This lecture course will explore in depth the demanding and exhilarating work widely regarded as the most important novel of the twentieth century, James Joyce's Ulysses, which both dismantled the traditional novel and revitalized the genre by opening up new possibilities for fiction. We will discuss the ways in which compelling issues of character and theme (e.g., questions of heroism and betrayal, oedipal dynamics, sexuality and the politics of gender, civic engagement and artistic isolation, British imperialism and Irish nationalism, identity, estrangement, and community), are placed in counterpoint with patterns drawn from myth, theology, philosophy, and other literature, and will consider the convergence of such themes in an unorthodox form of comedy. In assessing Ulysses as the outstanding paradigm of modernist fiction, we will be equally attentive to its radical and often funny innovations of structure, style, and narrative perspective. In addition to Joyce's novel, readings include stories from Joyce's Dubliners, his autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, selections from Homer's Odyssey, as well as biographical and critical essays. Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: in-class "reading exercises," a midterm exam, two papers, and a final examination. Prerequisites: a 100-level English course, except 150. Enrollment limit: 50 (expected: 40). (Post-1900)