Is this an example of density for density's sake or is there something I'm just not getting?

Is this an example of density for density's sake or is there something I'm just not getting?

both.

Something you're not getting.

I'm reading Infinite Jest right after Ulysses and I enjoyed Ulysses so much more.

>density for density's sake

Joyce said that his aim with Ulysses, and Dubliners also, was to create a portrait of Dublin so perfect and realistic that, were the city wiped off the face of the Earth, it could be reconstructed by someone who had just read Joyce.

It's dense for a reason.

I read Ulysses over summer, then studied it last semester in college. I finished Infinite Jest just three hours ago. Both are well worth the time, but Ulysses requires re-reading. I strongly recommend reading along with the RTE audiobook (find it one YouTube) for two or three of the chapters, to get a feel for the stream of consciousness writing. As for Infinite Jest, it's just a matter of sitting down and doing it. And yes, it DOES all make sense.

Ulysses is like reading Shakespeare: pretty much every sentence floats in a streaming river of thought and it's very clear the writer is on some next level water shit.

shakespeare is not a real person

>Bald Pat who is bothered mitred the napkins. Pat is a waiter hard of his hearing. Pat is a waiter who waits while you wait. Hee hee hee hee. He waits while you wait. Hee hee. A waiter is he. Hee hee hee hee. He waits while you wait. While you wait if you wait he will wait while you wait. Hee hee hee hee. Hoh. Wait while you wait.

neither is Ulysses.

We should have accepted God's judgement upon the Irish and quarantined the island during the famine to prevent escape

>snnnnniiiiiiffffffffffff...oh yes my dear....sssnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiffffffff....quite pungent indeed...is that....dare I say....sssssssnniff...pork kidney I smell?......sniff sniff....hmmm...yes...quite so my darling....sniff....quite pungent pork kidney yes very much so .....ssssssssssssssnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiffffff....ah yes...and also....a hint of....sniff....cheese.....quite wet my dear....sniff...but of yes...this will do nicely....sniff.....please my dear....another if you please....nice a big now....

>BBBBBBRRRRRRRAAAAAAAPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPFFFFFF

>Oh yes...very good!....very sloppy and wet my dear....hmmmmm...is that a drop of potted meat I see on the rim?...hmmmm.....let me.....let me just have a little taste before the sniff my darling.......hmmmmm....hmm..yes....that is a delicate bit of chocolate my dear....ah yes....let me guess...curry for dinner?....oh quite right I am....aren't I?....ok....time for sniff.....sssssnnnnnnniiiiiiiiffffffff.....hmmm...hhhmmmmm I see...yes....yes indeed as well curry......hmmm....that fragrance is quite noticeable....yes.....onion and garlic chutney I take it my dear?.....hmmmmm....yes quite.....

>BBBBBBRRRRRRRRPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTT

>Oh I was not expecting that…that little gust my dear….you caught me off guard…yes…so gentle it was though…hmmmm…let me taste this little one…just one small sniff…..sniff…ah….ssssssnnnnnniiiiiffffffffffff…and yet…so strong…yes…the odor….sniff sniff…hmmm….is that….sniff….hmmm….I can almost taste it my dear…..yes….just…sniff….a little whiff more if you please…..ssssssnnnnnniiiiiffffffffff…ah yes I have it now….yes quite….hhhhmmmm…delectable my dear…..quite exquisite yes…..I dare say…sniff….the most pungent one yet my dear….ssssnnnnniiiifffffffffffffffffffffff….yes…

- Ulysses, Joyce

Read it like poetry.

you're probably too young m8. but in the mean time hit up some cambridge companions to modernism/the modern type shit, and just generally be familiar with the history of the novel.

Is Portrait required reading for Ulysses?

I want to jump right into Ulysses. I tried reading portrait, but that huge section of Dedelus listening to the Priest just threw me off the scent of the plot. It seemed to go nowhere

absolutely not. not gonna say it doesnt help, but theyre getting at different things all together

Pretty much sums it up

What’s a comparison in terms of movies? Is it like a direct sequel or is it more like a cinematic universe and shit?

fpbp as usual

Has anyone attempted to create something similar from a different country? Im tempted to do something like that about my own country.

Both Dubliners and Potrait are short as fuck so just read the two of them first. It's not by any means essential but it'll help you get a feel for Joyce in a less experimental mode.

Les Misérables does a pretty good job for Paris.