Dubliners

This might be a good book to use in a class on Ulysses. You could have the students read one story per class period, simultaneously with the great comic epic, and they might feel less confused and overwhelmed. In Dubliners, you get traditionally written descriptions of some of the same characters (in fact the writing sometimes seems jarringly formal compared with U's), and a sense of the town's ethos.

My favorite stories were "The Dead" (beautiful), "Araby" (an amazing portrayal of the range of an adolescent's emotions), and I guess "After the Race" (neatly done, and also very good at showing emotional states).

I feel like I failed to understand most of the stories. This is when I really miss having a book discussion group.