content: After finally summoning the courage to attempt a reading of Ulysses, I am profoundly greatful that I did. While the novel is intricately layered and multi-referenced, reading it is really not as challenging as its reputation would have one believe. Moreover, it is a page-turner in the truest sense; never before have I been so absorbed by a piece of literature. Joyce's relentless and masterful descriptions of characters' thoughts, both important inner monologues and equally flippant patter, offer an insight into the human condition which is unparalled in English literature. I am utterly convinced that Ulysses is the most important novel of the twentieth century; it is a true masterpiece of literary art, one that simply makes the reader proud to be human.