In this engaging 2004 introduction, Vincent Sherry combines a close reading of Ulysses with critical arguments. He provides a useful guide to the episodic sequence of Joyce's novel. In addition, he presents a searching interpretation of this masterwork, addressing the major issues in Ulysses criticism. He shows how Joyce's modernist epic remodels Homer's Odyssey; he examines and explains Joyce's extraordinary verbal experiments; and he reads anew the most challenging language of the text, the words through which the characters reveal their secret lives. He also reclaims the landmark status of Joyce's monumental novel, situating it in the relevant contexts of literary tradition and political history. This book is essential reading for all students of Joyce, whether they are approaching Ulysses for the first time or returning to the text.