Wandering Rocks

• Do you want to read James Joyce’s Ulysses, but have shied away for its reputed formidability?
• Have you seen its title top numerous “Best Books” lists and felt a deep and irreconcilable shame that you consider yourself a literate person and have yet to take on Western Culture’s highest literary achievement? 
• Do you like people sometimes? Especially the aging English major types comically frustrated by contemporary culture’ vapidity and who vainly long for interesting engagement of challenging texts.
• Do you really think Atlas Shrugged was best book *ever* written?(!!!)

Wandering Rocks could be for you.

Wandering Rocks could be an online reading collective that will take on James Joyce’s Ulysses on June 16th, to commemorate the single day Ulysses depicts, June 16th 1904. Participation is open to all. Participation may involve posting an entry based on a week’s reading or it just may involve making snarky comments from the sidelines. Hasn’t been determined yet. And I’m not sure how much we’ll read per week. Ulysses‘ density varies throughout. We’ll probably fly through “Nausicaa” and “Circe”, but then get slammed by “Oxen in the Sun.” We’ll take it as it goes and make the decisions in the field. 

However, the goal is clear. We will read Ulysses. And we will do it awesomely, by sharing our own insights and befuddlements on the text. We will help each other understand or we will share in confusion. Either way, it will be a blast. As high-minded and esoteric as Ulysses is, it’s all the more profane and hilarious fun.

I strongly suggest familiarizing yourself with Homer’s Odyssey before the 16th, but that’s not necessary.

This is your chance to read, enjoy, and marginally understand what is often considered THE GREATEST BOOK OF ALL TIME. This will be quite a feather in your cap, in a time when cap feathers are so very hard to come by.

Join the team and we’ll figure out the details.