Ulysses

James Joyce · 1882–1941 · Ireland

Why it matters

One Dublin day mapped onto the Odyssey, every chapter a different style, ending in Molly Bloom's unpunctuated yes. Banned, pirated, and worshipped: the summit of modernism and the novel other novels measure themselves against.

At a glance

Each chapter adopts a radically different style, from stream of consciousness to dramatic script to unpunctuated monologue.