Declan Kiberd

This is a great introduction to Irish literature and writings during the Irish Rebellion Era. The organization of the book went chronological, which helped with situating the reader in the historical contexts. Also, each section of the book started with a brief introduction or overview of what was going on in the time period. I would specify that this is only a taste of what is available in the writings of the time, some of the writings were only selections from a piece and some writers were not included at all. Of course, this is only an anthology and overall the entire book is great for an intro class or to have a general overview of the time period. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the time period or Irish literature/writings.… (mere)

Kiberd’s thesis is that Ulysses is about the exaltation of the humble; the everyday; the way the most banal aspects of life can yield wisdom if we cease to insist on a separation of the sacred from the quotidian.

He bemoans the usurpation of Ulysses by specialists and pedants, claiming that Joyce meant for his work to be accessible to the common man. Ulysses is a book, Kiberd asserts, “with much to teach us about the world…” but too many readers are scared off of it by “the legend of its forbidding difficulty…” Joyce, Kiberd maintains, rejected the idea that education should be walled off from the masses, or that the common man could not be self-educated or appreciative of “higher” culture. Indeed, Shakespeare, Homer, and Dante wrote for the masses, and as Kiberd argues, “The popular reading can not only be enriched over time by the learned one, but it can also enrich the learned interpretation.”

Much of this very readable book consists of a chapter-by-chapter exegesis of Ulysses, explaining the themes of the chapters, and also noting the references/similarities to Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare (Hamlet). Kiberd’s focus (as he maintains is Joyce’s) is showing in what way the text points to the “sacrament of everyday life” and the repercussions of failing to appreciate this in one’s own life.

Evaluation: Kiberd makes very perceptive and thought-provoking observations not only about Ulysses but about other great works and about their place in society. I haven’t read Ulysses in many years, but I found this book quite illuminating even without specific memories about the events in the book to which he referred.… (mere)