Ulysses

I've read Joyce, but not Ulysses. I was a grad student in English, and there was a seminar devoted to reading the novel. That wasn't my area, so I never took it. But it gave me the notion, like you, that the book might be impenetrable without some help. Now I wonder if that's really true. If you like challenging fiction, why not try it, vroonika? Best of luck!

There are several ways to approach Ulysses. My suggestion is to read it fast the first time through, not getting hung up on obscure words or passages. You will come through with a broad understanding of it. Then, if you are sufficiently motivated you can read it more slowly and even buy studies of it to help you through. I keep a copy of it near my computer and from time to time still open it at random, or search out passages, just for the sheer pleasure of it.

Ulysses
One thing to remember is that it parallels Homer's Odyssey. If you keep the events of that in mind, you can make sense of some things that don't otherwise seem to. It also helps to read bits out loud, because a lot of Joyce's writing is really for the ear. (This is particularly true of his other major work, Finnegan's Wake.)