The "Ithaca" chapter of Joyce's Ulysses

by Richard E. Madtes

1983: by Richard E. Madtes - 160 pages.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madtes's comparison, between the final copy and various manuscripts and galley proofs , gives readers of Ulysses a sense of appreciation of Joyce's effort in constructing what William Empson deemed as the "frightful text".

Perhaps the most interesting part of this book is the sections regarding the additions and changes made by Joyce (i.e. pp36-52) & the section on his rough notes (pp25-30). Madtes's analysis in ways hinted me that I should deconstruct Ulysses in the fashion that it was constructed, thus properly decipher the purpose of the words he elected, and maybe learn to enjoy the tome a bit more.

The appended Rosenback Manuscript is a bonus read if have ample time to spare.

[Steven Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was liked because it provided a very nice exercise for a writing class. Madtes' reproduction of a paragraph from Ulysses with everything added after the original manuscript printed in italics is a fantastic example for young writers who suffer from the illusion that one begins writing "Once upon a time..." and finishes when they have written "... happily ever after." Madtes also provides an excellent chart of additions and corrections made at the different stages of writing, from notebooks, to manuscripts, to typescripts, to galley proofs, to page proofs. Otherwise, have a big glass of water handy. Highly detailed forensic analysis of how, when, and why Joyce wrote the penultimate chapter of Ulysses. Hats off to Mr. Madtes for doing all of this meticulous research. If you are curious about Joyce's writing process, albeit for a single piece of his multifaceted Ulysses, this will be excellent. It must be said that reading through the entire Rosenbach manuscript, however fascinating it may have been side by side with the 1922, or other mass produced editions, after such detailed disection, was given a pass. To quote Madtes, "by the time one has chased down all the mackintosh references in the novel and read the various critical theories, one no longer much gives a damn." (104) Quite.

[Doni]

I was so happy someone else did the meticulous research so that I didn't have to and I still found out what I wanted to know! This guy compared manuscripts at different stages of Joyce's writing process by going to the museums in London and New York and laboring over Joyce's scrawlings. Way to go guy!