Each spring, literature lovers around the world congregate to mark Bloomsday, The dense, sprawling novel, which takes place on June 16, 1904, tells the story of Leopold Bloom, who spends his day bumbling around Dublin. Typically, these Joyce superfans dress up in early 20th-century clothing, and gather in museums or pubs for readings and performances from the book, plus plenty of drinks and merriment. To the uninitiated, it may seem surprising that the main character of one of the twentieth century’s most notoriously difficult novels continues to inspire this annual cosplay, but Bloom is one of the most powerfully rendered characters in literature.
He’s remarkably likable and touchingly idiosyncratic, an all-too-human mix of ordinary vices and fumbling decency. To read “Ulysses” is to get to know Bloom better than you know many of your own friends. If you’re intrigued by Bloomsday but not ready to take the plunge into Toronto’s official celebrations ( ), we have some suggestions for how to dip your toes into Bloom’s stream of consciousness this Sunday, inspired by some of our favourite passages from the book.
“Ulysses” begins on a fine spring morning in Dublin. We first meet our protagonist Bloom during breakfast, as he prepares some toast and tea for his wife Molly, who is still in bed. Joyce takes this opportunity to offer the reader an introduction to his unique culinary habits: “Mr Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls.
He .