Weighing in at more than 265,000 words, the novel Ulysses by James Joyce is, to say the least, a literary challenge to those who attempt to read it. The book, published in 1904, has 18 episodes, extending over 700 pages, and has been called dirty, blasphemous and unreadable. It is often a college assignment, but for some students in western Massachusetts seeking their GED, or high school equivalency degree, Ulysses is on the reading list.
The literacy project in Greenfield Massachusetts will hold a fundraiser on June 16, 2012 as part of Bloomsday, named in honor of Leopold Bloom, the protagonist in the novel.
For more on the event and the use of Ulysses in the GED course we spoke with teacher Joseph Panzica, and Judith Roberts, the executive director of the literacy project.