An Analogy between Ulysses and Its Archetype Odyssey

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhve.202416404

Author(s)

Jinghong Guo

Affiliation(s)

Department of General Fundamental Courses, Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Abstract

As a renowned writer of Modernist literature, James Joyce meticulously crafted the structural patterns and plots of Ulysses to echo those found in Odyssey. By combining an extraordinary imagination with a masterful art of storytelling, Ulysses is known as the epic of the disintegration of Western society, and the spiritual epic of the wandering adventure of modern people. In order to profoundly understand the intertextual relationship of the two masterpieces, the paper makes an analysis from the analogy of the protagonists, structure and plot. Through analyzing the intertextual consciousness, the classical consciousness and historical consciousness can be connected and the text transformation of corresponding features in the connection can be realized. This approach delves deeper into the vulgar national consciousness of the colony, and reveals the crises that Ireland is facing during that era. After making an analogy between the two literary works, the readers can grasp the characteristics of Ulysses, such as superconstancy, association, experience, variability and penetration better, thus quickly stepping into the deep heart of the characters to perceive and experience the psychological and emotional connotation of the main characters.

Keywords

Analogy; Archetype; Structure; Odyssey; Ulysses; Symbolism; James Joyce

References

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