The extensive use of historical and cultural elements in Ulysses aims to provide a meaningful foundation for modern life, transforming history into cultural memory and integrating it into reality. The stream of consciousness narrative breaks down the boundaries between the past, present, and future, integrating past memories with current life and determining the existence and nature of reality. Joyce's works, through this narrative style, showcase the ontology of the coexistence of current reality and cultural memory, providing a new perspective for understanding the present. Unlike the traditional modernist approach of breaking through the old and establishing the new, Ulysses contains rich traditional cultural elements, such as the framework and imagery of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, which are an indispensable part of the modern landscape throughout the book.

As a history of memory

Joyce delves into the relationship between history and memory in Ulysses, viewing history as a weaving of memory and emphasizing the subjectivity of memory in historical narratives. Stephen demonstrated the fictionality of history by quoting Milton's "Lycidas" and telling riddles while teaching his students. His inner monologue questioned the authenticity of historical memory, comparing history to a fable fabricated by the daughters of memory. Joyce believed that history is not only a record of past events, but also a fictionalization of reality. Unlike White's viewpoint, Joyce emphasizes that historical fiction originates from the narrator's memory, rather than explanation and imagination. In Ulysses, memory is not only a channel connecting the past, but also an important component of the present and future. Ricard pointed out in Joyce's Book of Memories that memory plays a crucial role in Ulysses, viewing the novel as an "Odyssey" that transcends memory. Memory plays a role in connecting the past, present, and future in the stream of consciousness of characters, reflecting Joyce's deep thinking on stream of consciousness writing. Joyce challenges the traditional linear narrative model in stream of consciousness literature by breaking time boundaries and rethinking the relationship between history, memory, and time.

collective memory

Explored the ontological significance of collective memory in Ulysses. The book showcases the characters' memories of past events, knowledge, and emotions through stream of consciousness techniques, which deepen their understanding of reality. For example, Stephen realized the predicament he was in by recalling fragments of his mother's life. Ulysses weaves together real events with the fictional Odyssey, reflecting the interweaving of individual memory and cultural memory. Joyce reflected on the uncertainty of individual identity and the instability of subjectivity in the book, believing that memory is the key to individuals acquiring subjectivity. The cultural memory in Ulysses transcends individual experience, providing stable social roles for characters and giving their individual existence continuity and temporal thickness. The riddles and symbolic images in the book are not only personal memories, but also cultural memories shared by the Dublin community, reflecting the connection between individual memory and the 'big memory'.

Heart and soul

Joyce regards memory as the foundation of history and subjectivity in Ulysses, emphasizing the importance of collective memory and using cultural memories such as The Odyssey as the basis for the novel. This treatment is not only an innovation in artistic techniques, but also a philosophical consideration. Joyce contrasts Berkeley's subjective idealism philosophy with Aristotle's philosophy to explore the essence of existence. Berkeley believed that 'existence is perceived', emphasizing that the mind is real, and objects, self, history, time, and space all exist due to the perception of the mind. Joyce expressed his recognition of Berkeley's philosophy through Stephen's character, believing that conscience is the key to problem-solving rather than economic or political struggles. In Ulysses, cultural memory is not only the sum of individual knowledge, but also defines an individual's identity and existence. The collective cultural memory represented by 'The Odyssey' provided Stephen and Bloom with spiritual 'stability'. Joyce satirized the errors and falsehoods of realists by comparing the positions of Stephen and Principal Dixie, emphasizing that only by viewing the mind as the foundation of existence can we transcend false rhetoric and return to the essence of life. Cultural memory, as a collective soul, is the origin of modern life. Joyce used "Ulysses" instead of "Odysseus" as the title, emphasizing the interweaving of the past and present. Cultural memory is constantly woven together with the present, forming the present.