If there were a throwdown to determine the reigning monarch of Modernism, Virginia Woolf would whup James Joyce's ass so badly he'd be crying for his mommy all the way home to Dublin.

The gauntlet is down! Woolf may have pioneered the language, but with Ulysses, Joyce perfected the form.

Has any Buffista read it? I've never met anyone who has.

I've read Ulysses. Liked it, too. For days afterwards I kept making connections and having, "Oh, waitaminute" moments about it. Finnegan's Wake, however, nsm.

I have, but not for real, with like, understanding and shit. I picked it up on "Banned Books Week" one time and just got stoned on the sounds. Cause if it was banned, it's got to be good(I'm such a lefty cliche)

Has any Buffista read it?

I tried. Didn't make it to page 150.

Has any Buffista read it? I've never met anyone who has.

You missed my post, I guess. Yes, I've read it, many times. Appreciate it? Maybe not in the accepted "oooh, he's school of yada fishcakes" sense, because I don't actually care what he's considered to be part of; truth to tell; I just know he makes me dizzy in the best possible way, and I want to get naked and roll around in the language. Of course, I had that same reaction to the Illuminati trilogy, except I had no trouble following the flashbacks and whatnot - made perfect sense to me. Which is odd, seeing as how I didn't actually do a lot of acid back in the sixties.

And why are we comparing Woolf and Joyce? Different cases of beer, at least in my head.

I've read it.

It helps when you have a guide. "Wait, I thought his parents were dead. Why are people turning into pigs? Oh, it's a hallucination."

Of course, I had that same reaction to the Illuminati trilogy, except I had no trouble following the flashbacks and whatnot - made perfect sense to me. Which is odd, seeing as how I didn't actually do a lot of acid back in the sixties.

Oh, it made sense to me, too, but I realized I was reading with a lot more focus than I normally did, which was a pleasant change.

Illuminatus! is a great alternative to acid--all the sensory goulash without the nasty physical side effects.

Has any Buffista read it? I've never met anyone who has.

Yeah, right here. I have to say that I'm surprised by the apparent pride some of y'all are exhibiting in admitting that you skipped one of the most important works of literature in the English language. I mean, I understand not reading it; it's definitely not for everybody. Sure, it's tedious in parts, and the structure is deliberately confusing. But, y'know, it's a profound and extremely well-written statement about the concept of heroism in general, one of the earliest attempts to treat genre as a tool to exploit for additional meaning, and a hell of a funny and entertaining story, too.

Illuminatus! is a great alternative to acid--all the sensory goulash without the nasty physical side effects.

Ohhhhhh, yes. Must re-read. Soon. Pref. not on plane to Alaska, for must greet grandparents at end of flight. But soon.

I'm really, really impressed with all the Buffistas who've read Ulysses. I find even Joyce's linear stuff to be over my head.