Thursday, 21 December 2017 (10.798)

The last reading stopped at: 

          “What a pity!”

                    (Wandering Rocks U10.798)

(the next section begins with “Stephen Dedalus watched”)


Please note that there will be no reading during the Christmas holidays. The group  will pick up Ulysses again on Thursday, 4 January 2018.

Catherine Meyer sends another great drawing for this week's blog post. While revisiting the last few pages read with the group, she was particularly taken with one small scene. Here are her words to all of you:

I especially enjoyed catching the moment when Bloom and Chris Callinan are on one side of the car and Molly and Lenehan on the other (10.554 ff.). I first painted the background with watercolours, scratched out the “weeny weeshy” star that Molly has spotted in the sky and then, with easy charcoal strokes, I drew Molly singing and pointing to the star and Lenehan,  being in a good mood, “settling her boa all the time”.

This much to close the last reading sessions for this year. After the reading we gathered for drinks and snacks, with very good wassail (Glühwein), a delicious Linzertorte made by Brigitte and some excellent nibbles. Thank you to those who took the initiative and organised it – we all enjoyed eating, drinking and having a good time talking and discussing the current chapter of Wandering Rocks. I wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 14 December 2017 (10.551)

The last reading stopped at:

          “Lenehan linked his arm warmly.”

                    (Wandering Rocks U10.551)

(about one page before the section closes with the words “old Bloom”)

Catherine Meyer sends a picture to illustrate this week's entry. She writes:

For a change I drew a very little sketch, showing the view Fritz Senn has when he looks toward his attentive and interested audience.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 7 December 2017 (10.256)

The reading group has started episode 10 and stopped at:

          — There, sir. 

                    (Wandering Rocks U10.256)

(end of the 3rd section, the next beginning “Katey and Boody”)

Catherine Meyer sends a painting that captures both scene and mood from the opening episode. She writes:

My watercolour shows Father Conmee walking and reading in his breviary. “His thinsocked ankles were tickled by the stubble of Clongows field” (10.185). The sky shows him a flock of small white clouds carried slowly down by the wind. “Moutonner, the French said” (10.182). I made a sketch with charcoal and coloured it with French ultramarine, burnt ochre and a little bit white gouache for the clouds. 

You may see Father Conmee’s thoughts about “that tyrannous incontinence, needed however for man’s race on earth, and of the ways of God which were not our ways” in the clouds (10.171).

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 30 November 2017 (end of episode 9)

The reading group has now reached the end of episode 9 “Scylla & Charybdis”.

Catherine Meyer, local artist and long-standing member of the reading groups at the Zurich Foundation, sends a picture to capture the the mood of this closing episode. She writes:

While looking out of my window into the snowy landscape I also watched attentively the little smoke coming out of my neighbour’s chimney and saw many variously shaped figures, ascending and disappearing in almost no time. This made me think of the beautiful sentence at the end of the chapter, “Frail from the housetops two plumes of smoke ascended, pluming, and in a flaw of softness softly were blown” (9.1218–20). So this became my topic for a little pastel, just a waft on the paper.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 23 November 2017 (9.1015)

The last reading stopped with Stephen:

          “and all the other plays which I have not read.” 

                    (Scylla and Charybdis U9.1015)


Catherine Meyer chose the phrase “agenbite of inwit” as a theme for a sketch. She writes:

I went back to a note from Fritz explaining to us that “agenbite” (literally 'again bite') is a sort of English rendering of the Latin verb “remordere” (English: remorse), to bite again. “Inwit”, inner wit, is the inner sense of morality, that little voice inside of you that knows right from wrong. So, “agenbite of inwit” is the nagging of one’s conscience.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 16 November 2017 (9.777)

The last reading ended with:

          “Admiring”

                    (Scylla and Charybdis U9.777)

Catherine Meyer sends this illustration for the passage covered. She notes:

The drawing shows almost all of the authors mentioned so far in “Scylla and Charybdis”. They fill a whole page of my notebook. Now they are all together, looking at the “Scylla and Charybdis” chapter reader, who has to fight against names and plays.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 9 November 2017 (9.538)

The last reading stopped at:

          “gratified desire” 

                    (Scylla and Charybdis U9.538) 

Thursday, 26 October 2017 (9.154)

The group has startet a new episode, Scylla and Charybdis, and has advanced to: 

          “Lifted.” 

                    (Scylla and Charybdis U9.154)

Catherine Meyer sends a painting for this blog and writes:

This is going to be a very tough chapter and perhaps the most difficult one in the book. Odysseus is not the only one in danger when having to pass Scylla and Charybdis, but we in the reading group too have to watch out that we avoid the whirlpool and the six headed monster. That’s why we are most grateful to Fritz Senn, our host and tutor, who helps us to unravel the mysterious sentences.

I painted the title of the 9th chapter “Scylla and Charybdis” in gouache and watercolour.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 19 October 2017 (8.1150)

The reading group has advance to:

          “But somehow you can’t cotton on to them someway.”   

                    (Lestrygonians U8.1150)

Catherine Meyer, local artist and long-standing member of the reading groups, has sent in a painting inspired by last week's gathering. She writes:

We read an erotic paragraph, where Bloom thinks of his wife, Molly, and his first exciting adventure with at the top of the hill Ben Howth:

“Beauty: it curves: curves are beauty. Shapely goddesses. (...) Can see them library museum standing in the round hall, naked goddesses” (8.920–22).

Bloom thinks of Pygmalion and Galatea and wonders what she would say first at seeing him: “ Mortal” (8.924).  He goes on to think that Mortals have to eat. They stuff food into one hole and out behind (8.929). Then he wonders whether statues have one. 

My painting in pastels and ink shows Galatea as a statue, and in the background Bloom's memory of his wife Molly and her curves.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 12 October 2017 (8.866)

The last reading stopped half-way through the paragraph starting with “Mild fire” at:

          “Effect on the sexual.”

                    (Lestrygonians U8.866)

Thursday, 5 October 2017 (8.613)

The last reading stopped at:

          “Wants to sew on buttons for me. I must answer.”

                    (Lestrygonians U8.613)

Thursday, 28 September 2017 (8.405)

A note for those interested art inspired by Joyce's Ulysses: 

Catherine Meyer, Swiss artist and longstanding member of Fritz Senn's reading groups, is exhibiting her works in Zurich, Kronengalerie, Foschaugasse 3.

The schedule for the remaining days is:

Fri, 29.9.: 2 – 7 p.m.

Sat, 30.9.: 12 – 5 p.m.

Sun, 1.10.: 12 – 5 p.m.

The last reading reached:

          “Mackerel they called me”  

                    (Lestrygonians U8.405) 

Thursday, 21 September 2017 (8.169)

The last reading reached:

          “People looking after her.”  

                    (Lestrygonians U8.169) 

Thursday, 14 September 2017 (end of episode 7, "Aeolus")

The reading has reached the end of episode 7, “Aeolus”.

Thursday, 7 September 2017 (7.812)

The reading stopped before the headline:

          “IMPROMPTU”

                    (Aeolus U7.812)

Thursday, 31 August 2017 (7.558)

The last reading reached: 

          “But the Greek!” 

                    (Aeolus U7.558)

The next heading is: KYRIE ELEISON!

Thursday, 24 August 2017 (beginning of episode 7)

The group has started episode 7, “Aeolus”. 

[Exact page where the reading stopped unknown. Sorry about the present uncertainty. Will try to keep up better in future if possible.]

Thursday, 17 August 2017 (end of episode 6)

The reading group has reached the end of “Hades” and will start episode 7 (“Aeolus”), this coming Thursday, August 24.

Thursday, 27 July 2017 (6.612)

Please note that due to the annual Workshop there will be

no reading next Thursday, August 3rd.

The next reading, on August 10, will pick up again after: 

          “you're a doner.”

                    (Hades U6.612)

Thursday, 20 July 2017 (6.360)

The last reading stopped at:

          “Rattle his bones.”

                    (Hades U6.358)

Thursday, 13 July 2017 (6.84)

The last reading stopped at:

          “Learn German too.”  

                    (Hades U6.84) 

Thursday, 29 June 2017 [...]

Please note that there will be no reading of Ulysses next Thursday, 6 July.

No information available for the reading of June 29 (apologies). The blog entries will continue with the next reading on 13 July, when Fritz Senn is back from the Joyce Summer Schools in Trieste and Dublin.

Thursday, 22 June 2017 (5.240)

The last reading started episode 5 and got as fas as:

          “What does she say?”  

                    (Lotus Eaters U5.240) 

Thursday, 15 June 2017 (End of episode 4)

The group has reached the end of “Calypso”, episode 4.

Thursday, 8 June 2017 (4.342)

The last reading stopped at “transmigration of souls” (4.342). Catherine Meyer sends her rendering of a transmigration for this blog post. 

Catherine will be showing a selection of her Ulysses inspired works at the Zurich James Joyce Foundation on: 

6 – 30 June 2017

The Foundation is open 

Monday – Friday

10–17h

Admission is free. Drop in if you can and have some time to spare. Catherine's paintings and drawings are amazing!

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 1 June 2017 (4.104)

The last reading stopped at: “homerule sun rising up in the northwest” (4.104). 

Catherine Meyer captures that look rather nicely: here's the drawing she sends for last week's reading.  

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 25 May 2017 (3.452)

The last reading stopped at: 

          “All or not at all.” 

                    (Proteus U3.452)

Thursday, 18 May 2017 (3.244)

The group got to:

          “not here” 

                    (Proteus U3.244)

Please note that the group is meeting next Thursday, Ascension Day, 25 May 2017.

Catherine Meyer sends a painting for this page. As she says, “it captures the colours in this episode, yellow, bronze, violet, golden, shellcocoacoloured, primrose, white rose, blue”.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 11 May 2017 (3.84)

The reading stopped at: “brings Walter back” (3.84)

Catherine Meyer sends a painting for episode 2, “Nestor”, inspired by its closing line: 

“On his wise shoulders through the checkerwork of leaves the sun flung spangles, dancing coins.”

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 4 may 2017 (2.386)

The last reading sopped at: “shrugging his shoulders.” (2.386)


Catherine sends her rendering of the “meatfaced woman” (2.312):

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2015

Thursday, 27 April 2017 (2.228)

The reading has advanced to “greed and misery” (2.228).

Catherine Meyer sends a drawing of “ponderous buck”, as she calls it. We agree with her that it punctuates the end of episode 1 rather well.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 20 April 2017 (1.691)

The last reading nearly reached the end of episode 1, stopping at the “sagging loincloth” (1.691) 

Catherine Meyer captures some of the mood in her painting:

© Catherine Meyer

Thursday, 13 April 2017 (1.417)

The last reading stopped at: “look at that now, she said”  (1.417) 

Catherine Meyer illustrates it with this wonderful painting. Note the writing in mirror at the bottom of it, which she does using both hands – left and right writing at the same time.

Catherine Meyer

Thursday, 6 April 2017

A new round of Ulysses has just begun. Check this site to keep track of how far the group has read each week. The last reading stopped at “you dreadful bard” (1.134). 

The numbers in parentheses refer to the Hans Gabler edition. The first number indicates the chapter, the second the line on the page.

Catherine Meyer (local artist and long-standing member of the reading groups) has, sends a painting to illustrate the passage just read. We have the artist's permission to reproduce her works in this blog.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich, 2017

New reading group

A new round of Ulysses readings is starting on 

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Everybody is welcome to join.

To download flyer click link below:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwj7cJO4A0bAWGNORE5QLS1aNGc

Thursday, 30 March 2017

The group reached the end of Ulysses last week. A new round of the book is beginning on Thursday, 6 April 2017. Everyone is welcome – first-time readers and recidivists.

To conclude this round, Catherine Meyer, local artist and long-standing member of the reading groups, sends a last painting with these words:

The idea for my picture was to capture the various feelings, sentiments and instances of “yes” coming from Molly. The blue background reminds her of “O and the sea the sea” (18.1598), probably remembering Gibraltar as well as Howth and echoing Buck Mulligan’s exclamation “Thalatta! Thalatta!” earlier in the book (1.80).

As the episode “Penelope” has both, a sense of chaos and a strictly composed structure, I tried to do the same with the center of my painting. It looks chaotic but I composed it very carefully, going through many stages.

The famous closing words “yes I will Yes” frame the picture. To stress the optimism in these words about the unknown future of the Blooms I used vivid and lively colours.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 23 March 2017

The group is about to finish the book. Around two pages from the end of episode 18, the reading stopped at: “That ought to satisfy him” (18.1513)

Catherine Meyer, who has been illustrating each week with paintings and drawings inspired from the readings, sends another contribution with the following words.

It is very, very late at night and Molly’s mind is still circling around love: 

“all the amount of pleasure they get off a womans body“ (18.1380);

and Bloom embracing her only sometimes, whereas “of course a woman wants to be embraced 20 times a day almost to make her look young” (18.1408);

“I suppose its all the troubles we have makes us so snappy” (18.1459);

and “Im not like that” (18.1460), referring to her previous thoughts that “we are a dreadful lot of bitches” (18.1459) 

– which I took to depict in watercolours and gouache.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 16 March 2017

The last reading stopped at: “imagine paying 5/- in the preserved seats for that to see him” (18.1290)

Catherine Meyer sends a painting with the following words:

In my pile of older, sometimes abandoned drafts, I found a watercolour sketch of one of my models which I could use to depict a court-scene from the 1933 trial, where Judge John M. Woolsey ruled that Joyce’s novel Ulysses was not obscene and could lawfully be imported into the United States. His word, which became famous, were:

“I am quite aware that owing to some of its scenes Ulysses is a rather strong draught to ask some sensitive, though normal, person to take. But my considered opinion, after long reflection, is that whilst in many places the effect of Ulysses on the reader undoubtedly is somewhat emetic, nowhere does it tend to be an aphrodisiac.” (Richard Ellmann, James Joyce, p. 667)

In my picture I turned “the somewhat emetic” into “tends to be aphrodisiac”.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 7 March 2017

The last reading reached: “a great touchmenot too in her own way” (13.1037)

Catherine Meyer sends the following report and accompanying picture:

Molly's character does not seem be of everybody's liking. Her inner monologue circles around sex quite often and her attention keeps going back to that dominant topic. One reader observed that Homer's Penelope is the exact opposite and that she is faithful, while Molly is always thinking about her many amorous adventures, real or imaginary ones.

My Rock of Gibraltar is painted in various bright colours to echo Molly’s inner monologue.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017

Thursday, 2 March 2017

The reading stopped at: “Id like a new fellow every year” (18.782)

Catherine Meyer, local artist and long-standing member of the reading groups at the Joyce Foundation, sends a drawing to illustrate a favourite passage. She writes:

The “nobleman named Don Miguel de la Flora” (18.773), who came up at the end of the reading, sparked the idea of dedicating a bouquet of flowers to “our” protagonist, Bloom. Bloom, flower, Virag, Flora – all of these words have accompanied us throughout the novel. “With muchibus thankibus” (7.780) to Bloom, who has entertained us every Thursday afternoon for more than two years.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2017