Who's afraid of Joyce's Ulysses? This course shows how to approach this formidable novel without (much) fear and trembling. Most important is that Ulysses is a funny book, and the better you get to know it, the funnier it becomes. We'll read the novel chapter by chapter, encouraging everyone to contribute their own ideas and interpretations. Although we won't have time in six weeks to read more than a few chapters I'd be happy to lead a further reading group for those who get hooked. Recommended background reading includes Homer's Odyssey and Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Also recommended is Harry Blamires's The New Bloomsday Book, which walks you through each chapter clarifying any puzzling passages. We will use the Oxford World's Classics edition of Ulysses, edited by Jeri Johnson, which can be purchased from Amazon and elsewhere.