Ulysses by Numbers

Ulysses by Numbers is a new way to approach Joyce's masterpiece by focusing on the numbers behind the words, using graphs, diagrams, timelines, and maps to explore its structure, design, history, and proportions. It offers a concrete basis for understanding the novel's length, style, origins, readership, and design and highlights the potential of quantitative methods in literary analysis.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 22 December 2020
Publisher: Columbia University Press

For a century, Ulysses has been avidly read, but what if we shift our focus from the words to the numbers? By employing a computational approach, Ulysses by Numbers offers a fresh perspective on Joyce's masterpiece, revealing its fundamental building blocks in a entirely new light. Words, paragraphs, pages, characters, the original print run, and the dates marking the beginning and end of its composition are all analyzed, providing insights into Joyce's creative process. Graphs, diagrams, timelines, and maps enhance our understanding, while numbers offer a startling new perspective on the proportions that continue to shape, organize, and pace the reading experience.

Numbers serve as a navigational tool, allowing us to trace the history of Ulysses from its earliest material beginnings. They provide a concrete foundation for exploring the big questions about its length, style, origins, readership, and design. Ulysses by Numbers is a timely intervention into debates about the use and abuse of quantitative methods in literary analysis. Eric Bulson demonstrates how reading by numbers can bring us closer to the words of Ulysses, helping us rediscover a novel we thought we already knew.

In conclusion, Ulysses by Numbers is a groundbreaking computational reading that offers a new way of understanding and appreciating Joyce's masterpiece. By focusing on the numbers, we gain a deeper appreciation for the novel's structure, design, and history, while also gaining insights into Joyce's creative process. This innovative approach provides a timely intervention into debates about the use and abuse of quantitative methods in literary analysis and encourages us to re-examine the familiar in a fresh and exciting way.

Weight: 432g
Dimension: 156 x 235 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231186056