ring a bell? Have you heard of James Joyce's novel? Did you learn about it at school?

Today the name 'Ulysses' came up in conversation (it was someone's username on eBay!) and DH said it was a girl's name. I said 'surely not' and made reference to Joyce's work. He looked at me like I had two heads. Never heard of it. I didn't think of prodding him about the other Ulysses (the one in Homer's Odyssey).

Is it normal that a 30 something, educated man with 2 degrees (and he went to private school!!) hasn't heard of it? I grew up abroad so I'm clinging to the possibility that it's not taught in this country very unlikely I know.

He's not the bookish/academic type (clearly!), but he's smart in other ways. I consider this to be common knowledge though! What do you think?

Yep bloody awful book which was an absolute chore to get through at uni. Wouldn't recommend it.

To actually answer your question yes it is odd he hasn't heard of it but no great loss on his part.

No, that's not normal. He must have just forgotten?

1. James Joyce
2. Second son of Irene in 44 Scotland St, with dubious parentage

If anyone is interested, instead of reading the book, get the audio version, read by Jim Norton, who played Bishop Brennan in Father Ted, and Marcella Riordan.

Poor Bertie, with a mum like Irene, LadyinCement 🙈

Yup - James Joyce's Ulysses. I remember he said something like he'd spent years writing the book, and expected readers to spend the rest of their lives reading it!!

(I haven't read it.)

I'm Irish, did Classics at uni and loved the cartoon to distraction.

Am v surprised that a university-educated Brit wouldn't know the name, but I guess if he did STEM maybe it just never crossed his path.

If he knew the Greek myth he might have know Odysseus but not Ulysses iyswim.

Another one who did wonder if you meant the Joyce version or the cartoon....

"Ulysses" is aslo a wonderful poem by Tennyson, a poem about middle age.

that was my first thought ... "mete and dole unequal laws unto a savage race"

My second thought would be the 1960s song "Tales of Brave Ulysses" by Cream. But I am a bit of a hippy ...

One of my favourite books (Joyce's)! I'd expect someone with a decent arts university education to have heard of the Greek even if they didn't know the story itself.

I just read that Ron Chernow, the author of the biography of Alexander Hamilton on which Hamilton the musical was based, is currently writing a book about Ulysses S. Grant. Maybe Lin-Manuel Miranda will write a musical about him, and we'll all be singing about US Grant in a few years time.

Thank god for that...I thought you were going to suggest it as a baby name

Thank god for that...I thought you were going to suggest it as a baby name

What makes you think it isn't ?

I’d associate it with James Joyce - haven’t read it but have read other James Joyce. I think we talked about it in school but didn’t do it, my English teacher wasn’t a fan. I’m in my 40s and not educated to university level.

There's even a 'Bloomsday' celebrated on 16th June in Dublin and other world wide cities who appreciate Joyce.
It's named after the main protagonist in Ulysses Leopold Bloom.

Vergil
Tennyson
Joyce

I didnt learn about it at school. I went to a deprived council estate comprehensive, and it wasnt one we studied. I have heard of it though.
I used to love the cartoon

I'd guess it's common knowledge amongst university educated but not for those not university educated. And I'm guessing a lot of Irish people know it.

I'd read Joyce before university partly because of Irish heritage.

I frequently advise children thinking of applying to Oxbridge to study English to read at least a few chapters of Joyce's 'Ulysses'. I don't think one of them has listened to me so far.

I wonder if 'The Simpsons' has made a difference to wider knowledge of Homer/Ulysses.

Branleuse I suspect knowledge of 'Ulysses' is a bit of a class signifier. (Spotted you on the other thread.) I'd guess that most of the girls at my comp would have been baffled by anyone asking them anything about Ulysses.

I first learned of James Joyce reading "Spock Must Die" by James Blish in 1972, 1973.

Lt. Uhuru has to invent a Klingon proof code, so uses "Eurish".

If he's a 30 something man then the mere mention of Ulysses should have had him break into Haim Saban's classic 80s theme tune. You ought to LTB for that alone.

On a similar note I wanted to name my eldest son Telemachus but my wife wouldn't entertain the idea.

That said, at my primary, we listened to modern, spoken versions of bits of The Illiad and The Odyssey, and then wrote our own versions. And I saw an amazing performance of 'The Odyssey' in a special school I visited a while back, which made me realise what a knock-out laugh and adventure it is .

Dido ...