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I want to read Alfred Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz. Should I read Ulysses first?

parkbench — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:01:41 -0800

I want to read Alfred Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz. Should I read Ulysses first? I've been watching Fassbinder's adaptation of the novel recently, and so naturally, the prospect of reading the original novel intrigues me. What I'm wondering is if its impact will really be felt if I have no experience with Ulysses.

Of course, I understand that theoretically I could read any derivative work on its own and like it on its own merit. This has often been my entry way into original works, so I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea. On the other hand, I'm quite fond of syllabi, precisely because the idea behind it is that someone has taken the time to think carefully about the best way to take in the information/content at hand. I know if I hadn't read things in a certain order for some authors, I certainly would never have liked them as much as I did, and when I suggest them to other people, I often relate my own journey as a potential model--syllabus--to follow (obviously allowing that other paths are also possible).

So given all this, I'm just wondering if it makes more sense to jump right into Döblin, since I'll be done with Fassbinder soon, or if I should take the time to really see how Döblin evolved his work and made it unique from Joyce's Dublin. The continuum would be interesting, I think. Then again, I'm worried about having a 'forgettable' read--which often happens to me when I'm not in the right mindset--if I'm not prepared.

And as a side note, part of what's making me hesitate at all is a perusal of the secondary literature out there on Fassbinder--many of the essays seem to have familiarity with both Ulysses and Alexanderplatz as prerequisites for really getting at the profundity of their arguments.

Thoughts?

Lines from Joyce's Ulysses?

malapropist — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:47:30 -0800

What are some juicy lines of dialogue from James Joyce's Ulysses? I want to greet my friend in a Ulyssean fashion for a Bloomsday celebration later. So I'm going down to a Bloomsday celebration tonight at Clancy's Pub in Long Beach, with a friend of mine who is crazy about Ulysses. This will be my second Bloomsday celebration that I"ll be aware of, and sadly I still have not read Joyce's epic. Considering the sheer length of the book, I figure there have to be dozens of really juicy one-liners delivered by the narrator, or even better, by characters, that I can memorize by the time my friend comes over, so I can surprise him with a quote in a rich Irish brogue. Lines displaying a rich dollop of Irish culture and language, as well as Joycean humor, perhaps?

Please, give me your best and favorite lines from James Joyce's Ulysses.

riverrun

dead_ — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 08:39:01 -0800

Has Finnegans Wake ever been translated? How?

Sounds great, but what is it?

wsg — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:16:02 -0800

What kind of guitar is she playing?

Here Comes Everybody!

josh — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:10:06 -0800

Have you read Finnegan's Wake? How did you do it? I'm teaching a class on the Wake this fall and want it to be as enjoyable as possible. Tell me about your experience reading it. What did you do to make it as fun as possible? (Or: what are some ideas for making it fun?)

Bloomsday in Berlin?

nobody — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 10:45:58 -0800

Are there any English language Bloomsday readings in Berlin? And since someone asked, how about pub-style group readings in NYC? ("Bloomsday on Broadway" doesn't count).