randomWalks

The most intriguing part of the book is Appel's explication of James Joyce's "Ulysses," particularly the Molly Bloom chapter, which he hails as the century's greatest piece of vernacular prose. (Appel is a professor emeritus of English at Northwestern University.)

In jazz terms, he tells us, Molly's narrative pulse of 86 beats per minute "is at least fifteen years ahead of its time ...," a precursor of jazz. Though many have found that particular Joyce text difficult to penetrate, Molly's "syncopations" become palpable, Appel explains, if one punctuates the opening passages with slashes, which he does on the page, adding a musical dimension to a piece of iconic modernist writing.

To get the reader in the right groove to appreciate Joyce, Appel suggests the publication of a paperback volume containing only the excerpted Molly Bloom chapter, packaged with a compact disc of jazz performances set on or very close to Molly's metronomic beat.

This is a great idea, and one which brings up a problem for those readers lacking an encyclopedic grasp of jazz history and a extensive library of original jazz recordings: Without the ability to hear the music that Appel references, many of his riffs come off flat, if not nearly silent.